All-electric LNG a viable alternative to conventional gas turbine driven LNG plant

All-electric LNG a viable alternative to conventional gas turbine driven LNG plant

The world demand for natural gas which is at an increasing trend has rekindled interest in the production and transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from resource rich areas in Africa, Middle East, Far East, Australia and Russia to customers in Europe, Americas, China and India. The challenges for the future are to produce and transport gas in a cost effective manner to be competitive in the market place.

Gas is beginning to play an increasingly important role in energy scenario of the world economy. The easiest ways of getting gas to the market is by pipe lines. However to reach markets far and wide across oceans, gas needs to be converted and transported in liquid form. Competitive pressure and search for economies of scale is driving up the size of LNG facilities and hence the capital requirement of each link of the value chain. Interdependent financing of the various links of the value chain, while maintaining their economic viability, is the challenge that sponsors need to address. The industry is potentially a high risk business due to uncertainty associated with the characteristics of the industry, which calls for high level of investment in an environment of volatility of the price and political and economic changes in the world market.

LNG production facilities are becoming larger and larger than ever before to take advantage of economies of scale. These massive plants not only have created new challenges in design, procurement and construction and environment but will create new challenges in operation and maintenance. Innovative technologies and first of a kind equipment applications with a rigorous technology development and a stringent testing plans ensure that the facility will achieve a long term reliable operation. Conventional LNG plants use Gas Turbine as main drivers for refrigerant compressors. To this effect All-Electric LNG has a potential to provide an alternative offer a life cycle advantage over the convention. Hence it would be worthwhile to study the pros and cons and prospects offered by this new technology from an overall life cycle perspective for future of LNG projects. This research is an endeavours in this direction.