Sapphire Technologies, Inc.

A system includes an inlet pipe, a pressure control valve, a flow-through electric generator, and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe is connected to a carbon dioxide pipeline that flows carbon dioxide. The pressure control valve is installed on the inlet pipe and is configured to reduce a pressure of the carbon dioxide to a specified pressure. The flow-through electric generator includes a turbine wheel, a rotor, and a stator. The turbine wheel is configured to rotate in response to expansion of the carbon dioxide flowing into an inlet of the turbine wheel and out of an outlet of the turbine wheel. The flow-through electric generator is configured to generate electrical power upon rotation of the rotor within the stator. The outlet pipe is configured to receive the carbon dioxide that has expanded through the flow-through electric generator and flow the carbon dioxide to a carbon dioxide pipeline network.

A turboexpander with a turbine wheel coupled to drive a generator in response to a flow of incoming gas. A housing assembly of the turboexpander defines a sealed space, sealed from the incoming gas. The sealed space is in fluid communication with a surface of the turbine wheel such that pressure in the sealed space acts on the turbine wheel. A bypass passage communicates pressure between the sealed space and a space in communication with an outlet of the turbine wheel. The bypass passage includes an changeable flow area to control the communication of pressure between the sealed space and the outlet of the turbine wheel.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a subsea energy recovery system for generating electric power that includes an inlet flow line configured to couple to a subsea tree of a subsea gas well to receive gas produced from the subsea gas well, and a subsea electric power generation system, the subsea electric power generation system configured to reside subsea on a subsea production site of the subsea gas well and including a turbine wheel configured to rotate in response to expansion of the gas, a rotor configured to rotate with the turbine wheel, a stationary electric stator, the rotor and electric stator defining an electric generator configured to generate current, and a hermetically sealed housing enclosing the turbine wheel, the rotor, and the electric stator and hermetically sealed inline in the first flow line.

A working fluid circulates through a heat pump cycle in a first direction. Heat is transferred from a first environment to a working fluid. The working fluid is pressurized by a compressor. Heat is transferred from the working fluid to a second environment different from the first environment. A first portion of the working fluid is flowed through a throttle valve. A second portion of the working fluid is flowed to a turbine wheel of a flow-through electric generator. Electrical power is generated by the generator in response to the second portion of the working fluid flowing across the turbine wheel. The working fluid can circulate through the heat pump cycle in a second direction opposite the first direction. Regardless of whether the working fluid flows through the heat pump cycle in the first or second directions, impellers of the generator rotate in the same direction.

Flow from a gas well is conditioned prior to a production pipeline. A flow line is coupled to a gas well to receive the gas and coupled to a production pipeline to direct the received gas away from the production site, the flow line residing at a production site and comprising an electric power generation system. The electric power generation system has a turbine generator. The inlet nozzle and turbine wheel of the turbine generator is configured to reduce the pressure and temperature of the received gas to conditions associated with the production pipeline.

A system for processing a natural gas stream includes a flow-through turboexpander generator, a throttle valve, a knockout separator, and an absorption separator. The flow-through turboexpander generator is configured to receive a first portion of the natural gas stream and generate electrical power in response to expansion of the first portion of the natural gas stream. The throttle valve is configured to reduce a pressure of a second portion of the natural gas stream. The knockout separator is configured to receive the first portion of the natural gas stream from the flow-through turboexpander generator and configured to separate phases of the first portion of the natural gas stream to produce at least a gaseous phase and an aqueous phase. The absorption separator is configured to receive the gaseous phase from the separator vessel and separate water from the gaseous phase to produce a dehydrated natural gas stream.

A turboexpander can operate as a microgrid electric generator for islanding operations. The turboexpander can recover energy lost during a pressure letdown sequence to generate electricity. Pressurized process gas can cause a turbine to rotate, thereby rotating a rotor within a stator of the turboexpander. A power electronics can include an islanding mode inverter to output an alternating current that comprises a frequency and an amplitude compatible with powering a load. The power electronics can include a battery that is charged by the turboexpander and can provide power for starting up the turboexpander. The power electrics can include a bidirectional inverter to send excess power from the turboexpander to a power grid and to receive power from the power grid for start-up.

An electric generator includes a turbine wheel configured to receive process gas and rotate in response to expansion of the process gas flowing into an inlet of the turbine wheel and out of the outlet of the turbine wheel, a rotor coupled to the turbine wheel and configured to rotate with the turbine wheel, and a stationary stator, the electric generator to generate an alternating current upon rotation of the rotor within the stator. The electric generator can supply power to a power grid. During a low voltage event, current from the electric generator can be diverted to a brake resistor assembly. The brake resistor assembly can include a brake resistor designed to allow the electric generator to operate during the low-voltage event.

A system includes a flow-through electric generator and an electrolytic cell. The flow-through electric generator includes a turbine wheel, a rotor, and a stator. The turbine wheel is configured to receive natural gas from a natural gas pipeline and rotate in response to expansion of the natural gas flowing into an inlet of the turbine wheel and out of an outlet of the turbine wheel. The rotor is coupled to the turbine wheel and configured to rotate with the turbine wheel. The flow-through electric generator is configured to generate electrical power upon rotation of the rotor within the stator. The electrolytic cell is configured to receive a water stream and the electrical power from the flow-through electric generator. The electrolytic cell is configured to perform electrolysis on the water stream using the received electrical power to produce a hydrogen stream and an oxygen stream.

Flow from a gas well is conditioned prior to a production pipeline. A flow line is coupled to a gas well to receive the gas and coupled to a production pipeline to direct the received gas away from the production site, the flow line residing at a production site and comprising an electric power generation system. The electric power generation system has a turbine generator. The inlet nozzle and the turbine wheel of the turbine generator is configured to reduce the pressure and temperature of the received gas to conditions associated with the production pipeline.