LNG Compressor

Share  | 

LNG stands for liquefied natural gas. It is compressed until it is so cold that it turns into a liquid. When one drop of the liquid makes contact with water, it will expand instantly to be a gas, getting 600 times bigger in the process.

To store the gas a 'gasometer' or a compressor and some gas bottles are required. The compressed form of the gas is not so compact but is marginally useable for local vehicular travel. To liquefy methane requires a considerable energy expenditure of about 20% to 33% of production, depending on operational scale, and needs expensive cryogenic equipment.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is cooled to a temperature of about -260°F at atmospheric pressure where is condenses to a liquid. LNG weighs less than one-half that of water and is odorless, colorless, non-corrosive, and non-toxic. When vaporized, it burns only in concentrations of 5 to 15 percent when mixed with air.
 

A gasometer is simply a variable-volume storage tank for gas, normally at a fairly low pressure suitable for the appliances that use it. A gasometer combines the functions of storage, over-pressure safety valve and pressure regulation in one structure - an ideal permaculture device. This is achieved by having one gas-tight tank float upside-down in another tank of water with the gas being stored beneath the floating tank. As more gas is produced, it is stored in the gasometer and the floating tank rises to accommodate the increased volume. A constant pressure is mainted throughout by the consumption of gas which enables the floating tanks to float lower.