Natural gas handling system and method of use thereof

A system for handling blowdown gas evacuated from an upstream segment of pipeline, said system comprising:

• a. one or more compressor units for receiving blowdown gas for recompression;
• b. an incinerator unit for receiving blowdown gas from any one or more of:
• the upstream segment of pipeline, the one or more compressor units or one or more pressure vessels;
• c. a flow control diverter valve for directing blowdown gas from the segment of pipeline or from the one or more compressor units to any one or more of:
• the incinerator unit, the one or more pressure vessels and a downstream section of the pipeline downstream from the upstream segment of pipeline;
• d. interconnected piping connecting between any one or more of the upstream segment of pipeline, the one or more compressor units, the incinerator unit, the one or more pressure vessels and the flow control valve;
• e. one or more sensors associated with each of the one or more compressor units, the one or more incinerator units, the one or more pressure vessels and the interconnected piping to collect operational data about each of the one or more compressor units, the one or more incinerator units, the one or more pressure vessels and the interconnected piping and gas data about the blowdown gas;
• f. a processor in communication with the one or more sensors for receiving the operational data about each of the one or more compressor units, the one or more incinerator units, the one or more pressure vessels and the interconnected piping and the gas data, said processor comprising a memory wherein instructions stored in the memory are executable by the processor for determining, from the operational data and the gas data, one or more switchover pressures at which blowdown gas should be re-directed from a recompression operation to an incineration operation;
• and
• g. a control system in communication with the processor and with the flow control diverter valve for actuating the flow control diverter valve to re-direct blowdown gas from a recompression operation to an incineration operation at the switchover pressure.