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LNG Basics
LNG Basics
2011
What is LNG
• Natural gas predominantly methane CH4 that has been converted temporarily
to liquid form to ease of storage or transport.
• Liquefied natural gas takes up to 1/600th the volume of natural gas in the
gaseous state.
• It is odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive.
• Hazards include flammability, freezing and asphyxia (oksijen yetersizliğinden
boğulma).
• Liquefaction process involves removal of certain compnents, such as dust,
acid gases, helium, water and heavy hydrocarbons which would cause
difficulty in downstream.
• Condensed into aliquid at atmpspheric pressure (max. Transport pressure
set around 25kPa/3.6psi) by cooling it to aproximately -162 oC (-260 oF).
• It can be transported by sphereically designed cryogenic sea vessels (LNG
carriers) or cryogenic road tankers.
• Reduction in volume makes it much more cost efficient to transport over long
distances where pipelines dont exist.
• Energy density of LNG is %60 that of diesel fuel.
A Typical LNG Process
propane ethanol
Production of LNG
• Treated to remove water (H2O), hydrogensulfide,
carbondioxide (CO2) and other components that will freeze
under the low temperature such as benzene (C6H6).
Production
• LNG typically contains > 90% methane (CH4) and small LNG Plant Country
amount of ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), buthane (C4H10) (mmtpa)
and some heavier alkanes Terrain 4 Trinidad and Tobago 5.2
• Purification process can be designed to give about 100% SEGAS Egypt 5
methane
Qatargas II Qatar 7.8 X 2
• Rare risk for LNG is RPT (rapid phase transition) which
occurs when cold LNG comes into contact with water mmtpa: million ton per annum
• Important infrastructure is LNG plant consisting of one or
more terrains each of which is independent for gas
liquefaction
• Regassification terminals reheats the LNG and turns into
gas
• Regasification terminals are usually connected to storage
and pipeline distribution network to LDC (Local distribution
companies)or IPP (independent power plants)
South Korea
22.1
(2005)
Taiwan
6.8
(2004)
Qatar 28 -
Malaysia 22 -
Indonesia 20 -
Japan - 65
South Korea - 34
Spain - 24
LNG Liquefaction Terminals
• Most of the contracts are DES or ex ship holding the seller responsible for the transport of the gas
• Buyer may prefer to ensure reliable and stable supply however contracts with FOB term increased
• FOB= Freight on Board: which party pays for which shipment and loading costs
• Under such terms the buyers who often owns a vessel or sign a long term charter agreement with
independent carriers is responsible for the transport
• LNG purchasing agreement is a long term contract and flexible with both in price and volume
• If the annual quantity confirmed with the contract then the buyer is obliged to take and pay for it or even
pay when not take (TOP)
• Oil, oil products and other energy indexed contract are used in Continental Europe
• Formula:
CP=BP + X
Where BP: base price (constant part)
: gradient
X: indexation
Contractural Terms_cont
• Oil parity is the LNG price that would be equal to that of crude oil on a barrel of equivalent basis
• If LNG price > price of crude oil in boe terms then called “broken oil parity”
• In most cases LNG price < crude oil price in boe terms
• Coefficient of 0.1724 result in full oil parity
• S-Curve: where the price formula is different above and below a certain oil price to dampen the impact of the high
oil prices on the buyer and the low oil prices on the seller
• JCC: Japan Crude Cocktail : in most of the East Asian LNG contracts the price formula is indexed to a basket of
crude importer to Japan
• ICP: Indonesian Crude Price: In Indonesian LNG contracts the price formula is linked to
• In Europe the LNG price formula indexation does not fallow the same format. It varies from contract to contract.
Brent crude price B, heavy fuel oil price HFO, low fuel oil price LFO, gas oil price GO, coal price, electricity price
and in some cases consumers and producers price index are the indexation elements of the price formula
• Usually there exists a clause allowing the prices to trigger the price revision or price reopening in the LNGSPAs.
• In some contracts there are two options for triggering the price revision: regular and special. In regular there are set
dates that will be agreed and defined in LNGSPA for the purpose of price review.
