Abstract

This paper addresses the urgent need to meet increasing energy demand while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency. One significant challenge is the energy losses that occur during gas pressure reduction at city gates in natural gas distribution systems. To tackle this issue, this study proposes installing pressure reduction turbines (PRTs) parallel to existing reduction valves, which can generate electricity and enhance system efficiency. This research mainly focuses on Brazil’s natural gas supply, where the potential for installing PRTs is evaluated. The methodology analyzes the country’s distribution network and estimates the electricity generation capacity achievable from PRTs. The results indicate a potential power generation of 66 MW, capable of avoiding the emission of 235,800 tons of CO₂ annually and generating 333 GWh/year of electricity, all at a LCOE of $27/MW. These contribute to the environment using the energy efficiency achieved through the installation of PRTs, consequently, Brazil can help to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

中文翻译：

---

巴西天然气减压涡轮机的发电潜力

摘要

本文解决了满足日益增长的能源需求同时通过提高能源效率避免温室气体排放的迫切需要。一项重大挑战是天然气分配系统中城门燃气压力降低过程中发生的能量损失。为了解决这个问题，本研究建议安装与现有减压阀并联的减压涡轮机（PRT），这样可以发电并提高系统效率。这项研究主要关注巴西的天然气供应，评估安装 PRT 的潜力。该方法分析该国的配电网络并估算 PRT 可实现的发电能力。结果表明，潜在发电量为 66 MW，每年可避免 235,800 吨 CO ₂排放，每年发电 333 GWh，LCOE 为 27 美元/MW。这些通过安装 PRT 实现的能源效率对环境做出了贡献，因此，巴西可以帮助实现更清洁、更可持续的能源未来。