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| Natural Gas Transportation Concept Study |
SeaTec has helped develop an alternative natural gas transportation system, utilising a patented liquefied gas storage technology that does not require the low temperatures of LNG, nor high pressures of CNG, and more importantly without the costly shore based assets required for liquefaction and regas of LNG. Production or associated gas can be loaded via offshore buoys directly onto tankers, on which is located gas conditioning and processing equipment. The conditioned gas is unloaded to offshore buoys and then into a land based gas grid. The liquefied gas storage technology is suitable for either a purpose designed new-built vessel or conversion of existing tonnage, particularly single hull tankers facing phase out. The production or conditioned gas is transported in ocean going gas tankers in a liquefied form, being conditioned aboard the vessel with the natural gas components (methane, ethane, butane, and propane) stored in liquefied form. The resulting stored cargo volume is equivalent to approximately two-thirds of the volumetric ratio of LNG. The liquefied gas is transported at modest pressure and refrigerated temperature in a pipeline system mounted within the cargo area of the tanker. Several outline tanker designs have been developed, ranging from Aframax to ULCC sized crude oil tanker conversions, and a large optimised new-building design intended for 4 to 6 BCF gas volumes. The liquefied gas storage technology has U.S. and international patents pending, and has received "Approval in Principle" from Lloyd's Register.
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