Comprehensive system for the storage and transportation of natural gas in a light hydrocarbon liquid medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current natural gas production and transmission systems, such as LNG and CNG, are inefficient for remote or stranded gas reserves, requiring high capital investment and energy consumption, and fail to provide economic development opportunities for smaller reserves due to design limitations and energy-intensive processes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of modularized storage and process equipment on floating service vessels and platforms that utilize compressed gas liquid (CGL) technology, allowing for scalable configuration and efficient processing, conditioning, and transportation of natural gas as a pipeline-quality product, reducing energy consumption and improving cargo-to-containment mass ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If LNG systems are used for natural gas transportation, then gas can be transported over long distances, but capital investment and energy consumption become prohibitively high for smaller or remote reserves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of natural gas storage by transitioning from cryogenic temperatures (LNG) to ambient or moderate temperatures, and from high-pressure compression (CNG) to dissolution in a liquid carrier medium. This parameter change enables simplified containment requirements and reduced capital investment while maintaining transportation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a liquid carrier medium as an intermediary substance that dissolves natural gas for transportation. This intermediary enables gas to be transported in liquid form at ambient conditions, avoiding the need for complex cryogenic or high-pressure systems while maintaining high density and transportation efficiency.
2Quantity of substance
If CNG systems are used for natural gas storage, then gas density increases, but containment system complexity and capital costs increase due to high pressure requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid carrier medium acts as an intermediary that enables high-density gas storage without requiring high-pressure containment. The natural gas dissolves in the liquid carrier, allowing dense storage at ambient or moderate pressures, thereby simplifying containment system requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the storage mechanism from pressure-based (CNG) to concentration-based dissolution in liquid carrier. This parameter change allows achieving high gas density without the need for thick-walled pressure vessels, reducing containment complexity and capital costs.
3Productivity
If traditional LNG or CNG systems are used, then natural gas can be transported, but energy consumption increases and small or remote reserves cannot be economically developed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters from cryogenic temperatures (LNG) or high pressures (CNG) to ambient or moderate conditions. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive refrigeration or compression, significantly reducing energy consumption and making remote or small reserves economically viable.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid carrier medium enables direct loading of natural gas without energy-intensive phase change processes. The gas dissolves in the carrier liquid, eliminating the need for costly and energy-consuming liquefaction or compression infrastructure, thereby improving economic viability of remote developments.
4Quantity of substance
If LNG production plants are built for commercial scale operations, then natural gas can be liquefied and transported, but high upfront capital is required and land based environmental and safety issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the liquefaction requirement by using dissolution in liquid carrier at ambient or moderate temperatures instead of cryogenic liquefaction. This eliminates large-scale refrigeration plants, reducing land use, environmental impact, and safety concerns associated with traditional LNG facilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid carrier medium serves as an intermediary that enables natural gas transportation without requiring large land-based LNG production plants. The dissolution process occurs in compact, modular units with minimal environmental and safety concerns compared to traditional cryogenic liquefaction facilities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid economic development of remote reserves by providing a full value chain for raw production gas processing, conditioning, and transportation, achieving lower energy consumption and better cargo-to-containment mass ratios compared to LNG and CNG systems, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
storage of natural gas in a light hydrocarbon liquid medium
Data Source
AI summary
This invention provides a means of loading, processing and conditioning raw production gas, production of CGL, storage, transport, and delivery of pipeline quality natural gas or fractionated products to market. The CGL transport vessel utilizes a pipe based containment system to hold more densely packed constituents of natural gas held within a light hydrocarbon solvent than it is possible to attain for natural gas alone under such conditions. The containment system is supported by process systems for loading and transporting the natural gas as a liquid and unloading the CGL from the containment system and then offloading it in the gaseous state. The system can also be utilized for the selective storage and transport of NGLs to provide a total service package for the movement of natural gas and associated gas production. The mode of storage is suited for both marine and land transportation and configured in modular form to suit a particular application and/or scale of operation.