Liquefaction and the Transport of Liquefied Natural Gas

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The capability to convert natural gas into a liquid, resulting in liquefied natural gas (LNG), facilitates the efficient transport of natural gas and allows for widespread distribution over a vast geographical area. Natural gas is converted to liquefied natural gas through the process of liquefaction, in which excess compounds are removed from the natural gas and it is converted to its liquid state, significantly reducing its volume. Here we examine the process of liquefaction in more detail as well as the stages through which natural gas must pass in achieving its ultimate purpose, providing an energy source to end users such as homes and businesses. <br><br>When natural gas is extracted from the earth, it is composed primarily of methane, but typically contains traces of other hydrocarbons as well as compounds and elements such as water, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and possibly sulfur compounds. The process of liquefaction involves subjecting natural gas to temperatures around -260 degrees Fahrenheit, making it necessary to first remove such substances that are susceptible to freezing. Once undesired substances are removed, the natural gas is cooled to about -260 degrees Fahrenheit under high pressure, conditions which turn the natural gas into its liquid state. The result is a liquid with a volume about 600 times less than the gaseous substance with which the process began.<br><br>Liquefaction allows natural gas to be efficiently transported from areas producing mass quantities of the resource to other locations across the globe with high demand for its use. In order for natural gas to make a successful voyage from the point of liquefaction to the end user, a number of players at important stages along the supply chain must work in harmony. After natural gas is converted to LNG, it will be loaded into specialized LNG transporting vessels, in which it will travel in massive storage tanks on the journey to its destination. Liquefied natural gas must be unloaded at one of the forty specially equipped LNG import terminals throughout the world. Specialized import terminals operate in locations with considerable demand for natural gas, such as the United States, South Korea, Japan and Europe. There, the LNG may be stored in specialized tanks until needed or converted back to its gaseous state for distribution to homes and businesses. All stages along the supply chain for LNG require specialized equipment and compliance with stringent safety and security standards.

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