Abstract The conventional throttling valve used for pressure reduction at the wellhead wastes a significant amount of energy. However, this residual pressure can be converted into electricity. In this study, a residual pressure recovery method is developed to evaluate the effect of thermodynamic parameters on power generation and fuel consumption 1. Comparing the conventional J-T valve system with the proposed turboexpander system demonstrates the substantial potential for energy recovery. The results indicate that the natural gas inlet temperature significantly affects the net energy output. Under ideal zero-friction conditions, a positive net energy output occurs only when the inlet temperature exceeds 303.12 K. Additionally, if the inlet pressure exceeds 24.4 MPa, the system consumes more preheating energy than it generates. This study clarifies the efficient operating ranges, providing a crucial theoretical and parametric basis for pressure energy recovery at natural gas wellheads.
Yang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.