UA99720C2 - Syrota's method for gas-transportation system functioning - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for functioning of gas transportation system includes gas pumping through a system of pipelines in required directions, with filling with gas of underground gasholders if necessary. Along the gas pipelines, in maximal proximity of those, one periodically forms wind-power installations, electric energy from those is used for production of hydrogen that is injected to the pipes of the gas pipeline.

Description

The invention belongs to the field of energy.

There are well-known methods of transporting gas in appropriate containers, which are transported by all types of transport (Soviet encyclopedia, Moscow "Sovetskaya encyclopedia" 1990).

However, such methods of transportation, despite their relatively widespread distribution, are not competitive with gas transportation through the corresponding gas pipeline systems. Pipeline transport is the most efficient for gas in all respects, including first of all environmental and fire safety. Therefore, we take the method of gas transportation through the pipeline gas transportation system as a prototype of the proposed solution (see also, p. 1372).

The drawback of the prototype is not its imperfection. Because modern technology has brought the prototype to the maximum level above the specified efficiency. Therefore, we are not talking about the shortcomings of the prototype, but about the global inability to overcome the clearly existing barrier between traditional ideas about the energy supply of the economy and the need to break this tradition, which has led earthlings to ecological collapse.

This is the task of the invention.

The task is achieved by the fact that in the method of functioning of the gas transportation system, which includes the pumping of gas through the system of pipelines in the necessary directions, with filling with gas when necessary, underground gas storages, according to the invention, along the gas pipelines, as close as possible to them, periodically form wind power plants (WPPs), electricity from which is used to obtain hydrogen, which is pumped into the pipes of the gas pipeline.

The essence of the invention and its effectiveness are explained by the following considerations.

Consider the traditional functioning of the gas transportation system.

The main elements of this technology are compressor stations (CS) and pipelines. CSs are designed to inject and drive through pipelines the gas extracted from the gas field to all spheres of the economy. Gas pipelines are the most massive and longest linear structures that provide gas transport for the economy of civilized countries. This technology has been brought to maximum perfection in all its constituent elements - both directly in the pipeline industry, and in pumping and gas storage devices

From equipment and all other structures. It is about the following.

Modern gas pipeline complexes transport only natural gas and ensure its accumulation in special, mostly underground gas storage facilities. And nothing more.

What do we do and what do we get?

Along the route of the gas pipelines, as close as possible to them, wind turbines that produce electricity are periodically formed. This electricity is used to obtain hydrogen, for example by electrolysis of water, although other methods are also possible. But electrolysis of water, due to a number of known factors, is the best. The obtained hydrogen is pumped into the gas pipelines by the corresponding compressor stations. As a result, the gas pipeline technological complex, in addition to the transport function, also acquires an energy-generating property. This means that, or it is possible to reduce the production and, accordingly, the transportation of natural gas, while increasing the energy potential of the created gas mixture of natural gas with hydrogen. Or, while maintaining the volume of natural gas, increase the total energy potential of the mixture transported in the gas pipeline. This increase will depend on the ratio by mass of natural gas and hydrogen. The more hydrogen compared to natural gas, the higher the calorific value of the gas mixture. As a result, it may happen that by reducing the total mass of mixed gas pumped through the pipeline, the energy potential of this energy carrier will significantly increase compared to pure natural gas. Because the calorific value of hydrogen is more than three times higher than that of natural gas in terms of this parameter. In the ultimate ideal, which we will talk about below, it is generally possible to turn the existing gas transportation system into a transportation and technological complex that produces hydrogen and does not use natural gas at all.

Design and technological implementation of this plan can be carried out by any existing methods and techniques. Moreover, the transportation of hydrogen through gas pipelines is no longer new and is implemented in practice. Not to mention wind turbines, the progressive use of which in the 21st century is constantly increasing in developed countries. Therefore, we do not dwell on other components of the proposed way of functioning of the gas transportation system.

Considering that only in the process of designing such technologies, on the basis of the already existing scientific and engineering level, it is possible to identify and determine the most suitable scheme and set of necessary components of the proposed complex solution.

However, it is necessary to pay special attention to wind turbines, which are the main factor in this decision, without which the whole idea loses its meaning.

