Iron Horse Midstream

The Problem

At most compressor stations, engines run on whatever comes off the field. That gas is rich. At Iron Horse Midstream, it averaged 1,294 BTU/scf, loaded with the heavy hydrocarbons (C2, C3, C4+) that make up valuable NGLs. Burn it as fuel, and three things happen at once.

The NGLs are gone. A product that could have been monetized downstream goes up the exhaust stack. The engines work harder than they should. Rich fuel burns hot and dirty, causing detonation events and overtemperature trips that force engines to derate, often 10 to 20% below rated capacity in practice. And VOC emissions climb, eating into permitting headroom.

The conventional fix is a J-T skid. It helps, getting the fuel down to around 1,245 BTU, but it still leaves meaningful NGL value in the fuel stream, and its performance shifts with ambient temperature. For a site with no electric power and no residue line nearby, there has historically been no economical way to produce lean, residue-line-quality fuel gas on location. That was the problem Iron Horse Midstream set out to solve.

The Deployment

Iron Horse Midstream deployed MaCH4 as the primary fuel gas conditioning system for a two-year pilot. MaCH4 uses patented Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology to selectively capture heavy hydrocarbons from the gas stream without phase change, recovering them as a gaseous NGL stream for downstream monetization while delivering stable, lean fuel gas to the compressor engines.

No cryo plant. No residue line. No liquids to handle, no tanks to manage, no chemical consumables. The system installs as a skid, runs unattended, and is monitored and controlled remotely. Full remote monitoring and operations were active from day one, and there was no shakedown period. The system validated its capability and reliably fueled the engines from the start.[/vc_column_text]

1,040 BTU. Lean, consistent, reliable.

MaCH4 delivered engine fuel averaging 1,040 BTU across the year, well below the 1,294 BTU/scf coming off the field and meaningfully leaner than the 1,245 BTU the J-T skid alternative delivers. That gap matters. Fewer heavy hydrocarbons in the fuel means cleaner combustion, less detonation risk, and engines running closer to rated capacity instead of quietly derated by fuel they weren’t designed to handle.

The fuel quality was also consistent regardless of ambient conditions. Not temperature-dependent. Not shifting with the season. The same lean, conditioned stream to the engines day in, day out.

NGL value captured, not combusted.

The heavy hydrocarbons that MaCH4 separates out of the fuel gas don’t get burned. They’re kept in gaseous form and returned to the suction header for downstream monetization. In 2025, that recovery was valued at $272,000 at the Iron Horse site, with NGL recovery meeting specifications throughout the pilot. That’s a value that was previously going through the combustion chamber and disappearing.

Greater than 99% uptime. Fully remote.

The system ran at greater than 99% uptime for the full two-year period. Remote monitoring and operations were validated throughout. The Iron Horse team had complete visibility and control without requiring on-site staffing for routine management.

70% VOC reduction. 20% CO reduction.

VOC emissions dropped 70% in 2025, equivalent to roughly 16 tons kept out of the air. CO emissions reduced by 20%. Both are direct outcomes of running lean, conditioned fuel through the engines. No separate emissions control investment. The reduction comes from better fuel.

For facilities managing Potential to Emit (PTE) budgets or watching Title V thresholds, the emissions reduction changes what’s possible on your permit and how much compression you can run before hitting Major Source limits.

The Bottom Line

Two years at Iron Horse Midstream produced a clear result. Feed gas averaging 1,294 BTU/scf converted to lean, consistent 1,040 BTU engine fuel. $272,000 in NGL value recovered in 2025 alone. Greater than 99% uptime. VOC down 70%, CO down 20%. No liquids, no tanks, no crew required on site.

The question for any operator isn’t whether your stations are burning NGL value today. It’s how much, and how long you’ll keep doing it.

How many compressor stations are in your network?

Iron Horse Midstream pilot, Grady County, OK. Performance data reflects Q4 2025 (Sept to Dec) feed and fuel gas streams. MaCH4 is the flagship NGL Recovery Solution from Coldstream Energy, LLC (Houston, TX).