Introduction To LNG

By Process Department

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 What is LNG
 Liquefied Natural Gas
 Colorless, Odorless, Non-toxic.
 At Atmospheric pressure and –161 0C it is
Liquid
 Heating value ~13000 Kcal/Kg
 Wobbe Index 12000 to 13000 Kcal / Sm3
 Ton of LNG = 1408 Std. Cum
 1 MWatt = 290 kgs of LNG

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 Need For LNG
 Growing Power demand in the world
 LNG is a cheaper source of fuel.
 Oil & Gas companies under pressure to reduce
gas flaring
 Growing demand for cleaner fuels
 Eco-friendly
 Reservoir recovery
- 60% for Gas
- 33% for Oil.

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 Root Of LNG
 Natural gas is the Feed to manufacture LNG
 NG is available at Onshore & Offshore.
 Reservoirs range in size from 16 billion m 3 to
about 24 billion m3
 Onshore production is very limited – more
oil and less gas compared to offshore wells.
 Predominant component in NG is Methane
(>85% mol.)

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Typical Composition of NG
Component Lean Gas mol% Rich Gas mol%
Methane 95 89
Ethane 3.3 5.5
Propane 1 3.3
Butane 0.6 1.8
Pentane 0.05 0.1
N2, CO2 Traces Traces
and
Heavier HC
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Why NG should be Liquefied?
 Volumetric reduction of ~ 600 to 1.
 Transport through ship/road carriers is
easy / economical and parcel size is
big
 Remote locations pipeline
transportation of gas is uneconomical.
 Safety is high in Liquid Transportation

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Typical LNG Chain

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 LNG Project Phases
 Phase 1
- Exploration & Gas Treatment
- Liquefaction & Plant Storage Facility
 Phase 2
- LNG Carriers
-Loading Facility
- Unloading Facility
- Terminal Storage & Pumping
- Regassification & Distribution
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LNG Manufacturing Process

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Liquefaction Technology Options
in Hand
 Cascade Refrigeration Cycle (CRC)
 Mixed Refrigerant Cycle (MRC)
 Expander Cycle (EC)
 Mixed Fluid Cascade Process (MFCP)

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 Liquefaction Technology
Licensors
 Bechtel ( Philips Process)
 Linde – Statoil
 Axens – Liquefin
 Costain Oil, Gas & Process
 APCI
 Shell Global Services

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 LNG Carriers
 World’s first commercial trade of LNG in carrier
started in 1964 – Algeria to UK
 Today appx. 100 MTA is transported through
Carriers
 Presently 110 LNG carriers are in service in the
world
 Two types of cargo tanks – Spherical Tank &
Membrane Tank
– Spherical Tank – Material (Aluminum or 9%
nickel steel)
– Membrane Tank – Material (Invar or Stainless
Steel)

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 LNG Carriers (contd..)
 Carrier Capacity 125000 ~ 145000 M3
 LNG Carrier
– Draught 11 ~12 mts
– Length 260 ~ 295 mts
– Storage tanks 4 ~5
 The design pressure of the LNG carrier is about
0.025MPa.
 Boil off Rate 0.10 ~0.15% per day of carrier
capacity
 Boil off gas is used to power the ship/
Liquefaction
 Unloading Pumps within the LNG Carrier
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Re-Liquefaction in LNG carriers
 Temperature rise during voyage due to
ambient conditions change
 Results in BOG generation and pressure
rise (or) vice versa
 BOG used to power the ship or re-
liquefied.
 Re-liquefaction of BOG – High capital
costs
 Re-liquefaction within the ship economical
for long voyages (>40 days)

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Type Of LNG Storage Terminals
 Based Load Plant
- Import Terminal
- Export Terminal
 Peak Shaving Plants
- Intermittent Supply
- Emergency Supply

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 Critical Equipment – LNG
Terminal

 Unloading / Loading Facility

 LNG Storage Facility
 BOG Compressor Facility
 LNG HP Send-out Pumps
 LNG Regassification facility

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 Unloading/Loading Facility
 Jetty
 Liquid Arms
 Vapour Return Arms
 Liquid Pipeline
 Vapour Return Pipeline
 Pipeline Pre-cooling
 Inert Gas Purging

