Page 32 - Compression Machinery for Oil and Gas

22 SECTION I Fundamentals of Compression

of pipeline accidents and to protect the public safety. PHMSA conducts inspec-
tions during various phases of design, construction, and operation. State and
local laws also apply, depending on the location of the facility. Surface and
groundwater, as well as, local wildlife and vegetation, should be also protected
as required by the EPA, US Bureau of Land Management, and other local
agencies.
The safety and security at a compression facility can be enhanced by
installed safety features such as fire and combustible gas detection, security sys-
tems, environmental monitoring systems, emergency shutdown systems, and
overpressure protection systems. Initiating site-specific safety programs for
on-site personnel are also critical.

Physical Environment
Compressor stations can vary in size from a few acres up to 20 or more.
The most common and important location attributes that should be consid-
ered in the selection of a compressor system site include:

l available utilities,
l accessibility to services and support,
l environmental conditions,
l depending on the application, other location variables may have to be con-
sidered as well, and
l the relative importance of the location variables should also be established
to ensure that the best type and size of compressor is selected.

Operating and Maintenance Costs

Maintenance costs for compressor stations and systems are usually tracked and
quantified as $/BHP-hr. Fuel and/or power costs to power the prime mover
obviously represent a large part of the operating costs for engines and
compressors.
Although fuel represents a portion of the operating cost for engines and com-
pressors, maintenance and other consumables can be quite expensive. Compar-
ing the cost of parts and consumables on dollars only can be misleading for
different size engines and operating hours. Dollars per brake horsepower per
hour is calculated by simply dividing maintenance costs by horsepower and
by run hours. Maintenance costs are generally captured on a level designated
by the operating company’s accounting system at the most detailed level main-
tenance costs are tracked by.
Horsepower can be tracked based on an actual or rated basis. Either is okay
as long as the same standard is used for all engines. Maintenance costs should be
tracked over time (generally over several years). These costs are very useful
when compared against other units and prime mover types (internal combustion