PROJECT

Cheyenne Hub & Connector Pipeline

We provided engineering, design and procurement support for installing a 36-inch natural gas pipeline, compressor station and meter stations. The connector pipeline runs 70 miles from the Denver-Julesburg Basin to the Rockies Express (REX) Pipeline Cheyenne hub near the Colorado-Wyoming border.

The Cheyenne Connector — one of Colorado’s largest natural gas pipelines — features an initial design capacity of 1 billion cubic feet per day and allows producers to reach markets in the Gulf Coast and Southeast, as well as such Midwest cities as Chicago and Detroit.

The Cheyenne hub facility was upgraded to support the bidirectional functionality of the plant and provided flexibility to flow to and from the existing interconnects and allow natural gas to flow to Rex Pipeline east or west. The hub was modified to accommodate firm receipt and delivery among multiple natural gas pipelines with various operating pressures and to increase station capacity to 3 billion cubic feet.

Hub modifications included complete civil site regrading with new detention ponds, the addition of seven gas coolers to existing centrifugal compressors, modifications to station piping, control valve additions, power distribution center (PDC) building installations, filter separator additions, and the installation of six new reciprocating compressors with associated equipment (coolers, tanks, and filters). Three of the six new units were installed, and accommodations were made for three future units. Our design and phasing plan allowed the facility to maintain its service to multiple customers throughout construction.

Client

Tallgrass Energy

Location

Colorado

Region

West

Services

Pipeline Services

Gas Transmission & Distribution

Industry

Oil, Gas & Chemicals

The connector pipeline project included five-meter stations with overpressure protection, ultrasonic flow meter skids, launcher/receiver skids, dual classification buildings, coalescing filter/separators, and natural gas analyzers. A booster station included new water gas after-coolers, reciprocating compressor and warehouse buildings, suction and discharge coalescing filter/separators.

Early collaboration with Tallgrass allowed our team to provide all necessary documents for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) filing and support other permit applications. Effective communication was critical in the design and planning of this large-scale project.

The pipeline design needed to accommodate significant obstacles, including the South Platte River, which required 18 horizontal directional drills (HDDs), three actuated mail line valves and multiple auger bore crossings. Projects of this scale impact a wide range of stakeholders, from area residents to leaders of local businesses and communities. Our team supported the project’s stakeholder management efforts, working to instill transparency and thoroughness in pipeline design and construction.

Throughout construction, Tallgrass Energy and its contractors worked in close partnership with our engineering and design professionals, keeping the project moving seamlessly. Despite complexities, the Cheyenne hub and connector pipeline were completed as planned and successfully commissioned.