LNG Cold Energy

Utilization

Introduction
LNG as urban household fuel and industrial chemicals associated with the
gasification process, which contains the cold energy has not been fully
utilized.
Under the high energy prices and demand, the premise of cold energy
economics of recycling projects can not be ignored. To fully grasp this
opportunity, we need to learn the experiences and lessons from abroad, to
realize own values, innovate the intellectual property rights of a selfoptimize by using LNG cold energy technologies and integrated LNG
receiving terminal in a reasonable arrangements for LNG cold energy
recovery facilities
The use of cold energy of LNG has the vital significance to save energy,
lower energy consumption and reduce pollutants discharge. Cold energy of
LNG not only has feature of the high density but also of extensiveness of
temperature distribution

Applications and Products

Usage

Features

Deep frozen LowFood preservation and so Effective use of floor

temperatur on
space, less failure, and
e
cold
easy maintenance
storage
Air
separation
Liquid CO2

Cryogenic
grinding

liquid
nitrogen

Centralized
system ,etc.

liquid
oxygen

cooling Reduce the production

cost of raw materials,
energy consumption were
reduced.
Substantial
Welding and so on
economic benefits

liquid argon

Ozone and so on

Rubber
Powder

Industrial production and Cost

savings,
good
so on
economic
returns,
products
easy
transportation

Cold energy Power

power
Generation
generation

As power and lighting and Considerable

so on
benefit, the
small

Desalinatio
n

Industrial and civilian

Desalinated
water

Table 1. World LNG cold energy application fields and characteristic. (Shier D. et al, 2011)

economic
failure of

LNG cryogenic energy cascade

process
The fully optimized LNG cryogenic energy cascade process effectively
utilizes LNG's quantitatively limited cryogenic energy by exchanging its
cold energy serially and sequentially with multiple fluids in different
temperature stages ranging from low to ordinary temperatures, thereby
minimizing the consumption of LNG.
This system is designed to provide LNG cryogenic energy for :(1) Separation of light hydrocarbons produced as a byproduct in the
oil refining process (-100 degC level),
(2) Liquefaction of carbon dioxide produced as a byproduct in the
manufacture of hydrogen (-55 degC level),
(3) Low-temperature storage of normal-temperature butane (-8C level),
(4) Chilling of water used to cool the intake air for gas turbines
(10C level).

LNG Cold energy utilization

techniques
LNG Cold energy
utilization (noncascade process)
LNG Cold energy
utilization by cascade
process

Figure 1. Flow of LNG without cascade process. (Ikeda k. et al, 2008)

Figure 2. Flow of LNG without cascade process. (Ikeda k. et al, 2008)

Carbon dioxide liquefying process flow

Figure 8. Technological issues for

developing the carbon dioxide
liquefaction process

Figure 3. Technological issues for developing the carbon dioxide liquefaction process. (Ikeda k. et al, 2008)

Butane cooling process

Figure 4. Technological issues for developing the Butane cooling process. (Ikeda k. et al, 2008)

Air Liquefaction
Separation Plant

LNG cryogenic power

generation

Figure 6. Technological issues for developing the Rankine cycle type power plant. (Ikeda k. et al, 2008)

Summary
Worldwide demand for LNG is expected to continue to increase significantly
in future because of growing environmental concerns. Therefore, promoting
the effective utilization of LNG cryogenic energy is an important issue in
terms of energy conservation and environmental protection.
By applying LNG cryogenic energy sequentially in a "cascading" fashion
using four different temperature ranges, large energy savings can be
achieved as compared with earlier processes, and the amount of LNG
required can be reduced as well.
Further, the application of these processes among neighbouring plants within
an industrial complex can reduce the amounts of fuel consumed by those
companies by about 1,000 kL per year. At the same time, carbon dioxide
emissions can be reduced by approximately 50,000 t-CO 2 annually.

References

Shier D., Jinfeng W., Hong Y., Research on Current Status and Prospects of LNG Cryogenic
Energy Utilization, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 2010.
Zafri M., Cold Energy Utilization from LNG Regasification, Universiti Teknologi
PETRONAS, 2013
Ikeda K., Hamatani E., Sakamoto Y., Takubo M., Ogawa E., Emi H., and Kusagawa M., Fully
optimized cascaded lng cryogenic energy utilization system", Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. Japan,
2008