An upstream oil and gas producer recently implemented a new control system and burner design that has significantly enhanced fuel gas efficiency on their production units in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. The new combustion system, which combines Emerson’s Fisher regulators and ASCO solenoid valves with Millstream’s new M7TM natural draft burner, has already reduced fuel gas usage and emissions by up to 43 percent while also decreasing unplanned downtime and increasing employee safety.
After thorough analysis of their gas-fired burner design, Millstream approached Emerson to help address concerns over reliable and efficient fuel gas supply, ignition and shutoff, as well as temperature consistency and employee safety. The decision was made to incorporate Emerson’s state-of-the-art pressure regulators into Millstream’s control system to respond instantly to changes in pressure, enhancing pressure control accuracy, speed of response and life cycle test data.
Within the new control system design, Millstream installed Emerson’s Fisher Type 119EZ main burner valve with tunable opening speed and configurable design to ensure a smooth, slow start-up, and incorporated Emerson’s advanced design ASCO gas shutoff solenoid valves to ensure instant and reliable fuel gas shutoff. These valves were connected to an automated ignition system that increased employee safety by eliminating the need to manually light burners.
These enhancements were then integrated with Millstream’s new M7 burner technology, which provides increased thermal efficiency through an advanced, patent-pending secondary air control (SAC) component that precisely controls secondary air, resulting in maximum heat into the process. A recent independent engineering study under controlled conditions proved that the M7 reduces fuel gas consumption and emissions by up to 43 percent compared with commonly used natural draft burners.
According to Millstream CEO Greg Nuk, the new system proved to be a marked success in enhancing the production company’s burner performance and efficiency across the board. Not only did it reduce their fuel gas usage and emissions by up to 43 percent, resulting in about $1.5 million per year in fuel gas savings, but it also decreased unplanned downtime, resulting in increased production of over $2 million per year.
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