What is this thing and why is this thing a thing?

[IronWing]

This thing…

It's located on a natural gas pipeline and is a giant burner of sorts (you can see the shimmer above the center) with a bunch of heatsinks.

 

[Paratus]

Thruster to push the earth out of the way of the secret asteroid they don't want you to know about.

 

[Rubycon]

Looks small even for a catalytic heater. (hotcat)
How close did you get to it?

 

[IronWing]

I was about fifteen feet from the fence when I took the pic. It made a hissing, rumbley noise like a distant crappy stereo.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Good question. Wonder if this is some way of testing the well, or maybe some attempt at emissions control. Where was this? Maybe it's some new regulation after that leaking methane in California?

 

[balloonshark]

The real truth behind global warming.

 

[herm0016]

It's a thermal generator making electricity to monitor the pipeline and for cathodic protection.
Quite efficient and no moving parts to maintain.

Looks like Wyoming or utah?

 

[Ichinisan]

It's a thermal generator making electricity to monitor the pipeline ...

I kinda figured this after seeing OP's picture.

 

[IronWing]

It's a thermal generator making electricity to monitor the pipeline and for cathodic protection.
Quite efficient and no moving parts to maintain.

Looks like Wyoming or utah?

Thanks!

http://www.genthermglobalpower.com/...roduct_files/67213_rev0_8550 spec sheet_0.pdf

Arizona

 

[deadlyapp]

It's a thermal generator making electricity to monitor the pipeline and for cathodic protection.
Quite efficient and no moving parts to maintain.

Looks like Wyoming or utah?

ATOT never fails to educate !

 

[Rubycon]

It's a thermal generator making. electricity to monitor the pipeline and for cathodic protection.
Quite efficient and no moving parts to maintain.

Looks like Wyoming or utah?

I agree on the maintenance issue but efficiency (cost to operate) isn't quite what I'd call efficient.

With the sun hours in the SW surprised they don't use solar.
In the Soviet era, they used nuclear powered versions of these for anything remote, off grid.
And of course in space.

 

[IronWing]

I agree on the maintenance issue but efficiency (cost to operate) isn't quite what I'd call efficient.

It's a natural gas pipeline. I bet the company gives themselves a discount on gas.

I ran across a cathodic protection station on the same pipeline in town the other day. It uses line power so my guess is the company only use the thermal generators when they have to.

 

[Rubycon]

It's a natural gas pipeline. I bet the company gives themselves a discount on gas.

I ran across a cathodic protection station on the same pipeline in town the other day. It uses line power so my guess is the company only use the thermal generators when they have to.

Yes the consumption off the pipeline is virtually nothing for sure.
If they need lighting they could use mantle lanterns too!

Now when you're talking compressor stations, that's a whole different level. Those need tens of megawatts and are often fed from a tap directly off a transmission line.

 

[KMFJD]

It's a thermal generator making electricity to monitor the pipeline and for cathodic protection.
Quite efficient and no moving parts to maintain.

Looks like Wyoming or utah?

Ah , these are the parts that SCADA systems talk to on the pipeline? Used to love building scada systems when i first started

 

[John Connor]

 

[John Connor]

In the Soviet era, they used nuclear powered versions of these for anything remote, off grid.
And of course in space.

I always wanted a few for my house. Perhaps it could power my radio gear and computers.

 

[herm0016]

RTGs are cool. Radologic? Thermal generators. Radioactive enough that you cover the source with k type thermocouples and you get useable power! Haha. I'm not sure on the monitoring. I work in the production side.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I guess it kinda makes sense to use the natural gas you're transporting to power the equipment that transports it. Pumps, SCADA etc. The entire system is pretty much self sustained that way and the usage is probably a drop in the bucket. Some of the big lines are like what, 1,000 PSI?

 

[deadlyapp]

I guess it kinda makes sense to use the natural gas you're transporting to power the equipment that transports it. Pumps, SCADA etc. The entire system is pretty much self sustained that way and the usage is probably a drop in the bucket. Some of the big lines are like what, 1,000 PSI?

Many NGL/propane/ethane/etc lines have max operating pressures of 2220 psig. Not sure about natural gas (as a gas) transmission since I don't work with it.

As far as powering the large equipment, they usually have to run a separate transmission line. Most midstream companies don't own the gas or liquids they're transporting. A lot of the stuff in the rocky mountain states use gas turbines to drive the pumps or have gas turbines coupled to generators to run their pump stations. Solar Turbines (Caterpillar company) has made a killing the last 10 years doing this.

