A Game-changer in Energy Efficient LNG Production

Producing LNG is an energy intensive task. Cooling anything down to -260°F takes a lot of power.

ExxonMobil wants to make the process as efficient as possible. Here’s how they did just that, from an article on ExxonMobil’s Energy Factor website.

It takes a lot of investment and energy to build and operate LNG plants. This reality has prompted ExxonMobil to work with some of the world’s best turbine manufacturers, including GE, Mitsubishi and Siemens, to develop gas turbines better suited to producing LNG with industry-leading low emissions.

The results are “LNG-ready” turbines that require less investment, are more energy-efficient and are more environmentally friendly. Those cost and environmental savings, collectively, mean that ExxonMobil can focus more time and effort on new investments and opportunities to optimize efficiency, despite the current low-gas-price environment.

The emissions from plants that use the new technology are being targeted at producing less than 10 parts per million (ppm) of NO_x. At single-digit ppms, these turbines are ahead of standards often set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Furthermore, plants that incorporate the new turbines can be smaller, cleaner and more cost-effective than those that exist today.

Ultimately, the natural gas that powers so much of our lives will be transported and stored more sustainably. And the big refrigerators won’t need to be quite as big as before.