ZEVAC is a critical part of maintaining our aging gas infrastructure.
From the article...
In the east, BG&E uses a company called ZEVAC (zero emissions vacuum and compression), which bills itself as a producer of products and technology, to apply gas emissions recovery and mitigate against methane seeping into the atmosphere. BG&E deploys reliable, proven and patented equipment in “most situations requiring purging/venting of gas,” including maintenance, repairs and abandonments.
“We have used it mostly on main abandonments,” said Joe Reynolds, senior engineer for Gas Engineering. “As our crews become more comfortable using the ZEVAC, we hope to use it as much as possible.”
ZEVAC officials said they can adapt to individual operator’s purchasing preferences with rental, sales and training options for its different-sized equipment.
“We provide limited on-site service for demonstrations or emergencies and comprehensive training to self-perform routine maintenance with rented or purchased equipment,” ZEVAC officials said.
There also is a network of trained ZEVAC contract crews. These are service companies with crews trained on the use of ZEVAC technology.
BG&E’s Reynolds noted that ZEVAC is pneumatically powered with internal compressors that pull gas from one pipe and transfer it to a different pipe. Thus, it keeps the gas in the system and not in the atmosphere. Units used by BG&E are fairly large, Reynolds said, and are named Quad units because they have four internal compressors and are transported on a trailer in the urban settings. Smaller units also are available, such as ones used by some of BG&E’s sister companies in Delaware and Washington, DC.
As with many gas operators, BG&E finds the ZEVAC units particularly useful in crowded urban areas. “There are many benefits to using [them] in those situations, namely reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cutting down on calls from customers complaining about gas odors and improved safety,” Reynolds said.