LineVu

LineVu is a camera system that can be permanently installed on high pressure natural gas systems. When installed downstream of a gas/liquid separator, it provides a live video stream of the gas leaving the separator system. Patented image processing is used to provide operators with a highly sensitive alarm if there is a break-through that contaminates the gas stream.

Allowing liquids into gas transmission systems causes major safety problems for compressors, pipeline integrity and end users such as power stations.

A patented LineVu system highlights areas where phase separation is allowing valuable NGLs into gas export lines.

Liquid carry over in gas treatment causes foaming in amine and glycol contactors. Normal practice is to use de-foamer to recover from a foaming event. This often requires a reduction in gas flow rate until the foam is under control. Current practice is to monitor pressure drop across the contactor. Now, with LineVu reporting a carry over event before foaming starts, de-foamer can be added to prevent foam rather than recover from it, without loss of production.

After gas treatment, it is important to recover as much of the premium condensate from the gas as possible. Processing liquids (usually glycol) can be carried over from gas treatment and freeze in the dew pointing equipment. This causes temperature control problems and can partially block the liquid removal process, and a combination of glycol and condensate are lost down the gas export line. When LineVu reveals liquid carry over from gas treatment, flows can be adjusted to find the optimum flow until the problem is diagnosed and repaired.

Using LineVu at custody transfer points improves accountability for pipeline contamination incidents. Gas is bought and sold at custody transfer points on a dry gas basis. LineVu is revealing glycol and compressor oil carry over that, up to now, passed on-line gas analysers without tripping an alarm. With the extra knowledge that the gas is wet, flow computers can be corrected, operators can make better decisions regarding the acceptability of gas, and pigging operations can be optimised.