OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT UNDERGROUND GAS STORAGE FACILITY (UGS)

OKOLI
Ivan Zelenika1, Darko Markovinović1, Gracijan Krklec1, Bruno Ernečić1
1 Podzemno skladište plina d.o.o., Veslačka 2-4, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. E-mails :
Ivan.Zelenika@psp.hr , Darko.Markovinovic@psp.hr, Gracijan.Krklec@psp.hr,
Bruno.Ernecic@psp.hr

ABSTRACT
To improve the energy efficiency of UGS Okoli, two technical solutions were imposed by analysing UGS process and the currently available resources. The first is the installation of a Turboexpander for the purpose of generating
electricity on the pressure difference of the reduction station, and the second is the construction of a PV power plant on the available UGS land area.Energy loss can be recovered by installing a turbo-expander with an electric
generator next to the existing reduction valves to produce electricity via gas expansion process. TE use the pressure drop when natural gas from high-pressure pipelines is decompressed to generate power. Expansion turbine is
defined to include both an expansion mechanism and a generator. In an expansion turbine high pressure gas is expanded in a manner where it is made to produce work. Energy is extracted from pressurized gas, which lowers
gas pressure and temperature. Production history of four withdrawal cycle in combination with industry process thermodynamic software are used for calculation of electricity production range. The calculation is based on the
average monthly values ​of gas flow and the operating pressure and temperatures of the gas storage process with a constant outlet pressure from the turbo-expander. Regarding the geo-location of UGS facility and utilization of
solar energy, with 80000 m2 available area for PV panels installation ;UGS Okoli photovoltaic Power Plant has potential annual electricity output of 5 000 000 MW. Together solar plant and TE should be able on annual basis to
produce amount of electricity comparable with total (annual) facility consumption.

Keywords : underground gas storage, Exergy Expansion turbine, renewable energy sources, solar power plant.

UGS:

- Aquifers and depleted reservoirs

- Rock caverns
- Salt caverns

UGS FACILITY PRESSURE

REDUCTION STATION - Possible
„Expander” location and oportunity
Fig 1: Gas storages types for electricity production
Fig 2: Gas storages process

Electric
boiler
instead of
gas-fired
Heater

El.-grid

Fig 4: Turboexpander power output

Fig 3: Turboexpander installation location

CONCLUSION

The total amount of calculated

electricity generated from PV power
plant and turbo-expander during one Fig 5. Energy and mass balance of Turboexpander gas stream
gas withdrawal cycle from the
storage is approximately 10,460
MW. Intensity of electricity
production from the TE and the PV
plant is unevenly distributed, since
the TE generates electricity during
the gas production cycle, while the
solar power plant generates most of
the electricity during the summer
months while the storage is in the
gas injection cycle. Total estimated
electricity production per year
corresponds to the average annual
Fig 5. Possible location of PV Power plant at UGS Okoli site electricity consumption of the UGS
LITERATURE :
facility. Since produced electricity
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(LNG) for the production of electricity, Energy 7 (2009) 34, 827– 837. Okoli site
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Oil & Gas and Renewable Energy Conference, ŠIBENIK, 17 – 19 October, 2022