Building Integration: Safe Renewable Natural Gas Injection into the Natural Gas Pipeline
Valley Energy is a natural gas distribution company serving nine communities in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, and three communities in Chemung and Tioga Counties, New York. The company supplies natural gas to approximately 9,500 residential, commercial, and industrial customers through a 205-mile pipeline distribution system.
Across its service territory, Valley Energy is installing new equipment to convert gas from local landfills into pipeline-quality Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). Operating a landfill is a complex, multi-faceted process. As landfill engineering has evolved, these facilities are increasingly transforming waste into RNG, providing both environmental and economic benefits to their communities.
Delivering Pipeline-Quality RNG: An Integrated Approach at Valley Energy’s Lowman Facility
At Valley Energy’s Lowman, New York facility, located at the Chemung County Landfill, environmental protection and energy innovation go hand in hand. Beneath the landfill, groundwater flows continuously, making protection of this natural resource a top priority. To ensure long-term environmental integrity, the landfill is equipped with carefully engineered liner systems designed to prevent contamination. These liners are supported by a comprehensive groundwater monitoring program that verifies their performance and safeguards water quality.
Building on this strong environmental foundation, Valley Energy has partnered with Valtronics Solutions and Mustang Sampling to transform landfill gas into purified, pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG). This process requires far more than simple gas collection. As-produced biogas contains a complex mixture of components that must be carefully treated before it can meet pipeline specifications. Key contaminants—including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), moisture, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen, and a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—must be removed or reduced to acceptable levels.
One of the most technically challenging aspects of RNG production is the detection and monitoring of VOCs. These compounds can vary significantly in composition and concentration, and their breakthrough from filtration systems can occur rapidly. Accurate, real-time detection is essential not only for protecting downstream pipeline infrastructure, but also for preserving the quality and marketability of the RNG product.
To address this challenge, Valley Energy relies on a continuous, high-performance gas sampling and analysis system engineered by Valtronics using Mustang Sampling products. The process begins with the extraction of a representative gas sample through a probe housed within a Pony® Heated Probe Enclosure. From there, the sample is transported using the patented Mustang® Heat Trace Tube Bundle, which maintains temperature control and prevents condensation.
The gas sample is then delivered to a Mustang P53® Sample Conditioning System, where it is maintained well above its hydrocarbon dew point to ensure integrity. From this point, the conditioned sample is distributed via a Mustang Modular Sample Control Panel to multiple analytical instruments housed within a Mustang Sampling industrialized building. Advanced technologies—including gas chromatography and mass spectrometry—provide highly detailed, real-time analysis of gas composition.
This in-line, continuous monitoring approach is critical. Traditional laboratory-based analysis often cannot respond quickly enough to detect rapid VOC breakthrough events. In contrast, Mustang Sampling’s Analytically Accurate® solutions provide immediate, high-resolution insight into gas quality without the need for labor-intensive sample preparation. This enables operators to make timely decisions and maintain compliance with strict pipeline standards.
Complementing this advanced analytical system by Mustang Sampling is a fully integrated RNG skid designed and constructed by Valtronics Solutions. Due to limited available space at the site, the project required the consolidation of multiple essential functions into a compact, efficient footprint. The result is an all-in-one skid that integrates pressure reduction, flow measurement, gas analysis, and odorant injection into a single system.
Valley Energy commissioned Valtronics Solutions to design and fabricate the skid off-site at their West Virginia facility. While Valley Energy supplied the meters and regulators, Valtronics provided all additional components and managed the complete design and construction process. Once assembled, the skid was transported to the Lowman site via lowboy trailer and installed by Valley Energy’s team using a crane onto a prepared concrete pad.
Close collaboration between Valley Energy’s metering and regulation group and Valtronics ensured that the system meets all pipeline quality requirements. A key feature of the skid is an automated valve controlled by an electronic Remote Terminal Unit (RTU). This system continuously monitors gas quality and acts as a safeguard: if the gas fails to meet specifications, the valve automatically shuts to prevent off-spec gas from entering the pipeline. Once compliance is restored, the valve reopens, allowing operations to continue seamlessly.
Safety and reliability are central to the skid’s design. The system meets Class I, Division 2 standards, ensuring safe operation in hazardous environments commonly associated with gas processing facilities. In addition to safety, the skid offers significant economic and operational advantages. By consolidating multiple functions into a single modular unit, the design reduces the need for extensive civil construction, lowering overall project costs. Installation is streamlined, requiring only placement on a concrete pad.
Further enhancing its practicality, the skid includes integrated lighting beneath its canopy, minimizing the need for additional lighting infrastructure and associated installation expenses. Perhaps one of its most valuable features is its portability. When a site reaches the end of its operational life, the skid can be easily decommissioned, relocated, and redeployed to a new project—maximizing long-term return on investment.
Together, Valley Energy, Valtronics, and Mustang Sampling have demonstrated how thoughtful engineering, advanced analytics, and collaborative execution can turn landfill gas into a reliable, high-quality renewable energy source—while maintaining rigorous environmental protection and operational efficiency.