 

[Rubycon]

I always wanted a few for my house. Perhaps it could power my radio gear and computers.

They are far too dangerous unless you're specifically trained. And the nuclear regulatory agencies will be all over you...
You'd be better off with supplementary power perhaps handled by tritiated aerogels pushing 25% pv cells.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Nuclear has crossed my mind, if anything just for heat as it would make a rather cheap source of heat. Could use peltiers to produce power too. Idealy you'd want it to generate enough power to run itself. The water heat exchanger pumps, controls, etc. Steam is how a real nuke plant works but much more complex unless you are a very good machinist so I'd probably just use peltiers, less efficient but the main goal would be to generate heat for the house. I imagine playing with nuclear is like super illegal though...

Getting the raw materials would probably not be easy either. Obviously the plutonium or similar isotopes, but even stuff like lead for the shielding of the reactor core. Though lead is too soft and has too low of a melting point, so not sure if that's even what you'd want to use. But for a home reactor you probably would not (or want to) reach super high temps. Probably want to stay below steaming point. Idea would be to circulate water through a heat exchanger to a separate closed loop that is then used as a radiant heat system for the whole house.

Suppose you could do a steam generator for power but that is getting more complex and lot of moving parts that need maintenance.

Another interesting form of nuclear power is certain materials actually glow when near radiation. So you pack these materials together with PV material and you actually generate power via light. The amount of power you get out of this is super small though like in the mw range for something the size of a calculator.

 

[destrekor]

It's a thermal generator making electricity to monitor the pipeline and for cathodic protection.
Quite efficient and no moving parts to maintain.

Looks like Wyoming or utah?

So it's a self-sustaining monitoring station that only depends upon active fuel transport over the pipeline?

Think it has a battery or super-capacitor? Not sure how often there isn't any gas being actively transported, or if seeing on their network that a monitoring station is down, would that be all they need to know that something very bad is likely happening? If they are self-sufficient and require zero maintenance? I figure they'd have to never go town for them to take seeing one down to be a very serious concern.

 

[Red Squirrel]

So it's a self-sustaining monitoring station that only depends upon active fuel transport over the pipeline?

Think it has a battery or super-capacitor? Not sure how often there isn't any gas being actively transported, or if seeing on their network that a monitoring station is down, would that be all they need to know that something very bad is likely happening? If they are self-sufficient and require zero maintenance? I figure they'd have to never go town for them to take seeing one down to be a very serious concern.

I'd guess they probably have a battery too, as if for some reason gas does stop flowing it would at least be able to monitor the condition that could be causing it, ex: low pressure or any other sensor elsewhere along the line indicating a large leak or other serious issue.

 

[destrekor]

Nuclear has crossed my mind, if anything just for heat as it would make a rather cheap source of heat. Could use peltiers to produce power too. Idealy you'd want it to generate enough power to run itself. The water heat exchanger pumps, controls, etc. Steam is how a real nuke plant works but much more complex unless you are a very good machinist so I'd probably just use peltiers, less efficient but the main goal would be to generate heat for the house. I imagine playing with nuclear is like super illegal though...

Getting the raw materials would probably not be easy either. Obviously the plutonium or similar isotopes, but even stuff like lead for the shielding of the reactor core. Though lead is too soft and has too low of a melting point, so not sure if that's even what you'd want to use. But for a home reactor you probably would not (or want to) reach super high temps. Probably want to stay below steaming point. Idea would be to circulate water through a heat exchanger to a separate closed loop that is then used as a radiant heat system for the whole house.

Suppose you could do a steam generator for power but that is getting more complex and lot of moving parts that need maintenance.

Another interesting form of nuclear power is certain materials actually glow when near radiation. So you pack these materials together with PV material and you actually generate power via light. The amount of power you get out of this is super small though like in the mw range for something the size of a calculator.

Quick, everybody, digitally wave to the NSA and/or FBI !! Here's my big cheese smile:

 

[destrekor]

They are far too dangerous unless you're specifically trained. And the nuclear regulatory agencies will be all over you...
You'd be better off with supplementary power perhaps handled by tritiated aerogels pushing 25% pv cells.

Oh, do go on Madame President Rubycon, she of the seas and lore. You can't titillate me then walk away that easily!