LNG

TGE Marine Gas Engineering

2023 | Bonn, Germany
Fuel Gas System – New technology

• Difference in fluid due to high pressure

• Difference in operation compared to cargo system – during
voyage
• Dynamic behaviour
• Equipment selection
• Operating principles

2 | LNG | 2023
Fluid – Characteristics of LNG

• LNG safety is a major new aspect of fuel gas systems

• Familiarization of operators and service engineers with
the specific aspects of LNG and NG (natural gas) are pre-
condition for safe operation
• This training can not replace a proper safety instruction
on LNG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDO0711IIWU

3 | LNG | 2023
Fluid – Composition of LNG

Fuel Gas
The LNG fuel gas system is designed for the handling of LNG of the following composition:

Component/Property IGF Guideline value

Methane 94.0 % vol.

Ethane 4.7 % vol.

Propane 0.8 % vol.

Butane 0.2 % vol.

Pentane 0 % vol.

Hexane 0 % vol.

Nitrogen 0.3 % vol.

Gas density 0.73 kg/Nm³

Liquid density 450 kg/m³

LCV 49.5 MJ/kg

Methane number 83

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Fuel Gas Composition as per the Contract‘s specification

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Methane-Characteristics

SUPERCRITICAL
FLUID

CRITICAL
POINT

LIQUID VAPOUR
TWO
PHASE

6 | LNG | 2023
LNG Characteristics

LNG properties (Methane, for LNG actual data changes as function of composition)

CH4 LNG @ NG @ 1 bara NG @ 300 bar

1 bara
Density kg/m³ 423 0,66 200,6
Temperature °C -161 20 45
Heating value MJ/kg 50
Autoignition °C 594
temperature

The volume factor between LNG and NG is more than 600. This is the
reason to store natural gas as a liquid (LNG)

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Nitrogen data sheet

8 | LNG | 2023
FLUID: HP GAS - CHARACTERISTICS

• Supercritical Gas – no phase change at temperature changes

• Cold HP gas has similar effect as LNG when released

• High pressure creating jets

• Jet fires when ignited

• High noise when reduced to lower pressure

• Potential of erosion due to high pressure gradient when released to low pressure.

9 | LNG | 2023
FLUID: EXPANSION OF HP GAS

Expansion of cold and warm supercritical LNG / Methane

Cold LNG (1):

300,8 barg / -145,2°C
5 barg / -135,1°C
Warm LNG (2):
300,8 barg / +55°C
5 barg / -36°C

(1)Expanding cold liquid

will form two phase
mixture
(2)Expanding HP gas will
not form liquid

10 | LNG | 2023
FLUID: DENSITY OF HP GAS – NEED FOR A PULSATION
DAMPER
At low temperature, density is not
changing with pressure (2 %)

At high temperature, density is

changing significantly with
temperature (40 %)

This is why a pulsation damper is

working

11 | LNG | 2023
LNG / NG Hazards

• Flammability (only the gas will burn, on liquid LNG only the vapor above
the liquid is burning, the heat of the flame then vaporizes more liquid)

• Cryogenic (cold vapor has little heat capacity, cold damage (like brittle
fracture of steel or cold burn) will mainly result from LNG liquid.

• Asphyxia, NG will displace air / oxygen. This may lead to asphyxiation in

large clouds of LNG

• LNG is not toxic, it has no natural smell (it is odorised for domestic use)
the LNG you carry is NOT odorized.

• NEVER enter an LNG storage tank or confined space where gas is known to
be present - alone.
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LNG / NG Hazards
Cryogenic impact

• Material: brittle fracture of carbon steel (worse case ZIP fracture)

• Personal: Blistering effect on skin similar to a burn

• Pressure: LNG will vaporize quickly and generate a huge vapor volume
(Rapid Phase Transition (extremely quick vaporisation during intensive
mixing with e.g. water) may result in explosion-like vaporisation

• Generally all cold parts will be thermally insulated or covered by frost.

During cooling down there is a risk of getting stuck to cold steel

• Cold surface will freeze-up from air moisture. If arranged incorrectly,

continuously used equipment may ice-up completely

• Thermal insulation is built with vapor barriers. If these are damaged / not
installed correctly ice will build up inside the insulation and damage it
(density of ice is lower than of water)
13 | LNG | 2023
LNG / NG Hazards
Cryogenic liquid

• Density of LNG is a function of temperature

• LNG will heat-up in stagnant lines and expand dramatically

• Never block-in LNG! Carefully observe procedures for draining and purging
lines and equipment before opening

• If equipment is still cold when opened, moisture will freeze on steel

structures when air is admitted
• Blocked lines from Hydrates or ice may result

• Equipment will be damaged

• Warm-up and purge equipment with inert gas suitably before opening

• If humidity has entered, dry equipment with Nitrogen prior to cooling down

14 | LNG | 2023
 LNG / NG Hazards
• A cold cloud of LNG will sink down

• After warming to approx. -100 °C

it will start to rise

• This always happens by mixing

with air and ambient heat

• A cloud of LNG may sink down

before it is rising

• A cold cloud is visible (fog from air

moisture)

• No fog doesn’t indicate that there

is no gas

• Fog is also generated by cold

(tight) lines; Not every plume of fog
is a leak
15 | LNG | 2023
LNG / NG Hazards
• Fire and Explosion can only
happen in the red area

• Each release of gas into air

will pass this area at a
certain distance to the source
of leakage

Need all three for a fire to start.

16 | LNG | 2023
Natural Gas

Video

Below 5%: to lean to burn Above 15 % to rich to burn

17 | LNG | 2023
SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT – ENGINEERING APPROACH
- GENERAL
• A risk is a potential event that has a
negative impact.

• Risk assessments measure the

potential loss and the probability that
the loss will occur.

Risk = Probability x Loss

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SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT – ENGINEERING APPROACH
- STANDARDS

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SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT - GENERAL

Levels of protection

• Avoid leakages of gas (minimize the number of flanges)

Control of leakages

− ESD
− spill containment,
− ventilation and access to spaces
− Detection systems (fire, spill and gas detectors)

• Avoid ignition
area numbering by the Classification 0,1, 2
N2 Nitrogen purging and inerting procedures
Safe disposal of reliefs

• Minimize consequences (spray water system, fire fighting)

20 | LNG | 2023
 SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT - GENERAL
Tackling Gas Hazards
• Hazardous area classification
• No ignition sources in Hazardous areas (including mobile phones, electrical tools, cameras, mp3 players, etc.)

• Ventilation
• Small gas leaks are diluted and safely disposed by extracting ventilation

• Hazardous spaces are maintained at lower pressure than safe spaces to avoid spreading of gas into safe spaces

• Air locks and spaces are protected by low pressure switches

• Separation of systems
• All auxiliary systems like heating water, instrument air, nitrogen are protected against ingress of gas. Check and
maintain function while working on them
Operation
• Do not trap liquid

• Maintenance: keep all openings of system closed (blind flanges etc.)

• Follow purging and inerting procedures (Attention, N2 is also an asphyxiant!)

• Keep gas detection systems operable and use portable detectors (Gas & Oxygen) if opening equipment

21 | LNG | 2023
SYSTEM INTEGRITY – HP GAS HAZARDS / MITIGATIONS

HP gas hazards
• High pressure gas leaks / jets
• Inventory of high pressure supply
lines
• Low temperatures of expanding high
pressure gases
• Risk of jet fires from ignited gas
leaks

Mitigation
• Welded connections or use of RTJ
flanges
• Flange guards
• Reduction of exposure by
automation and
access restrictions
• Shielding

22 | LNG | 2023
Thank You

info@tge-marine.com