About Universal Vortex, Inc. - Patented Vortex Tube Technologies
Universal Vortex, Inc. (UVI) was started in 1996 to provide the natural gas industry with thermal and natural gas liquid recovery solutions using its patented vortex tube technologies. These innovative vortex tube solutions can improve the security of natural gas supply while also saving energy costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Vortex Tubes
Generally speaking, a vortex tube is a cylindrical device designed to reduce
the pressure (expand) of a pressurized gas. During the gas pressure reduction
process, released gas undergoes energy and mass segregation, known as the
Vortex Phenomenon, forming a 'cold' flow and a 'hot' flow that can then be used
in a variety of industrial applications. No external energy sources, like
fossil fuels, are needed or consumed to generate the vortex cooling and heating
duty.
Universal Vortex's Vortex Tube Innovations
UVI's innovations on the vortex tube design increase the vortex tube's thermal efficiency and its range of applications. For example, its self-heating design allows you to use UVI's vortex tubes as a primary non-freeze pressure regulator that eliminates the need, and expense, of an upstream gas pre-heat. In addition, all of UVI's vortex tube products are extremely low-noise devices, producing much less noise than a typical pressure regulator of equal size.
UVI's products span the natural gas supply chain:
Gas Production and Gathering:
- Non-Freeze choke
- Wellhead gas thermal conditioning to prevent hydrocarbon vapor condensation in gas gathering lines
Gas Processing:
- Vortex Gas Chiller to replace JT valve at JT based gas processing plants (up to 15% in NGL output increase)
Gas Transmission and Power Generation:
- Turbine Fuel Gas Thermal Conditioning Technology to eliminate the need in fuel gas upstream pre-heat, simultaneously meeting the fuel gas thermal requirements
Gas Distribution:
- Vortex Pressure Regulation Technology to eliminate Line Heaters At Pressure Regulation Stations, simultaneously meeting the discharge gas temperature requirements
- Vortex Pressure To Power Technology to reduce or eliminate energy consumption to pre-heat gas upstream of a Gas Let-Down Power Generator
- Vortex Self-Heating Pressure Reducer (VPR)
- Vortex Pilot Gas Heater (VPG H)
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG):
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- Vortex Heater and Technology to reduce energy consumption in LNG/LPG vaporization