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 LNG Storage Facility
Storage Tanks
 Types of Storage Tanks
– Above-ground
 Conventional double wall tank with Dike

 Full containment tank (steel roof)

 Full containment tank (concrete+steel roof)

– Under-ground
 Continuous Diaphragm walls, sidewalls and Basement
slabs and Roof
 Full containment tank (steel roof)

 Cutting edge design technology and uses HI-TEMP to

monitor ground freezes due to LNG temperature, frost
heaving pressure and thermal stresses on tank
 Capacity: 80,000 m3 ~200,000 m3

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LNG Storage Facility (Contd..)
 Design Pressure: 290 ~ 310 / -5 ~ -10 mbarg
 Design Temperature: -166 0C to –170ºC.
 Storage Tank Protection
– Pressure Relieving Device
– Vacuum Relieving Device
 Leading Storage Tank Contractors
 Hitachi Josen

 Itouchu

 Mitsubishi

 Techni Gaz

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LNG Storage Facility (Contd..)
 Storage Tank Selection Criteria
– Location
– Environmental considerations
– Operational conditions
– Safety and economic efficiency

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Conventional Double Wall Tank

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Full Containment Tank (Steel Roof)

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Full Containment Tank
(Concrete + Steel Roof)

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 Rollover – LNG Tanks
 Unloading liquid temperature higher than
storage temperature causes Rollover.
 Density varies with temperature.
 Convection or motion of a fluid occurs when
liquid of different densities exist in storage
tank.
 Slugs of warm liquid moves upward and pushes
down cold liquid due to difference in
temp./density/composition.
 Warm Liquid rapidly moves up by buoyant
force through tank side-walls to the top surface.

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Rollover – LNG Tanks (Contd..)
 Warm liquid temperature is above the boiling
point.
 Vapor in the top surface insufficient to cool down
warm liquid.
 Warm liquid flashes and generates large vapor.
 This causes instantaneous & significant rise in
tank pressure.
 Pressure rise results in rapid expansion, cracks
or even tank rupture.
 Rollover Prevented by Reduced unloading rate.
 Protection from Rollover by Relief valve/
Rupture disk.

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 LNG In-Tank Pumps
 Boost the required LNG supply pressure of
HP Send-out Pumps.
 Aid condensing the Compressed Boil-off
gas in the Re-condenser.
 LNG Supply for Pipeline Pre cooling.
 Barrel Type Pump.
 Manufacturers: EBARA, DRESSER,
TORISHIMA, SUNDYNE
 Capacity: 300 ~ 400 T/Hr, Head: 80 mts

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 BOG Compressor Facility
BOG Handling
Alternatives available for effective
utilization of Boil-off Gas
 Condensing the Compressed Gas in
the Re-condenser against LNG.
• Independent Liquefaction Unit – only
in Peak Shaving plants.
• As a Fuel for power/heat Generation.

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BOG Compressor Facility (contd..)
Sources of BOG and Basis for Compressor
sizing
 Ship Unloading
 Unloading Pipeline Pre-cooling
 Ambient Heat Ingress through tank shell,
roof and bottom
 Rollover & Flash Vaporization
 Vapour Return from Tank
 In-tank pump motor heat
 Difference in Barometric Pressure

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BOG Compressor Facility (Contd..)
 Typical Compressor Capacity: 7 ~10
Tons/hr
 Reciprocating, Centrifugal and Screw
Compressors
 Turndown/Holding Duty: 25 ~ 30 % of
Compressor capacity
 Suction Pressure: 10 mBarg (min)
 Discharge Pressure: 10 ~ 40 Barg
 Manufacturers: Sulzer Burckhardt,
Kobelco, Elliot, Ebara

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 Recondenser
 Horizontal or Vertical - Direct Contact Type
condenser in a packed bed
 LNG from In-Tank pump and BOGC fed to
the Recondenser through the packed bed to
condense the BOG.
 Acts as a Buffer Vessel for HP Send-out
pump suction
 Operating Pressure : 7~9 barg
 LNG Holdup: 2~4 Minutes of HP Send-out
pump capacity

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 LNG Send-out Pump
 Suction from Recondenser or LP In-Tank
Pump.
 Supply high pressure LNG to Regassification
equipment for D/S distribution.
 LNG Road tanker filling
 Barrel Type Pump
 Manufacturers – EBARA, DRESSER,
TORISHIMA, SUNDYNE
 Capacity: 300 ~ 800 T/Hr, Head: 2300 mts
(~85 to 95 barg)

