Electric Dump Valve Helps Oil and Gas Company Comply with State Emissions Regulations

With oil and gas producers taking care to meet various environmental requirements, many are turning to dump valves as a source of unwanted emissions. Understanding how to effectively mitigate the negative consequences of a valve leak, and implement a viable solution is, therefore, essential to ensure that the plant operates as efficiently as possible.

By Justin Valdez, Senior District Sales Manager – Emerson

These traditionally pneumatic components, which control the discharge of liquids from separators and other production vessels, rely on well gas, compressed air, or nitrogen to pilot the valve, resulting in a multitude of different emissions-related concerns that are harmful to the environment and create compliance issues.

Overcoming this challenge, all-electric solenoid dump valves remove the need to vent well gas into the atmosphere. Because there is no valve packing, they are also fugitive emissions-free by design, offering a true zero-emissions solution. As a result, these devices play a critical role in helping oil and gas producers better comply with tightening regulations. A testament to their environmentally friendly implementation, one Colorado-based oil and gas producer recently deployed electric dump valves as part of its broader efforts to comply with state emissions guidelines.

Not only have these valves facilitated compliance, but they have also unlocked several additional benefits, including less maintenance, greater well efficiency, and increased production.

Implementing the Electric Dump Valve on Upstream Separators

Laramie Energy is a Denver-based company that focuses on developing unconventional oil and gas reserves within the U.S. Rockies, operating roughly 1500 wells. Its geographic focus is the Piceance Bay, which accounts for 20% of all Rockies gas production and is the second largest natural gas resource basin in the U.S.

Once Colorado began rolling out new emissions guidelines, the company knew it had to look for ways to reduce the amount of methane that bled from its devices. The company opted to electrify the damp valves to meet compliance on its separators. Separators are pressure vessels that separate well streams into their gaseous and liquid constituents. “As the liquid is separated from the gas, the fluid builds in the separator until it hits a certain level, raising the level arm on the controller,” said Lane Kizer, Automation Coordinator for Laramie Energy. “When this happens, the system activates the solenoid valve, causing the valve to open and ‘dump’ the liquid into the storage tanks.”

In tandem with the level controller, Lamarie Energy implemented ASCO™ all-electric solenoid dump valves to install on the separators. Unlike pneumatic valves, which are piloted by natural gas, this valve does not need to perform venting to actuate. Unlike traditional stem valves, it does not require valve packing, eliminating the chance that methane could leak out.

Unlocking Productivity, Maintenance, and Cost Benefits

According to Kizer, since deploying the all-electric solenoid dump valves in its separators, the company has seen many benefits. These include:

• Less Maintenance: Kizer says the valve components require much less maintenance. “Unlike the old-style pneumatic valves, our field operators do not have to constantly adjust the electric dump valves.” Another drawback of traditional pneumatic valves was the fact that gas often found its way into the tanks, causing the vessels to over-pressurize and vent. These valves have eliminated these issues, significantly reducing the amount of maintenance required on the tanks and valves themselves.
• Fast Actuation: Another unique feature of the electric valve is its lightning-fast actuation time. According to Kizer, “Longer actuation times run the risk of dumping gas from the wells into the tanks instead of just dumping the liquid. Timing is therefore critical.” Unlike previous valves, which required several seconds to actuate, the electric valves actuate in 50 to 75 milliseconds. In addition to ensuring precise control, this feature prevents gas blowby, further minimizing the risk of an emissions event.
• Tighter Static Pressure Margins: Thanks to electric valves, the company has brought the static pressure of its wellheads into a tighter margin, enabling the company to better predict how the wellheads are going to perform. “Prior to the electric valves, the static pressure range was much more erratic because leaks would cause the pressure to bounce around more,” Kizer said. Having a tighter, more consistent static pressure range within the separators has allowed the wells to run more efficiently and has even increased production with an estimated 5-10 MCF depending on the production of the site.

Additional benefits that the company has seen with the valves include:

• Lower Power Consumption: Each electric valve consumes less than 1.2 watts only when activated.
• Less Current Draw: Due to the valves’ low current draw, field operators have not had to replace batteries as often or add additional solar panels to its sites.
• Minimal Seat Washout: Compared to hard-seat valve designs, the all-electric valve minimizes seat washout. “Although seat washout varies on a well-to-well basis, we have not seen it yet with this solution in the field,” Kizer said.
• Reliability: According to Kizer, the electric valves have been performing reliably in the field for over a year without any issue. “They are pretty much hands-free,” he said.

The Cost of Noncompliance

According to Kizer, the company is implementing the electric dump valves in newly drilled wells while updating its legacy wells with this solution. The solutions have provided an economical approach to meet compliance on both newly drilled production sites and the retrofit of existing production sites to meet new standards. “The methane tax is stipulated in metric tons, meaning we would have to pay USD $900 per metric ton over the state mandate,” Kizer said, “and that amount is set to increase each year.” These costs – combined with the fees, repairs, and subsequent downtime to maintain EPA compliance – mean producers like Laramie Energy face significant losses in terms of time and money if they fail to meet compliance. Fortunately, the valve company has partnered with producers to manufacture all-electric, low-power solenoid dump valves that meet customer needs. These valves have also played a critical role in facilitating the company’s compliance. In addition to the dump valve, the company is now looking at other solutions to reduce emissions, including fuel train flow valves and wellhead valves. Even if environmental compliance was off the table, however, Kizer says the productivity and maintenance benefits of the electric dump valve have been well worth it. “Even if we did not need to comply with anything, we would still use this solution in a heartbeat.”