Gas handling system and method for efficiently managing changes in gaseous conditions

Abstract

A system and method is provided for efficiently managing the compression of gas depending on the operating conditions and operating mode of the compression system, wherein the system includes a booster compressor, a booster compressor bypass, a conduit connected to the booster compressor and the booster compressor bypass conduit, a means for selectively directing the flow of the gas based on current operating conditions, to the booster compressor bypass or the booster compressor and a baseline compressor connected to both the booster compressor and the booster compressor bypass conduit.

1 . A gas compression system comprising:
 a booster compressor;   a booster compressor bypass;   a conduit connected to the booster compressor and the booster compressor bypass;   a first plurality of baseline compressors connected to the conduit, the plurality of baseline compressors connected to one in another in series; and   a second plurality of baseline compressors connected to one another in series, and in parallel to the first plurality of baseline compressors;   wherein a stream of gas is either directed through the booster compressor or the booster compressor bypass to the first plurality of baseline compressors and the second plurality of baseline compressors, based on a measurement of an environmental condition present in the gas compression system.   
     
     
         2 . The gas compression system of  claim 1 , wherein the conduit further comprises a sensor configured to measure the environmental conditions within the conduit and transmits data of the environmental condition to a computing system. 
     
     
         3 . The gas compression system of  claim 2 , wherein the sensor measures an environmental condition selected from the group consisting of a volume of gas, temperature of gas and the temperature of the gas compression system. 
     
     
         4 . The gas compression system of  claim 1 , further comprising a recycling loop connected to an inlet and a discharge of the booster compressor. 
     
     
         5 . The gas compression system of  claim 4 , wherein the recycling loop returns an intermediate compressed gas that exits the discharge back to the inlet of the booster compressor. 
     
     
         6 . The gas compression system of  claim 1 , wherein the booster compressor enters a low power state when the gas compression system selectively directs the flow of gas to the booster compressor bypass. 
     
     
         7 . The gas compression system of  claim 1 , comprising an integrated compressor unit incorporating the booster compressor, the plurality of baseline compressors, and the booster compressor bypass into a single compressor unit having multiple stages, wherein the booster compressor is a booster stage of an integrated compressor unit, and the booster compressor bypass is a bypass that prevents gas from entering the booster stage. 
     
     
         8 . The gas compression system of  claim 1 , wherein the gas entering the first plurality of baseline compressors and the second plurality of baseline compressors is compressed until a pressure of the gas entering the second plurality of baseline compressors is discharged at a desired target pressure. 
     
     
         9 . The gas compression system of  claim 1 , wherein compressed gases exiting the first plurality of baseline compressors is combined with compressed gases exiting the second plurality of baseline compressors to form a single stream of compressed gases for transport to a downstream step of a LNG system.