Integrated Compression

摘要

Natural gas abounds in North America.At the end of 2016,Canada and the U.S.shared 414 trillion cubic feet of proved reserves,with the U.S.the world's largest producer and Canada the fourth largest.Unsurprisingly,there's a keen appetite for developing LNG facilities across the continent.In recent years,we've seen several large-scale LNG projects take shape,including five new export terminals coming online in 2018 and 2019.Once in operation,they will make the U.S.one of the top three LNG exporters in the world.Over the years,an extensive pipeline network has spread over a vast area-and this presents some exciting opportunities in terms of gas compression.Historically,the midstream market has been dominated by gas turbine technology,with conventional low-speed electric compression barely getting a look-in.But that's about to change.Indeed,I see four new trends that are helping to catalyze a favorable environment for integrated compressor line(ICL) electrical compression technology in this part of the world: 1.Shifting attitudes-Electric vehicles,vessels and even planes are edging ahead,showcasing the strength and potential of electrification.Similarly,engineers and operators are increasingly convinced that electrical technologies are now mature enough to be considered viable options for the gas industry.This was not the case a few years ago.