Zero Refrigerant LNG (ZR-LNG

TM
)
1 Summary
GASCONSULT LIMITED (GCL) have
developed and patented a robust and
simple Natural Gas liquefaction process,
Zero Refrigerant LNG (ZR-LNG
TM
).

ZR-LNG
TM
has an energy efficiency of circa
300kWh/tonne of LNG at 20C cooled to
temperature, approaching best-in-class
world-scale plants; but because of its
simplicity and low equipment count has
substantially lower capital cost and O&M
manpower than competing technologies.
Other advantages are:
no external refrigerants the
process uses the feed natural gas in 2 expander circuits providing a logistics and cost benefit
in respect of refrigerant supply and make-up of refrigerant operating losses
no liquid hydrocarbon refrigerants a safety benefit particularly for FLNG applications
reduced footprint no refrigerant preparation/storage facilities lower cost and allows
installation of additional productive liquefaction capacity in the freed-up deck space on FLNG
facilities
an all gas phase refrigerant enhancing motion tolerance; an FLNG benefit

All equipment included in the ZR-LNG
TM
process is fully proven in operation and all unit operations are
proven in the gas processing sector. Initial designs including Hysys models, equipment specifications
and key process parameters have been verified by BP and 2 Engineering & Construction companies.

2 Applications
Following discussions on compressor/driver/expander configurations with GE, GCL see ZR-LNG
TM
as
particularly suitable for the following applications:

a) FLNG (no liquid hydrocarbon refrigerant, no external refrigerant, no refrigerant preparation
systems, low equipment count, reduced deck area, ship-motion tolerant). Our suggestion for an FLNG
module would see the recycle compressor driven by a 50+ MW ISO rating gas turbine, such as GE LM
6000-PG or Rolls-Royce 50+ Trent. These gas turbines are expected to provide around 40-45 MW
under site conditions, sufficient for approx 1.3 million tonnes/y LNG per train at 20 deg C ambient.

b) Land based plants. We anticipate ZR-LNG may provide high efficiency low cost plants. They would
take advantage of the intrinsic simplicity and low equipment count of the ZR-LNG
TM
process and
provide a solution to the very high cost escalation associated with current LNG schemes. For a land-
based plant, we propose 2+ million tonnes/y LNG per train with Frame 7 or equal gas turbine.

3 The ZR-LNG
TM
Proposition
GCL have reviewed various competing LNG technologies. Air Products (AP), the market leader, offer a
wide range of processes, supplementing their C3MR and mixed refrigerant offerings with nitrogen
cycles. With a power demand only marginally higher than the highly complex AP liquid refrigerant
schemes; and 25% lower than typical dual nitrogen cycles; and with the additional benefits referenced
above, ZR-LNG
TM
is a formidable competitor for FLNG schemes where clients wish to eliminate liquid
hydrocarbon refrigerants for safety reasons. Simple low cost on-shore plants, benefitting from ZR-
LNG
TM
s low equipment count and possibly constructed on a phased basis, will also be an attractive
proposition for capital constrained opportunities.

Further details and download of technical papers can be sourced from www.gasconsult.com.