Regasification is a process of converting
liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...
(LNG) at −162 °C (−260 °F) temperature back to natural gas at atmospheric temperature. LNG gasification plants can be located on land as well as on floating barges, i.e. a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU). Floating barge mounted plants have the advantage that they can be towed to new offshore locations for better usage in response to changes in the business environment. In a conventional
regasification plantRU, LNG is heated by sea water to convert it to natural gas /
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...
gas.
Byproducts
In addition to regasification, many valuable industrial byproducts can be produced using cold energy of LNG. Cold energy of LNG utilisation, for extracting liquid
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...
and
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
gas from air, makes LNG-regasification plants more viable when they are located near
integrated steel plants and/or
urea plants. Cold energy of LNG usage in lieu of massive and energy intensive cryogenic refrigeration units in
natural-gas processing
Natural-gas processing is a range of industrial processes designed to purify raw natural gas by removing impurities, contaminants and higher molecular mass hydrocarbons to produce what is known as ''pipeline quality'' dry natural gas. Natural gas ...
plants is also more viable economically. The natural gas processed with cold energy of LNG and the imported LNG can be readily injected into a conventional natural gas distribution system to reach the ultimate consumers.
The cold energy of LNG can be used for cooling the exhaust fluid of the
gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directio ...
which is working in closed
joule cycle
The Brayton cycle is a thermodynamic cycle that describes the operation of certain heat engines that have air or some other gas as their working fluid. The original Brayton engines used a piston compressor and piston expander, but modern gas tur ...
with
Argon
Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice as ...
gas as fluid. Thus near 100% conversion efficiency to electricity is achieved for the LNG/natural gas consumed by the gas turbine as its exhaust heat is fully used/absorbed for the gasification of LNG.
However, the abundant availability of natural gas, and the mature technology and its acceptability in using the LNG directly (without regasification) in road and rail vehicles would lead to lesser demand for LNG regasification plants.
The On-Road LNG Transportation Market in the US
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See also
*Gas-to-liquids
Gas to liquids (GTL) is a refinery process to convert natural gas or other gaseous hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons, such as gasoline or diesel fuel. Methane-rich gases are converted into liquid synthetic fuels. Two general strategies ex ...
* Existing regasification terminals
*Liquid air
Liquid air is air that has been cooled to very low temperatures ( cryogenic temperatures), so that it has condensed into a pale blue mobile liquid. To thermally insulate it from room temperature, it is stored in specialized containers ( vacuum in ...
*CNG carrier
Compressed natural gas (CNG) carrier ships are those designed for transportation of natural gas under high pressure. CNG carrier technology relies on high pressure, typically over 250 bar (2900 psi), to increase the density of the gas, but ...
References
External links
Dynamic depressurisation calculations LNG regasification unit
Global LNG Regasification Markets
{{fuel gas
Liquefied natural gas
Fuel gas
Petroleum industry