Atlantic is one of the world’s largest producers of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with an established reputation as a safe and reliable operator.
About LNG
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Natural Gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and it is cooled to create a liquid enabling easier, safer storage and shipping.
What is LNG
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is simply natural gas that has been cooled to its liquid form as this is the most safe and economical way to store and transport it. It is comprised primarily of methane (80% – 99%) and contains small quantities of ethane, propane, and heavier hydrocarbons, as well as other minor substances.
When the temperature of natural gas is reduced to -161 degrees Celsius, at atmospheric pressure, the gas changes from a vapour to a liquid. Once the gas has been shrunk to a fraction of its original volume, it can be loaded onto tankers for transport.
When LNG reaches its destination, it us unloaded and stored as a liquid until being warmed back to natural gas. Natural gas is used to power homes, businesses and is increasingly being used as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and ships.
Natural gas has the lowest level of carbon dioxide emission per unit of energy. It is used for electricity generation, as an alternative automobile fuel, as feedstock for ammonia in fertilizers and is the primary source for hydrogen that is being used in fuel cell vehicle technologies.
LNG is odourless, non-toxic and non-corrosive. If spilled, LNG would not result in a slick. With the absence of a source of ignition, LNG evaporates quickly and disperses, leaving no residue. There is no environmental clean up needed for LNG spills on water or land.
How do We Make LNG?
Learn more about the LNG Process in the video below:
The LNG Value Chain
The natural gas value chain speaks to the series of interdependent activities which link the natural gas in the ground to the end consumer. These activities include:
- Exploration and production of natural gas
- Liquefaction of natural gas into LNG
- Transport of LNG from liquefaction facility to its destination
- Receiving and storage of the LNG at its destination
- Access to the end user, including regasification
Atlantic is only a liquefier of natural gas into LNG. We do not play any other role in the LNG value chain.
More about LNG
When the gas is required for use, the LNG undergoes a process called regasification, where it is warmed using a process involving heat exchangers. The warmed liquid returns to its original gaseous state.
As early as 1917, the liquefaction method was proven. In the 1920s, Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum, recognised the importance of natural gas as a source of valuable liquid by-products such as propane and butane. Based on experiments begun in 1937, the first large scale cryogenic liquefaction project began in 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio. The first ship transport of LNG began in 1954 on an experimental basis with shipments from Louisiana to Canvey Island (UK) where the first LNG import terminal was established by British Gas. Large scale trade began in 1964 when British Gas began transporting LNG by ship from Algeria.
Natural gas is brought to the surface from deep gas fields onshore or beneath the seas off Trinidad. It is transported by pipelines onto the shore and then overland for some 50 miles to the plant in Point Fortin, Trinidad. At the plant, the natural gas is processed to remove impurities, water, gas, liquids, and carbon dioxide. Atlantic uses the Phillips Optimised Cascade Process developed by Phillips Corporation, that was first used successfully at the Phillips plant in Kenai, Alaska.
Our facility has four (4) tanks, each about 45 metres tall, which are designed to withstand earth movements and high winds. Each tank has two walls: an outer wall of reinforced concrete lined with carbon steel and an inner wall of nickel steel. Between both walls is a layer of insulation. From these tanks, LNG is loaded onto tankers.