GAS DISTRIBUTION STATION WITH AUTONOMOUS FUEL-FREE POWER SUPPLY AND METHOD OF ITS OPERATION Russian patent published in 2024 - IPC F01D15/08 F01D15/10 

FIELD: gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: relates to the gas industry, namely to gas-reducing equipment using an expander-generator technology of reducing gas pressure and is designed to reduce high pressure gas of main gas pipelines to lower values with associated generation of electric power due to use of energy of gas pressure difference at inlet and outlet of gas distribution station (GDS). It can be used both for creation of new GDS and as an auxiliary modular power complex of autonomous fuel-free power supply of standard GDS. Device comprises series-connected high pressure pipeline (1), heat exchangers (2 and 3) for heating natural gas of high pressure, gas flow controller (4), expander (5), kinematically connected to electric generator (6), and low pressure pipeline (7). First heat exchanger (2) for heating natural gas of high pressure is made in the form of heat exchanger-condenser of heat pump (8), consisting of series-connected by pipelines compressor (9), heat exchanger-condenser (2), heat exchanger-evaporator (10), throttle controller (11), inlet of which is connected to outlet of heat exchanger-condenser (2), at that compressor (9) is kinematically connected to electric motor (12). Gas regulator (4), expander (5), kinematically connected to electric generator (6), form expander-generator unit (13), which electric output through transformer (14) and automatic circuit breaker (15) are connected to electric network (16) of gas distribution station. Second heat exchanger (3) for heating natural gas of high pressure, made in the form of an electric heater, is connected to electric network (16) through automatic switch (17). Electric motor (12) of heat pump (8) is connected to electric network (16) through automatic switch (18). Low-pressure pipeline (7) is connected by bypass pipelines through shut-off valves (19 and 20) to high-pressure pipeline (1) and to pipeline connecting heat exchangers (2 and 3) of high-pressure natural gas heating. Heat exchanger-evaporator (10) of heat pump (8) – its second (external) output through circulation pump (21), kinematically connected to electric motor (22), is connected by pipelines through intermediate heat exchanger (23) with heat exchanger of renewable energy source (RES) of environment (24), output of intermediate heat exchanger (23) is connected to input of three-way valve (25), first outlet of three-way valve (25) is connected to inlet of ground heat exchanger (26), which outlet, as well as the second outlet of three-way valve (25) are connected by pipelines to the second (external) inlet of heat exchanger-evaporator (10). Electric motor (22) of circulation pump (21) is connected to electric network (16) through automatic switch (27). Electric network (16) through automatic circuit breaker (28) can be connected to external, in relation to gas distribution station, electric network (29). Station (30) itself can be mounted in a mobile transport container (railway, automobile, etc.), in walls of which there are connectors (nozzles, blocks, etc.) for external connection of heat exchanger of renewable energy source, ground heat exchanger and external electric network. Method of operation of gas distribution station with autonomous fuel-free power supply consists in the fact that the high-pressure natural gas supplied to the gas distribution station is initially heated in first heating heat exchanger (2), made in the form of a heat exchanger-condenser of heat pump (8), and heat for heating natural gas of high pressure by heat pump (8) is extracted from environment by heat exchanger-evaporator (10). At that, after first heat exchanger (2) of high pressure natural gas is heated in the second (peak) electric heat exchanger (3) of heating of natural gas of high pressure, and heat is supplied to heat exchanger-evaporator (10) of heat pump (8) through intermediate heat exchanger (23) from installed in environment heat exchanger (24) of renewable energy source and from ground heat exchanger (26). Besides, station (30) itself is located near standard GDS (31), and the excess electric power generated by the station is used for the needs of the standard GDS for its year-round autonomous operation.

EFFECT: increased energy efficiency of GDS operation and provision of full year-round autonomy of GDS operation.

5 cl, 6 dwg, 2 tbl