So, the level of today's wind turbine developments, which have already been put into practice, is such that there is every reason to assert not only the absolutely guaranteed possibility of implementing the proposed solution, but also to ensure at the same time a significant material and financial effect. In particular, in one of the publications (Internet, TATA Wind Energy: the perspective of development in the 21st century. Articles / renewable energy sources. Date: May 15, 2006. Zimyna G.A.) it is reported that with a capacity of 5.5 MW, it is possible to obtain 540 tons of hydrogen per day. At the same time, 5 MW is spent on obtaining hydrogen and even on its liquefaction. At this rate, 18,000 tons of hydrogen are produced per month. In addition, 10,000 tons of oxygen are produced as a by-product.

Liquefied oxygen is widely used in production and in many other areas of the national economy. We would like to add that a simple numerical analysis shows that in our solution the costs of obtaining hydrogen will be significantly lower, because this technology is created on an already existing gas pipeline structure, which does not require either the liquefaction of hydrogen or the creation of special and long pipelines. Because wind turbines are located directly next to existing gas pipelines, and it is only necessary to ensure connection to these gas pipelines in order to supply them with hydrogen produced at the wind turbine facility. Therefore, high profitability of the proposed technology is ensured, which will only increase over time. The point is that, after the first wind turbine is put into operation, its profitability and profitability will finance the creation of all subsequent wind turbines, increasing the overall profitability as the number of wind turbines put into operation increases.

However, the stated positive of the proposed solution, which is provided by the modern level of mastered development of wind turbines, is only a trifle and a kind of starting point for achieving a result that creates a precedent in the energy industry with our method. The precedent is non-competitive in terms of basic parameters with everything that has been created in this most important area of the economy to date. We leave aside the more than half-century-old dreams of physicists about the earth's sun of a controlled thermocide, which has already absorbed many tens of billions of dollars, and which will consume even greater material and financial resources in the next half-century. Not guaranteeing anything, but only hoping that in the next half century it will be possible to get closer to

From the industrial development of this energy. Although in the scientific community there are enough well-argued statements by specialists that the chosen path of research into controlled thermonuclear is a dead end. We are saying all this in order to create solar thermonuclear energy on Earth today, without dreaming of a thermonuclear fire for half a century. Based on the fact that wind energy is in its purest form the transformation of the solar heat source on Earth. Our proposal is to dispose properly of this pure and inexhaustible gift of Nature.

To make it clearer what we are talking about, let's turn to the researches of A. Bolonkin (see

Internet. Use of High Altitude Wind Energy. Ph.D. Alexander Bolonkin. USA), which investigated the wind potential at heights from one to 14 kilometers. If we stop at the lower level of this research, i.e. - at an altitude of one kilometer, we will get the following results.

At this height, compared to ground level, wind energy increases tenfold.

At the same time, the coefficient of stability of the wind load on wind turbines can exceed 0.8.

A. Bolonkin's research is not a discovery, because all this was known before him. But in this case, a more systematic analysis was made, taking into account modern economic parameters, where the main factor is the cost of electricity. So, based on the prerequisites established by A.

Bolonkin, we in turn get the following results.

First, a number of decisions on patenting were announced - applications to the Ukrpatent Mo y 2008150114 and Me y 200901932. In particular, we offer high-altitude wind turbines, which most rationally use the advantages of high altitudes noted by A. Bolonkin - the high potential of wind energy and its stability. Secondly, we proposed a fundamentally new technology for the construction of high-rise wind turbines, which consists in the fact that the wind turbine tower is raised by raising it from below.

This is a domestic method of installation, mastered in 1968-1973 during the construction of the TV center tower in Kyiv. The method has no analogues in high-rise construction, which ensures maximum reliability and high quality of the creation of all-welded structures by the Paton method. By adopting this method, we install the high-altitude wind turbine in such a way that the previously installed tiers

Wind turbines were included in electricity generation already during the construction of the wind turbine tower, without waiting for its completion.

As a result, based on A. Bolonkin's research, in our decision of the high-altitude wind turbine, it was established that its capacity after the completion of construction can be of the order of 50 megawatts. The construction of such a structure can last up to 10 years. Our method makes it possible to produce a three-year volume of electricity already during the construction process, which is calculated from the full capacity of the wind turbine. Namely, it is more than 1.3 billion kilowatts. hours of electricity, the net profit from which is more than 130 million 5 US dollars. At this stage, we do not undertake to compare this indicator with domestic parameters of the cost of high-rise construction and electricity tariffs. However, we allow ourselves to claim that the presented indicators are a strong basis for believing that the WEU's payback will be realized already in the process of its construction. After that, the profitability of its operation becomes so significant that it is unlikely that any energy carriers and energy-generating technologies will be able to compete with it. If to this we add environmental positives and a number of additional advantages in terms of economic use of land, elimination of the noise factor and many other positive properties, including elimination of the negative impact on fauna, the question of competition with such wind turbines disappears altogether.

