Advances in liquefied natural gas processes

Over the past 30 years, a considerable world trade in LNG has developed. Today, LNG represents a significant component of the energy consumption of many countries and has been profitable to both the exporting host countries and their energy company partners. The attention of LNG producers have now been directed towards improved production. All latest plants have been sized around this number. Some of them have been designed by optimizing existing layout, other brand new and few required the optimization of centrifugal compressors and so the introduction of some novelty to maximize production given a certain driver. Improvements in the aerodynamic design have been necessary to maximize efficiency and increase operating range; advanced rotordynamic design to handle more capacity, new casings to increase design pressure and reduce the number are some of the innovations introduced to advance LNG operations. Novelties have not been limited to main refrigerant compressor but also to auxiliaries such as Boil Off Gas (BOG), CO2, End Flash. Eventually also new drivers have been qualified for LNG plant operations and other are under study for its high efficiency and possible future application. Extensive application of modular construction techniques will reduce the time and cost of construction in remote areas of the world. This article aims to explain, in layman terms, LNG basic knowledge, exploration, production and advancement. Throughout the article, references have been drawn from a wide range of resources and author’s personal industry experience. It is intended to use the article as a vehicle to share oil & gas industry knowledge with a wide range of audience.