What is LNG?
LNG is an acronym for liquefied natural gas, which is produced by the transformation of organic materials such as plankton and algae over millions of years. Natural gas is 95% methane and is actually the cleanest fossil fuel. The combustion of natural gas releases mainly water vapor and a small amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). This characteristic means that the associated CO 2 emissions are 30% to 50% lower than those produced by other combustible fuels.
Liquefaction as an economical transportation and storage method
Natural gas mainly comes from oil fields in countries such as Algeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Nigeria and the United States. The distance between these countries and their markets means that it is not always possible to transport produced gas via gas pipelines; in this case, the easiest and most economical option is to transport it by sea in LNG tankers.
For maritime transport, natural gas is cooled by a refrigeration cycle (compression, condensation, expansion, evaporation) that converts the gas into a liquid at -160°C: this is called liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG is mainly composed of methane (85% to 99%), odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive.
Once liquefied, large quantities of LNG can be stored and transported in LNG tankers. Cargo is transported in insulated tanks specially designed to keep natural gas in a liquid state at -160°C.
