Cryogenic Nitrogen Cooling for Liquefaction of Natural Gas
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
The LNG Alternative
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane C2H6) that has been cooled to the condensation temperature (-161.5º C/-258.7° F) using cryogenic liquid nitrogen and/or other refrigeration methods. The volume of natural gas is contracted by 600 times, enabling economic storage and transportation.
Liquified Natural Gas Shipments
LNG can be shipped via sea in large quantities or by road in cryogenic trailers; similar to the trailers used for industrial gases such as liquid nitrogen and oxygen. Due to the dense state of the LNG, one cryogenic LNG trailer can carry as much as three times the amount of natural gas as a high pressure Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tube trailer.
Linde has introduced technologies for small-scale LNG production plants which will enable economic distribution of Micro LNG production.
On-site LNG-H Production and Mobile Unit LNG-M Production
Reducing Fossil Emissions
The increased availability of low-cost natural gas has led to rapid growth of LNG as an economic and sustainable fuel. LNG, which burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, is now used to replace oil products in a variety of industries like maritime vessels and land-based transportation allowing for the reduction of oil-based emissions of carbon, SOx, NOx, and particulate matter.
What Are Some Liquified Natural Gas Uses?
LNG is used for applications such as transportation fuel for heavy-duty vehicles, ships, and rail. It is also used as a heating and power generation fuel for remote industrial, agricultural and mining operations which have been traditionally fueled by diesel or fuel oil due to lack of access to natural gas pipelines. Additionally, LNG fuel storage continues to grow in importance as a means for ensuring natural gas grid supply reliability during periods of peak demand. It is also the first line of defense for avoiding power plant shutdowns due to natural gas supply interruptions.
LNG production and LNG exports can also be used to create "virtual pipelines" for the distribution of natural gas resources to remote communities. Additional economic models point to the positive financial gains associated with the use of smaller-scale LNG production at remote, stranded gas and bio-gas sites.