• LNG id destinated to a pre agreed destination and diversion of LNG is not allowed
• If the seller and buyer make a mutual agreement then the diversion of the cargoes is possible but subject to the
sharing of the profits coming from such diversion
• In Europen Union Jurisdiction it is not allowed to apply the profit sharing clause in LNGPSAs for any diverted
cargoes in EU territories.
Quality of LNG
• The most important isseu in the LNG business is the quality of the LNG
• Any gas which does not conform agreed specifications in the SPA is regarded as “off
specification” or “off quality” gas or LNG
• Quality regulations is for:
• To ensure that the gas distributed ,s non corrosive and non toxic which means it is
below the upper limits of H2S, CO2 and Hg content
• To guard against the formation of liquids or hydrates in the networks through maximum
water and hydrocarbon dewpoints
• To allow interchangeability of the gases distributed; content of inert gas, calorific
values, Wobbe index, Soot index, Incomplete Combussion Factor, Yellow Tip index
• In case of off spec gas or LNG the buyer can refuse to accept the LNG or gasand seller has
to pay the liquidated damdges for the respective off spec gas volumes
• The quality of the gas or LNG is measured at delivery point by using an instrument such as
gas chromotograph
• The heating value of gas divides the market into three
• Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan) where gas distributed is rich with an GCV > 43MJ/m3
• UK and US where distributed gas is lean, with a GCV usually < 42 MJ/m3
• Contienental Europe ehre the acceptable GCV range is quiet wide~29 to 46MJ/m3
Quality of LNG_cont
• For th epurpose of increasing the heating value injection of propone and butane is a
slution
• For th epurpose of decreasing heating value ntrogen injection and extracting butane and
methane are proved solutions.
• Wobbe index: indicator of the interchangeability of fuel such as natural gas, liquified
petroleum gas and town gas and is frequently defined in the specifications of gas supply
and transport utilities
• Iw= Vc / Gs
• Where Iw= wobbe index
• Vc is higher heating value or calorific value
• Gs is the specific gravity
• Soot index is the a linear measurement that measures the extent to which the oil has
become contaminated by fuel sootan unwanted by product of combussion
• The dewpoint is a saturation temperature
• Heating value of a substance usulally fuel or food is the amount of heat released during
the combussion of a specified amount on it
Cost of LNG Plant
• Construction of a green field LNG projects increased from about 400$ / ton of capacity to
1000$ / ton of capacity
• Ongoing petroleum projects
• High raw material prices as a result fo surge in demand for raw materials
• Lack of skilled workforce for LNG
• De evaluation of US dollar
• 4 liquefaction process available
• C3MR (~APCI: air products and chemicals incorporation)
• Cascade: designed by Conocophilips
• Shell DMR
• Linde
• By the end of 2012 it is expected that there will be 100 liquefaction trains on stream with
a total capacity of 297.2 mmtpa
• Majority use either APCI or Cascade
• APCI technology used in 86 trains out of 100 on stream and under construction witha
total capacity of 243 mmtpa
• Cascade technology is used in 10 trains witha total capacity of 36.16 mmtpa,
• Shell DMR used in 3 trains witha total capacity of 13.9 mmtpa
• Linde- Statoil process is only in 1 trains with 4.2 mmtpa
LNG Storage and Transportation
• Storage tanks are fully containment type, prestressed concrete outer wall and
high nickel steel inner tank with extremely efficient insulation between walls
• Despite insulation there will be inevitably be some heat leakage into the LNG
resulting in vaporization of LNG
• The boil off gas typically compressed and exported as natural gas or is re
liquefied and returned to storage
• Industry practice is to store the LNG as a boiling cryogen which is the liquid
stored at its boiling point for the pressure at which it is stored
• LNG is transported is a
specially designed ships with • As the vapor boils off heat for the phase change cools the remaining liquid
double hulls protecting the
cargo system from damage • Insulation is very efficient so only a relatively small amount of boil off is
or leak necessary to maintain temperature. This is called auto-refrigeration
• LNG is transported usign • Boil off gas from land based LNG storage tanks is usually compressed and fed
both tanker , truck, railway, to natural gas pipeline networks
seagoing vessels and
• Some LNG cariers use boil off gas for fuel
pipelines
Gas Supply By Region
LNG Chain