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One LNG tanker can transport enough LNG to equal 600 tankers carrying natural gas at atmospheric pressure and temperature.
Property of LNG
Extremely low temperature - minus 260°F (minus 162°C).
LNG will float on water - weight is about 29 pounds per cubic foot - slightly less than half that of water.
Odorless and colorless - LNG looks like boiling water. When exposed to atmospheric temperatures and pressure, it vaporizes to about 600 times its liquid volume.
LNG is nontoxic.
Vapor Dissipation - As the vapor warms to minus 160°F (minus 107°C), it becomes lighter than air and will dissipate.
LNG is maintained in a liquid state by highly efficient insulation which surrounds the cargo compartment.
Properties and Characteristics of LNG
What is LNG?
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is simply natural gas which has been reduced to a liquid state by cooling it to minus 260°F (minus 162°C). The transformation to a liquid is accompanied by a volume reduction of approximately 600 to one.
Thus, one LNG tanker can transport enough LNG to equal 600 tankers carrying natural gas at atmospheric pressure and temperature.
Once loaded aboard specially designed tankers, LNG is maintained in a liquid state by highly efficient insulation which surrounds the cargo compartment. However, since no insulation system is perfect, a small amount of LNG vaporizes or "boils off" during transit. This boil-off helps to auto-refrigerate the remaining LNG, thus keeping it in its liquid state. Boil-off is also used to supplement bunker oil as fuel for the tankers.
Upon arrival at the receiving facility, LNG is transferred into specially designed storage tanks where it is stored as a liquid at near atmospheric pressure and minus 260°F (minus 162°C) temperature. The LNG remains in storage until it is demanded for redelivery. At that time it is pumped from the tanks and subjected to both heat and pressure to return it to a gaseous state for transportation by pipeline.
The small amount of boil-off that occurs during storage is used as fuel or combined with the facility's daily sendout.
LNG Conversion Factors
Panhandle Energy
5051 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77056-5306
Phone: 800-275-7375
www.PanhandleEnergy.com
LNG Services · Lake Charles Terminal · LNG Expansion
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