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LNG Send-out Pump

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 Regassification Equipment
 LNG re-gasified in vaporizing units
through heat exchange process.
 Types of Vaporizers
- Open-Rack type Vaporizer (ORV)
- Submerged Combustion Vaporizer
(SCV)
- Intermediate Fluid Vaporizer (IVF)
- Shell & Tube Type Vaporizer

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 Open-Rack type Vaporizer (ORV)
 Open-Rack Vaporizer uses Seawater as the heat
source for vaporizing LNG.
 It consists of two horizontal headers connected by
vertical finned tubes.
 LNG enters in the bottom header and flows upward
inside the finned heat transfer tubes
 Seawater film flows down along the outer surfaces
of the tubes.
 Natural gas is collected in the top header and sent to
end-users.
 ORV are very common in land-based units and
manufacturers have developed numerous
improvement based on this technology (U type,
double tube type, super ORV, …).
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Open-Rack type Vaporizer
(Contd..)

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Submerged Combustion Vaporizer
(SCV)

 SCV is an indirect fired heat exchanger which uses

fuel gas to vaporize LNG.
 LNG is vaporized by passing through steel coils in
a warm water bath, heated by the combustion gas.
 SCV type vaporizer systems have most frequently
been applied for vaporization of LNG in base-load
and peak-shaving re-gasification facilities.
 Due to its high operating cost, SCV are generally
used as spare units for ORV .

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Submerged Combustion Vaporizer(Contd.)

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Intermediate Fluid Vaporizer (IFV)
 TRI-EX is an intermediate fluid vaporizer
which uses Propane as the intermediate
fluid to vaporize LNG.
 The IFV consists of three distinct zones in
a single shell and tube heat exchanger·   

- LNG vaporizing zone        

- Intermediate fluid vaporizing zone  
- Natural gas trim heater zone

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Intermediate Fluid Vaporizer (Contd..)

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 Shell & Tube Type Vaporizer
 Shell & Tube type vaporizer is attracting the
LNG market
 High reliability in the base load re-
gasification plants
 Safe to operate
 Of the many types of shell & tube
exchangers, closed loop glycol/water system
is one of the most efficient and economical.

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Shell & Tube Type Vaporizer(Contd.)

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Regassification Equipment
Manufacturers

Itouchu
Linde
Howbaker
Kobelco
Osaka gas
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 Distribution Facility
 Gas Distribution by Pipeline
– Power Plants
– Heavy/Light Industries
– City Domestic Consumption
 Liquid Distribution by Road Tanker
– Small Consumers
– Remote Housing Facility

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Typical LNG Terminal Flow Scheme

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 LNG Worldwide
 Natural Gas is the world's third largest source of energy
after Coal and Oil.
 Reserves increasing each year by 8 ~10 percent
 Reserves will last another 65 years at current levels of
use of 100 MMTPA.
 About 75% of the reserves are non-associated gas.
 85% of world gas production is consumed locally and the
remainder traded internationally, either by pipeline or as
LNG.
 ~33% of total world gas production is used for power
generation.
 Current long-range price forecast still shows a relatively
flat price of around $3 per MM Btu.
 Technology improvements could hold the average price
through 2020 to as low as $2.75.
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LNG Global Production Forecast
Country Size (MMTPA) Startup
Middle East Total 3.80 2010
Alaska Total 7.70 2010
Angola Total 4.30 2005-06
Australia Total 17.00 2004-2005
Bolivia Total 7.70 2006
Brunei Total 4.00 2008
Egypt Total 17.70 2005
Guinea Total 4.00 2008
Indonesia Total 8.00 2005-2006
Iran Total 26.00 Under study
Nigeria Total 21.20 2005-08
Norway Total 4.00 2006
Middle East Total 3.30 2004-2005
Peru Total 4.30 2005-06
Middle East Total 9.00 2004
Sakhalin Total 9.60 2006
Timor Total 5.80 2005-06
Trinidad Total 11.50 2006-07
Venzuela Total 6.30 2006
Yemen Total 6.20 2004-2005
Grand Total 181.40
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