Overview:
A major utility company (the “Company”), servicing over a million customers across multiple communities in British Columbia (B.C.), is dedicated to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through investments in low-carbon energy solutions. Grounded in core values of safety, customer care, collaboration, respect, and progress, the Company is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.
This utility highlights their sustainability pillars as the foundation for their future, emphasizing environmental responsibility in all aspects of project planning and execution, including routine blowdown or pipeline evacuation operations.
The Challenge:
Given the Company’s extensive pipeline network and their sustainability goals and zero-release methane policy, a flexible solution capable of meeting the demands of both high-volume evacuation projects and smaller projects located in residential areas was required.
The Solution:
Onboard Dynamics’ GoVAC® FLEX System emerged as the top choice for this customer because of its versatility. In particular, the ability to employ a single unit for smaller projects as well as the option to aggregate multiple units for larger scale projects was advantageous. As a result, the Company opted to lease four (4) systems to meet their project requirements.
In addition to supplying the GoVAC® FLEX systems, Onboard Dynamics also provided user training which enabled the Company to operate the systems safely and efficiently with continual oversight. This expedited deployment and enabled better project planning for the Company.
Four GoVAC® FLEX Systems Project Scope:
The project scope consisted of decommissioning a distribution line located beneath a freeway. This line encompassed pipes of various diameters ranging from 8 inches to 20 inches. The Company wanted to standardize the diameters of their pipelines which motivated the decommissioning of these segments to facilitate replacement with a uniform diameter. This strategic initiative aimed to enhance operational efficiency and bolster reliability for the Company’s customers, ensuring consistent service delivery across their pipeline network.
Given the challenging location of the project, the evacuation system chosen needed to be nimble enough so that it could be maneuvered into place yet efficient enough to cross-compress larger volumes of gas.
For this specific project, four GoVAC® FLEX systems working in tandem successfully evacuated 1,174,482 standard cubic feet (scf) of natural gas over a 16,733 ft long section. To achieve this, the units consumed 60,177 scf of natural gas as fuel. Despite this fuel consumption, the emissions generated by the system amounted to 7,221 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Considering the emissions generated by running the system, net emission reductions from capturing the natural gas with the GoVAC® FLEX System were greater than 99%. This demonstrates the efficiency of the GoVAC® FLEX System in evacuating natural gas while keeping its environmental impact relatively low as compared to common practices of venting or flaring gas from the pipe.
“I just want to say I am very impressed with your whole team with the support since delivery…”
The Company’s operations team underwent comprehensive hands-on training in preparation for operating the four GoVAC® FLEX systems. This training regimen comprised a full day of classroom instruction followed by a full day of field training. The team was divided into five groups of two individuals each, allowing for focused practice sessions encompassing system setup, operation, and “live” pipeline evacuation scenarios. Emphasizing practical, real-world applications, the training aimed to equip the team with the skills and confidence needed to effectively utilize the GoVAC® FLEX System in operational environments.
Environmental impact reports summarizing the project enabled the Company to measure their environmental initiatives. The environmental impact reporting features gave the Company accurate project results that they can use to measure their internal ESG goals as well as having accurate documented proof of their methane mitigation activities.
Environmental Impact Report:
- Total Natural Gas Evacuated
- 1,174,482 scf.
- The Fuel Consumption by the GoVAC® System
- 60,177 scf.
- ~5% of the natural gas captured.
- The GoVAC® System Emissions from the Project
- 7,221.26 lbs. of CO2e
- Approximately 5% of the total gas captured.
- Total Evacuation Time
- This is the total time that gas is moving through the system.
- In this case, this value is the sum of the time dispersed across all four units.
Furthermore, remote monitoring supported by Onboard Dynamics’ leading telemetry and SCADA system provided the Company additional assurance on the status of the project in real-time. In summary, this project not only showcased the efficiency of the GoVAC® FLEX systems but also underscored Onboard Dynamics’ dedication to its customers, prioritizing a client-centric approach to training and support throughout the entirety of the project.
By leveraging its innovative technologies and strategic collaborations, Onboard Dynamics continues to set new benchmarks for our customers in pipeline evacuations, Advancing Cleaner Energy For Our Environment.