I would like to ask why nitrogen is needed during the start-up and shutdown phases of a natural gas processing plant?
Thread Content
I have a question: an air and nitrogen station is included in the process flow of natural gas processing plants, as nitrogen is said to be needed during the startup and shutdown phases of the plant. Why is nitrogen required during these phases?
Before starting the vehicle, the air in the system must be replaced, as natural gas is a flammable and explosive gas. Nitrogen is used to replace natural gas while the vehicle is parked, also for safety reasons during shutdowns, maintenance, and repairs
Nitrogen purging is required during the start-up and shutdown of natural gas production facilities to facilitate maintenance. There was once a facility that used natural gas to purge the pipelines before feeding materials in, which resulted in casualties. There are clear standards prohibiting the use of production raw materials as substitutes in devices.
Since natural gas is flammable and explosive, it is of course used for displacement
In addition to the safety aspects mentioned above, there is also the role of protecting equipment and pipelines. After shutdown, these equipment and pipelines need to be sealed with nitrogen or the air inside them needs to be replaced with pure nitrogen, in order to prevent moisture in the air from corroding the pipelines and equipment. Additionally, this approach is useful for maintenance, replacement, and purging of pipelines.
In addition to safe displacement, nitrogen is also part of public facilities. Power (pressure) can be used, such as with pneumatically actuated control valves; in natural gas processing plants, nitrogen must be used instead of compressed air.
Used for displacing and adjusting the explosion limit.