Micro-Scale LNG Liquefaction

Siemens’ Dresser-Rand business said it recently commissioned an LNGo-HP (high-pressure) micro-scale natural gas liquefaction system for Altagas Ltd. in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. The modular, expandable LNGo technology is designed to enable efficient installation in demanding environments, Siemens said, and the Dawson Creek facility gas a capacity of approximately 30,000 gal. of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Siemens said the scalability of the LNGo system enables Altagas, to scale production in line with demand and minimize capital expenditures. The LNGo-HP system allows consumers to convert from diesel and other fuels to natural gas, which can result in a reduced carbon footprint, lower operational cost, and market price stability, the company said.

Siemens’ scope of supply included one LNGo-HP system, site civil works, building construction, mechanical and electrical integration, commissioning, startup, and operator training. The LNGo system consists of modules which include two Siemens gas engines, two Dresser-Rand MOS reciprocating compressors, three Siemens MV motors, Siemens variable frequency drives, and associated auxiliaries. The plant, with a footprint of approximately 2,500 m2, was deployed directly at the site.

“This project demonstrates our unique capability to deliver a complete solution,” said Michael Walhof, sales director for Distributed LNG Solutions for the Dresser-Rand business. “We take pipeline natural gas and separate it into a feed gas stream and a waste gas stream. The waste gas is used to fuel the Siemens gas engine generator sets which power the LNGo-HP equipment. The feed gas is liquefied in the process to produce LNG.”

The LNGo technology makes it possible to monetize stranded gas deposits due to its relatively low capital and operating costs, Siemens said. The micro-scale LNGo solution can be deployed in rough terrain or remote regions, which can eliminate the need to establish a gas pipeline infrastructure or arrange for long-distance trucking of LNG from centralized plants to point of use. It can also function as a decentralized solution where the requisite pipeline infrastructure is lacking, or as an onsite solution to reduce or eliminate flaring of petroleum gas at, for example, oil rigs or producing gas fields, Siemens said.

The Dawson Creek facility commenced production on Jan. 25. In 2016 the Dresser-Rand business commissioned its first LNGo-LP (low-pressure) micro-scale natural gas liquefaction system at the Ten Man LNG facility in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. There, the LNGo technology has enabled the operator, Frontier Natural Resources, to monetize stranded gas assets at Tenaska Resources LLC’s Mainesburg field, located in the Marcellus shale natural gas field.