In our case, even the not fully noted positive wind turbines grow significantly due to the transformation of the produced electricity into hydrogen. That is, instead of integrating each wind turbine into the general energy system, which requires colossal financial and material costs, our gas transportation system is transformed by the power of Nature itself into a more powerful energy supply structure of the economy. It is said that the limit of this perfection should be the situation when the current gas transportation system will provide the energy needs of the entire economy only at the expense of the hydrogen extracted from it. In other words, we are creating hydrogen energy, which has long been a topic of mass conversation, but the work is practically at a standstill.

And what about natural gas? How to deal with him in this hydrogen economy?

The answer in the 19th century was given by D.I. Mendeleev, however, he spoke about oil. In the sense that burning this priceless product of Nature in a barbaric way is the same as heating the furnace with appropriations. As for natural gas, this verdict of Dmytro Ivanovych is doubly fair. Because there is an almost limitless nomenclature of polymers, the raw material for the production of which is natural gas. Therefore, there is no need to worry about this.

It is impossible not to say the following.

The presented positives and the expediency of the earliest implementation of the proposed solution are not limited to the stated considerations.

Zo The extensive gas transportation system, as already mentioned, functions in a single technological complex, which includes underground gas storage facilities. This complex works in variable mode. In the sense that in summer the need for gas supply decreases, and in winter, that is, in the heating season, it increases. The work of underground gas storage facilities is closely related to these irregularities in gas consumption - they are filled with gas in the summer, and it is taken away in the winter. The summer and winter periods are conditional, because a certain number of spring and autumn days are added to both the summer and winter seasons, taking certain weather conditions into account. But in general, this seasonality is stable, which also determines the stable reorientation of the functioning of underground gas storage facilities.

So, having such a powerful and well-developed gas transportation and gas storage complex, we cannot ignore the unique opportunity to further increase the efficiency of hydrogen energy provided by the proposed solution. It is about the fact that, in addition to the creation of wind turbines periodically located along the routes (with the necessary equipment for hydrogen production), it is also necessary to create wind turbines directly on the territory of underground gas storages and in the immediate vicinity of these territories - if there is a need to go beyond this territory. The hydrogen produced on this territory is supplied to the input wells through short subducts-pipelines, through which it is pumped into the gas storage. The rationality and efficiency of this technological measure is so great that it allows to significantly, possibly in specific situations, multiply the positiveness of the proposed solution in its full implementation, in the development and mass distribution of our hydrogen energy. Because, development of the territory of gas storage facilities by the proposed method solves the same problem as the method presented above, which is carried out on the gas pipeline network. But in the case of gas storage areas, this problem is solved much more compactly and with lower technological costs. Because the powerful compressor equipment necessary for this already exists on the territory of the underground gas storage, and it is only necessary to connect to this equipment branches-gas pipelines that supply hydrogen produced at the WPP. Variants of wind turbine placement on the territory or near the territory of the gas storage may be different, depending on the specific conditions. But the main purpose of creating these wind turbines, together with the necessary equipment for hydrogen production, is one - with any number of such wind turbines, to maximally use the potential of the gas compressor equipment already existing at this gas storage. Therefore, even if the potential of such equipment turns out to be insufficient, the costs of increasing this potential will be minimal.

At the very end. The above analysis of the positivity of the proposed method was made at the lower limit of the rational height of the wind turbine. This height in civil construction is actually already being mastered. Therefore, our approach is not fantastic at all. Especially since Japan aimed at a height of 4 kilometers. Therefore, it is necessary to stop whining and crying about energy poverty and energy dependence, and start a business that is many times more important than what we have shown at the lower limit of its potential.

Claims (2)

FORMULA OF THE INVENTION 1. The method of operation of the gas transportation system, which includes the pumping of gas through the pipeline system in the required directions, with the filling of underground gas storage facilities with gas when needed, which is characterized by the fact that along the gas pipelines, in the maximum proximity to them, wind power plants (WPPs) periodically generate electricity from which are used to obtain hydrogen, which is pumped into the pipes of the gas pipeline. 2. The method according to claim 1, which is distinguished by the fact that, in addition to the formation of wind turbines along the route of gas pipelines, wind turbines are formed directly on the territory or as close as possible to the territory of underground gas storage facilities, where the hydrogen obtained with the use of electricity from these wind turbines is pumped.