Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation Planning New NOx Reduction Projects Across the US

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) (Houston Texas) plans to modify air emissions at its natural gas compressor station 60 in East Feliciana Parish Louisiana as a part of an over all plan to reduce NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) emissions in compliance with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. NOx emissions are a key component in ground level ozone.

The $32.2 million project exceeded the $21 million threshold for making prior notice filings and therefore Transco filed an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity with the FERC in December of 2002 and requested the need to commence work on station 60 in April of 2003. However, the FERC permitting process will delay construction start up until 2004, with Transco expecting FERC approval by the third quarter of 2003.

Transco currently has thirteen compressor units at station 60 including ten internal combustion engines with reciprocating compressors and three gas turbines with centrifugal compressors. Transco plans on installing turbochargers and associated equipment on nine of the engines and will modify two existing turbochargers on the tenth unit. As a result of this work, NOx emissions will be reduced by achieving a true lean air-fuel ratio, injecting fuel at high pressure directly into the power cylinders on all ten engines. Transco will as well install associated equipment such as a new fuel gas header, upgrade the power systems and new fin-fan coolers to meet the additional cooling requirements of the new turbochargers.

Click on the image at right to view the Transco Compressor Station 60 Compressor Details Table.

When the construction is complete station 60 will have the potential to perform above their current operational horsepower rating, but since the modifications are solely to reduce air emissions station 60 will not operate above its certificated horsepower rating and therefore will not change the services rendered on Transco's pipeline system.

In total, Transco will modify six compressor stations on its system to reduce NOx emissions. Station 65 also in Louisiana will modify six internal combustion engines as well in 2004. Station 130 in Georgia will receive new gas coolers and construction work is now in progress at station 160 in North Carolina, station 180 in Virginia and a new fuel injection system being installed on a portion of the twelve units at station 190 in Maryland.

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation is a subsidiary of Williams Companies Incorporated (Tulsa Oklahoma) (NYSE:WMB) and operates a 10,560 mile natural gas pipeline system with 53 compressor stations, 216 Bcf of seasonal storage and a capacity of 7.5 Bcf/d. The principal gas sources for the system are Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and The Gulf of Mexico. From there the pipeline also transverses Georgia, North & South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and terminates in the New York metropolitan area. Recently Williams announced that over 8.3 Bcf of gas was delivered on January 23, 2003 through Transco's system, which is a new single day record for deliveries on Transco's line. The Transco system has in no doubt contributed to Williams' expected 2002 recurring pipeline segment profit of $685 to $695 million.