How Fog Cooling Helped TC Energy Keep Gas Temperatures Under Control

Summer heat can put a lot of pressure on a compressor station.

Compressed natural gas heats up quickly. If the temperature isn’t lowered fast enough, the downstream impact can include reduced flow, pipeline stress, and performance limits that operators work incredibly hard to avoid.

TC Energy, one of the largest natural gas infrastructure operators in North America, faced this challenge at Station 650 in Lachenaie, near Montreal. Their Hudson fin-fan coolers handled the work reliably most of the year, but summer heat created a different set of challenges.

The coolers were running as intended, yet they couldn’t bring gas temperatures low enough during peak heat. The station needed a solution that didn’t involve major construction or a complete rebuild of the cooling system.

So, they turned to fog cooling.

Although this method is often associated with gas turbine inlet air cooling, the same concept applies here: cool the incoming air, and you immediately boost the performance of the equipment that relies on it.

TC Energy took this approach and used a fogging retrofit to support the cooling capacity of their existing fin-fans.

Here’s how it worked.

The Challenge: Gas Temperatures Rising Beyond What the System Could Control

Under moderate conditions, the existing fin-fan setup was more than capable of cooling the compressed natural gas.

During extreme heat (about 90℉), though, the system had very little margin left. Gas temperatures coming off the compressors were getting too close to the limit required to protect the pipeline lining.

The situation placed the station in a difficult spot. To protect the pipeline, operators had to consider reducing flow during the very periods when demand typically increases. It wasn’t a sustainable long-term plan, and it wasn’t necessary if the site could find a way to cool the gas more effectively without changing the core equipment.

This is similar to what happens in power generation. Gas turbines lose efficiency in summer because hotter air is less dense. Hence, many plants rely on a gas turbine inlet air cooling system to recover performance. The same principle applies to compressor stations: cooler intake air leads to better cooling results.

The Solution: Adding Fog Cooling to Support the Existing Fin-Fans

Rather than replace or modify the fin-fans, TC Energy installed a MeeFog system designed to cool the air entering the fans. The system created a fine mist around the perimeter of the cooler, lowering the temperature of the incoming air through evaporation.

The installation included:

• 324 high-pressure stainless-steel nozzles
• Custom mounting racks around the cooler
• Filtration and water quality controls
• Four fans with a combined airflow of 552,128 acfm

The design allowed the fog to evaporate fully before reaching the fins or motors, which kept the system safe, dry, and efficient. By lowering the temperature of the intake air, the fin-fans could cool the gas more effectively without any mechanical modifications.

Why Fog Cooling Works So Well

Fog cooling works on a basic evaporation principle.

When very fine water droplets turn into vapor, they absorb heat from the air around them. As long as the droplets are small enough, they evaporate before touching any equipment, so the system stays dry while the incoming air gets noticeably cooler.

At Station 650, this approach paid off immediately. The fog system helped drop the temperature of the air coming into the fin-fans. With cooler air available, the fans were able to pull more heat out of the gas. The extra cooling brought gas temperatures back into a safe and manageable range.

The same concept is used in gas turbine inlet air cooling, where lowering the temperature of intake air helps turbines perform more efficiently. In both cases, a small drop in air temperature makes a noticeable difference in how well the system works.

The Results: A Meaningful Temperature Drop During Peak Heat

After installation, TC Energy recorded a temperature drop of roughly 10°F at the gas outlet on the hottest days. The difference had a direct impact on station performance:

• The gas remained within the safe temperature range needed to protect the pipeline lining.
• Throughput stayed stable during high-demand periods.
• Operators had less pressure during extreme heat events.
• The fin-fans could operate more effectively with the same power and hardware.

Maxime Langevin, Engineering Manager at Station 650, summed it up clearly:

“The MeeFog system is working properly and providing us with up to an additional 5℃ of cooling.” – Maxime Langevin, Engineering Manager, Station 650, TC Energy”

Why the MeeFog System Was a Smart Fit

MeeFog systems are used across industries where evaporative cooling can improve performance, most commonly in power plants with gas turbine inlet air cooling systems. But the same principles apply at compressor stations like TC Energy’s.

MeeFog systems are engineered for consistent, high-efficiency cooling with minimal impact on existing infrastructure. In this case, the fog system is integrated directly with the station’s fin-fan layout, providing cooler intake air without requiring any modification to the fan hardware or airflow path.

The system offered several key advantages:

• Targeted cooling without modifying the fans themselves
• High-pressure nozzles that produced consistently fine droplets, allowing full evaporation before contact with equipment
• Controls that tracked ambient temperature and humidity, automatically adjusting output
• Stainless steel construction and water filtration to protect both the nozzles and the downstream equipment
• No moisture carryover, meaning the fans and motors remained dry even during sustained operation

What stood out most was how efficiently the system enhanced performance without increasing mechanical complexity. Like a well-designed gas turbine inlet air cooling system, MeeFog worked alongside the existing hardware, quietly adding capacity where it was needed, when it was needed.

The Bottom Line

TC Energy’s experience at Station 650 shows how a targeted cooling upgrade can make a meaningful difference. By lowering the intake air temperature around the fin-fans, the station was able to reduce gas temperatures by nearly 10°F during the hottest days of the year.

Fog cooling is not a replacement for mechanical cooling systems. Instead, it is a strategic addition that helps the system already in place perform better when outdoor temperatures push it to its limits.

Considering Fog Cooling for Your Facility?

If you’re evaluating options to improve temperature control or support existing equipment without taking on a major upgrade, MeeFog can be an effective solution.

You can explore more about how these systems work or speak with our team for guidance on applying this technology to your site.