1. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas(predominantly methane, CH4) that has been converted to liquid form for ease of storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume of natural gas in the gaseous state. It is odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a Transportation FuelWhat is LNG?

Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas in a liquid form that is clear, colorless, odorless, non-corrosive, and non-toxic.

LNG is produced when natural gas is cooled to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit through a process known as liquefaction. During this process, the natural gas, which is primarily methane, is cooled below its boiling point, whereby certain concentrations of hydrocarbons, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and some sulfur compounds are either reduced or removed. LNG is also less than half the weight of water, so it will float if spilled on water.

Where does LNG come from?

A majority of the world's supply comes from countries with the largest natural gas reserves: Algeria, Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Trinidad, and Tabago.

How is LNG transported?

LNG is transported in double-hulled ships specifically designed to handle the low temperature of LNG. These carriers are insulated to limit the amount of LNG that evaporates.

LNG carriers are up to 1,000 feet long and require a minimum water depth of 40 feet when fully loaded. In 2004, there were approximately 140 LNG ships operating worldwide.

Where are LNG import terminals in the United States?

LNG terminals in the United States are located in Everett, Massachusetts; Cove Point, Maryland; Elba Island, Georgia; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Puenelas, Puerto Rico. There are also plans to construct LNG terminals along the West Coast of the United States.

Photo Kevin Chandler, NREL 07852

How is LNG stored?

When LNG is received at most terminals, it is transferred to insulated storage tanks specifically built to hold LNG. These tanks can be found above or below ground and keep the liquid at low temperature to avoid evaporation.

Is it flammable?

When cold LNG comes in contact with warmer air, it creates a visible vapor cloud from condensed moisture in the air. As it continues to get warmer, the vapor cloud becomes lighter than air and rises. When the vapor mixes with air, it is only flammable when the mixture is between 5-15 percent natural gas. When the mixture is less than 5 percent natural gas it doesn't burn. When the mixture is more than 15 percent natural gas in air, there is not enough oxygen for it to burn.

Is it explosive?

As a liquid, LNG is not explosive. LNG vapor will only explode in an enclosed space within the flammable range of 5-15 percent.

Benefits of LNG in transportation applications:

LNG is produced both worldwide and domestically at a relatively low cost and is cleaner burning than diesel fuel. Since LNG has a higher storage density, it is a more viable alternative to diesel fuel than compressed natural gas for heavy-duty vehicle applications.

In addition, LNG in heavy-duty natural gas engines achieves significantly lower NOx and particulate emission levels than diesel.

Where is LNG fuel available in California?

California's LNG fuel infrastructure is expanding rapidly. By the end of 2005, there will be more than 40 locations strategically located near major highways and thoroughfares throughout the state.

To further enhance the supply and distribution, there are plans to construct one or more fueling terminals in Southern California and/or Mexico.

Fuel station cost:

An average LNG fueling station costs about $1 million. These locations store and dispense fuel to vehicles.

California Energy Commission-funded projects:

Through 2005, Energy Commission programs have provided more than $3.5 million in grant cost-share funding for 15 infrastructure projects. The total cost of these projects is more than $20 million.

What vehicle/niche markets use LNG?

Because of LNG's increased driving range, it is used in heavy-duty vehicles, typically vehicles that are classified as "Class 8" (33,000 - 80,000 pounds, gross vehicle weight).

Typical transportation applications are refuse haulers, local delivery (grocery trucks), and transit buses.

What's the difference between gasoline, kerosene, diesel, etc?

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Diesel Engine Image Gallery

Diesel Engine Image GalleryNEXT UP

How Gasoline Works

Oil Shale Quiz

The "crude oil" pumped out of the ground is a black liquid calledpetroleum. This liquid containsaliphatic

hydrocarbons, or hydrocarbons composed of nothing but hydrogen and carbon. The carbon atoms link

together in chains of different lengths.

It turns out that hydrocarbon molecules of different lengths have different properties and behaviors. For

example, a chain with just one carbon atom in it (CH4) is the lightest chain, known as methane. Methane

is a gas so light that it floats like helium. As the chains get longer, they get heavier.

The first four chains -- CH4(methane), C2H6 (ethane), C3H8 (propane) and C4H10 (butane) -- are all gases,

and they boil at -161, -88, -46 and -1 degrees F, respectively (-107, -67, -43 and -18 degrees C). The

chains up through C18H32 or so are all liquids at room temperature, and the chains above C19 are all solids

at room temperature.

So what's the real chemical difference between gasoline, kerosene and diesel? It has to do with their

boiling points. We'll get into that on the next page.

Naphtha (/ ̍ n æ f θ ə /  or / ̍ n æ p θ ə / ) is an extremely general term that has been in use for over two

thousand years to refer to flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures. Mixtures labelled naphtha have

been produced from natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal

tar and peat. It is used differently in different industries and regions to refer to gross products

like crude oil or refined products such as kerosene. (See Etymology)

Contents

  [hide] 

1   Etymology 2   Types 3   Health and safety considerations 4   See also 5   References

Etymology[edit]

The word naphtha came from Latin and Greek where it derived from Persian.[1] In Ancient Greek, it

was used to refer to any sort of petroleum or pitch. The term entered Semitic languages as well in

antiquity: It appears in Arabic as طFْفH ܐ nafṭ ("petroleum"), in Syriac as َن ܦܳܬ� naftā, and in Hebrew as ܰܢ�

ט Iְפ Kֵנ neft.

A 2nd century BCE Koine Greek religious text[2] uses the word "naphtha" to refer to a miraculously

flammable liquid. The subjects called the liquid "nephthar", meaning "purification", but note that

"most people" call it naphtha (or Nephi).[3]

Naphtha is the root of the word naphthalene. The second syllable of "naphtha" can also be

recognised in phthalate.

It also enters the word napalm from "naphthenic acid and palmitic acid", as the first napalm was

made from a mixture of naphthenic acid with aluminium and magnesium salts ofpalmitic acid.

In older usage, "naphtha" simply meant crude oil, but this usage is now obsolete in English.

The Ukrainian and Belarusian word нафта (lit. nafta), Lithuanian, Latvian andEstonian "nafta", the

Russian word нефть (lit. neft') and the Persian naft ( َنْفت) mean "crude oil". Also,

in Italy, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Albanianafta (нафта in Cyrillic)

is colloquially used to indicate diesel fuel and crude oil. In the Czech

Republic and Slovakia, nafta was historically used for both diesel fuel and crude oil, but its use for

crude oil is now obsolete[4] and it generally indicates diesel fuel. In Bulgarian, nafta means diesel fuel,

while neft, as well as "petrol" (петрол in Cyrillic), means crude oil. "Nafta" is also used in Argentina,

Paraguay and Uruguay to refer to gasoline. In Poland, the word "nafta" means kerosene.

There is a conjecture that the Greek word naphtha came from the Indo-Iranian god name Apam

Napat, which occurs in Vedic and in Avestic;[5] the name means "grandson of (the) waters", and

the Vedas describe him as fire emerging from water.