Pipeline arrangement for utilizing a gas comprising biomethane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9514464-B2
Application number	US-201514973361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a process in which a gas comprising biomethane having a heating value of about 350-950 BTU/cubic foot is introduced to a pipeline system at a combination point that is downstream of natural gas in the pipeline system having a heating value of at least about 950 BTU/cubic foot. This produces a mixed gas downstream of the combination point. At least a portion of the mixed gas downstream of the combination point is withdrawn for use by a user that combusts the mixed gas to generate heat and/or electricity. A corresponding amount of natural gas is withdrawn at an upstream location for use as a transportation fuel, a fuel intermediate or as a feedstock for producing a fuel. The process can enable fuel credit generation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for producing a transportation fuel comprising:
(i) providing a gas comprising biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion that has a heating value of 350-925 BTU/cubic foot;
(ii) combining the gas comprising biomethane having the heating value of 350-925 BTU/cubic foot in a pipeline system at a biomethane introduction point with natural gas having a heating value of at least 950 BTU/cubic foot, thereby producing a mixed gas downstream of the biomethane introduction point, and at least a portion of a mixed gas downstream of the biomethane introduction point is provided for use to generate heat, electricity or a combination thereof;
(iii) measuring a value representing energy content and a value representing a volume of flow of the gas comprising biomethane introduced to the pipeline system in step (ii);
(iv) from the values measured in step (iii), calculating a value representing energy delivered for said gas comprising biomethane in one or more time periods and recording a calculated value or values representing the calculated energy delivered;
(v) withdrawing or causing the withdrawal of an amount of natural gas from the pipeline system at one or more locations upstream of said biomethane introduction point, which withdrawn natural gas has a heating value greater than the gas comprising biomethane by at least 25 BTU/cubic foot;
(vi) measuring or causing a measurement of the volume of flow of the natural gas withdrawn in step (v) and recording a value or values representing the volume of flow at said one or more locations in step (v) and the energy delivered for the natural gas withdrawn in step (v) is at least substantially equal to the energy delivered for the gas comprising biomethane in step (iv);
(vii) using or causing the use of natural gas measured in step (vi) as a transportation fuel, or as a fuel intermediate or a feedstock to produce a transportation fuel; and
(viii) generating or causing the generation of a fuel credit.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising removing at least one impurity from the gas comprising biomethane before or subsequent to step (i) to produce partially purified biomethane having a heating value that is less than 925 BTU/cubic foot.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the natural gas is used or caused to be used as compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas in a vehicle.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the natural gas withdrawn or caused to be withdrawn in step (v) is used or caused to be used in a process comprising converting the natural gas to hydrogen and using said hydrogen to displace hydrogen that is combined with a crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon to produce a liquid transportation fuel.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas comprising biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion that has a heating value of 350-925 BTU/cubic foot and comprises at least one impurity selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, water, oxygen, nitrogen and a halogenated compound.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the user combusts the mixed gas withdrawn in step (ii) with air.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas comprising biomethane has a heating value of 350-900 BTU/cubic foot.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mixed gas at the biomethane introduction point has a heating value of less than 950 BTU/cubic foot.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the natural gas in said pipeline in step (ii) has a heating value of at least 930 BTU/cubic foot.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the fuel credit is a Renewable Identification Number (RIN) or a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit, which fuel credit is due at least in part to a transfer of the gas comprising biomethane to said one or more upstream withdrawal locations in the pipeline system or to a user or intermediary that obtains such withdrawn natural gas, said transfer effected by data representing energy delivered for the gas comprising biomethane and the withdrawn gas as determined from steps (iii), (iv) and (vi).

11. A process for producing a transportation fuel comprising:
(i) providing a gas comprising biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion that has a heating value of 350-925 BTU/cubic foot;
(ii) combining the gas comprising biomethane having the heating value of 350-925 BTU/cubic foot in a pipeline system at a biomethane introduction point with natural gas having a heating value of at least 950 BTU/cubic foot, thereby producing a mixed gas downstream of the biomethane introduction point, and at least a portion of a mixed gas downstream of the biomethane introduction point is provided for use to generate heat, electricity or a combination thereof;
(iii) withdrawing or causing the withdrawal of an amount of natural gas from the pipeline system at one or more locations upstream of said biomethane introduction point, which withdrawn natural gas has a heating value greater than the gas comprising biomethane by at least 25 BTU/cubic foot and a measured amount of energy delivered for the natural gas withdrawn at said one or more locations is at least substantially equal to a measured amount of energy delivered for the gas comprising biomethane in step (ii);
(iv) using or causing the use of natural gas withdrawn in step (iii) as a transportation fuel, as a fuel intermediate or a feedstock to produce a transportation fuel; and
(v) generating or causing the generation of a fuel credit.

12. The process of claim 11 , further comprising removing at least one impurity from the gas comprising biomethane before or subsequent to step (i) to produce partially purified biomethane having a heating value that is less than 925 BTU/cubic foot.

13. The process of claim 11 , wherein the natural gas withdrawn in step (iii) is used or caused to be used as compressed natural gas or liquid natural gas.

14. The process of claim 11 , wherein the fuel credit is a Renewable Identification Number (RIN) or Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit, which fuel credit is due at least in part to a transfer of the gas comprising biomethane to said one or more upstream withdrawal locations in the pipeline system or to a user or intermediary that obtains such withdrawn natural gas, said transfer effected by the energy delivered for the gas comprising biomethane and the withdrawn gas as measured in step (iii).

15. The process of claim 11 , wherein the natural gas withdrawn or caused to be withdrawn in step (iii) is used or caused to be used in a process comprising converting the natural gas to hydrogen and using said hydrogen to displace hydrogen that is combined with a crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon to produce a liquid transportation fuel.

16. The process of claim 11 , wherein the gas comprising biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion having the heating value of 350-925 BTU/cubic foot and comprises at least one impurity selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, water, oxygen, nitrogen and a halogenated compound.

17. The process of claim 11 , wherein the user combusts the mixed gas withdrawn in step (ii) with air.

18. The process of claim 11 , wherein the mixed gas has a heating value of less than 950 BTU/cubic foot.

19. The process of claim 11 , wherein the natural gas in said pipeline system in step (ii) has a heating value of at least 930 BTU/cubic foot.

20. A process for producing a transportation fuel comprising:
(i) providing a gas comprising biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion that has a heating value that is below pipeline

Assignees

• Iogen Corp

Inventors

• Foody Patrick J

Classifications

• C10L1/04

  essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons · CPC title

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• C10L2290/60

  Measuring or analysing fractions, components or impurities or process conditions during preparation or upgrading of a fuel · CPC title

• C10G45/00

  Refining of hydrocarbon oils using hydrogen or hydrogen-generating compounds · CPC title

• C10G47/00

  Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions (C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06) · CPC title