Onboard Dynamics Blog

On October 20th, 2022, Onboard Dynamics will be giving a live webinar hosted by the Northwest Gas Association.

Alan Hansen, Director of Operations for Onboard Dynamics will be giving the presentation and providing questions about the unique, patented, natural gas compression technology for driving down emissions. He will be presenting ways for operators and service providers to reduce their GHG footprint, and what practical technologies are available to achieve the cleanest way possible to evacuate pipelines.

For our society to prosper and thrive while also meeting our environmental goals, there needs to be reframing and rethinking about how we talk about our natural gas ecosystem. We need to help the public better understand the many benefits of natural gas and its supporting infrastructure, while also living with the risks from all forms of energy and associated infrastructure. So how can natural gas play its important role in achieving our net-zero energy system?  A key step in achieving this goal is to be certain that no natural gas is released to the atmosphere during natural gas pipeline evacuation associated with routine maintenance and unexpected repairs.

Heather Smercina, Director of Business Development for Onboard Dynamics, will be sharing the latest solutions to capture and recover methane while providing accurate environmental reporting in a time when growing regulatory pressure will be adding fees on methane emissions and tracking mitigation activities of natural gas utilities.

The presentation titled “How to Remove Barriers and Reporting Challenges During Pipeline Evacuation in the Field” will be at 8:50 am CST on Oct. 12th at the American Public Gas Association Fall Operations Conference in Savannah, GA.

In this presentation, Heather will present solutions on how to address the challenges for pipeline operators in keeping our natural gas pipeline infrastructure well maintained while mitigating methane emissions. This presentation will show how field pipeline operators can efficiently evacuate natural gas from pipelines with a much lower carbon footprint that helps to reduce the environmental impact and makes the process safe, efficient, and more reliable. She will also share new advanced methods for accurately monitoring and reporting on the captured and recovered methane that will help companies stay in compliance with future, aggressive regulations.

The 2022 APGA Operations Conference features speakers and panels of experts on topics such as pipeline safety regulations, PHMSA’s Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program, methane emission mitigation strategies, case studies from community-owned utilities, and will also include an exhibitor hall of the latest in products and services for natural gas distribution operations.

Onboard Dynamics’ CEO, Rita Hansen has been selected as a finalist for the ALLY 2022 GRIT Entrepreneur Awards. The GRIT Awards goes to modern-day trendsetters who have stepped out of their comfort zone with resilience and strength to bring something new to the industry.

Rita was selected as an innovator in the industry because she embodies the founding principle of the company which has been to develop products that provide environmental benefits to their customers compared to currently established products and accepted practices in the marketplace. This has been a guiding principle due to her core values and all subsequent hires and contractors engaged by the company. The company’s patented compression-based technology innovations for methane capture and recovery help to remove the barriers and reporting challenges that face natural gas operators during pipeline blowdowns. By listening to the voice of their customers, the company was pointed towards the problems that they were facing during pipeline evacuations. Customer discovery work and understanding customer issues are core to being a modern-day maverick and innovator in this industry. Empathy, compassion, respect, and tenacity are all key to innovation and Rita exemplifies these characteristics in her own values.

About the GRIT Awards

ALLY Energy is on a mission to find the difference-makers who are making an impact on energy, sustainability, and climate.  We honor the energy industry’s brightest and grittiest talent who contribute to their companies, the energy industry, and their communities.  Our awards program recognizes individuals, students, and for-profit and nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated (GRIT) growth, resilience, innovation, and talent with a focus on driving a (JEDI)  just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture.  Best Energy Workplaces℠ give recognition to outstanding energy and climate technology employers.

Qualifications

The nominee must be in energy, climate, and/or sustainability.   The individual may be in a corporate role, an entrepreneur, a student, or someone unemployed and accomplishing specific things that embody GRIT (growth, resilience, innovation/new ways of working, inclusion, and talent).

