Liquified Natural Gas Termininal Design

Low density and compression difficulty make direct piping of natural gas over long distances inefficient and costly. The liquid form of natural gas is favored by international importers due to its energy density and ease of transport. However, liquid natural gas must be vaporized before it can be used as an energy source. The essence of this design is to create a terminal capable of vaporizing 1.05 billion cubic feet of liquid natural gas per day for continuous pipeline transmission. The liquid gas is offloaded from tankers to storage tanks that maintain cryogenic conditions of -259 degrees Fahrenheit. Some liquid gas in these tanks vaporizes spontaneously, and a portion of this excess gas is routed back to the tankers, while the rest of it is recondensed for vaporization. Liquid natural gas from the storage tanks is compressed to 1,350 pounds per square inch absolute before vaporization to prepare for requisite piping conditions of 1,250 pounds per square inch and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat for vaporization is supplied from the ambient environment, using either seawater or air (both options are explored in this design). In winter months, ambient conditions provide insufficient heat, so a portion of natural gas is burned to make up for this difference.