Onboard Dynamics has been named as a finalist for the Best Advance in Maintenance Technology Award by the Pipeline & Gas Journal. The awards will be held November 17^th, 2022.

The product that has secured the nomination was the GoVAC FLEX. It enables pipeline crews to virtually eliminate methane emissions from pipeline evacuations. With the GoVAC FLEX, operators can draw down the pipeline to near 0 PSIG. The recovered natural gas can then be transferred either into an adjoining pipeline or compressed up to 3600 PSIG and put into a tube trailer for transport and reinjection elsewhere or put into a storage tank to be used as CNG fuel for vehicles.

The patented, integrated combustion-compression system is powered by a small portion of the natural gas that would otherwise be wasted. Without the need for external power sources, such as diesel-powered air compressors, this design results in the lowest possible carbon and emissions footprint during pipeline evacuations.

This self-contained system is small enough to be towed by a standard pickup, which makes it easy to maneuver around job sites and be quickly deployed in field operations.

State-of-the-art telemetry and controls including temperature and pressure sensors, electronic valves, and flow meters are installed throughout the system to enable ease of operation, to facilitate remote monitoring capabilities and to provide data collection for reporting purposes.

Lastly, the system is designed with attention to low noise for use in neighborhoods or high-density spaces.

The system enables the natural gas industry to take aggressive steps in eliminating methane leaks and intentional releases that occur today. Doing this ensures that natural gas plays a critical role during our path to a net-zero energy future.

About the Pipeline & Gas Journal Awards

The Awards recognize and celebrate the innovators and innovations that drive the midstream industry forward.  

The ceremony takes place on Thursday, Nov. 17 in the lovely Monarch Ballroom of the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston, Texas. 

The Northeast Gas Association (NGA) has teamed up with Onboard Dynamics to provide a demonstration and training opportunity called the Virtual Product and Service Solution Spotlight to keep their members connected with important gas industry products and services. This virtual event is offered at no cost for NGA members to attend.

The Product Spotlights offer information about new tools, technologies, and services that can enhance operations. Attendees can chat live with other gas industry professionals, manufacturers, distributors, and service providers.

This spotlight topic will be about the GoVAC FLEX – Pipeline Evacuation System. The presentation will be held Tuesday, September 20, 2022 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST. Titled: Capture and Recover Natural Gas from Pipelines During Blowdowns with the GoVAC FLEX will be Presented by: Rick Kay, COO of Onboard Dynamics LLC.

The GoVAC FLEX is a revolutionary tool for minimizing methane releases during pipeline blowdowns. It is a complete self-contained pipeline evacuation system that can transfer recovered natural gas to either an adjacent pipeline or compress the gas to 3600 PSI for use elsewhere as a CNG fuel. It is powered by a small portion of the natural gas being recovered, so no external power is required. Its compact size facilitates transport and positioning at job sites. Remote monitoring ensures reliable operation and responsive service. State-of-the-art telemetry provides accurate and detailed environmental reporting. The GoVAC FLEX is part of a growing family of sustainability products from Onboard Dynamics to support the natural gas ecosystem. 

During this session, members will learn how the GoVAC FLEX enables operators to take the lead in incorporating best practices of capture and recovery of natural gas during pipeline evacuations while also offering these benefits: 

• Easy to operate.
• Easy to set up and deploy.
• Safe and compliant.
• Fully automated.
• Fast and efficient from beginning to end.

Benefits such as these will help the natural gas industry keep the natural gas pipeline infrastructure well maintained while mitigating methane emissions.

The goal of Onboard Dynamics is to support the natural gas ecosystem in reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions safely and reliably through our innovative and practical commercial solutions. Our patented, compression-based systems minimize methane and other GHG releases during pipeline operations and maintenance, mitigate GHG emissions from transportation vehicles, and capture methane that would otherwise be released to the atmosphere from other industrial operations. Our customers receive expanded environmental benefits and reduction in costs through purchasing, leasing, and/or receiving turn-key services from our natural gas-powered products.