08-09 Gas Network.

ps - 4/16/2007 9:19 AM

Gas network storage

Adsorbed NG moves closer

Lay Yen Lau and Robert Judd of Advantica explain how Adsorbed
Natural Gas (ANG) technology has the potential to revolutionise the
approach to local network storage. It benefits from medium-pressure
operation, high volumetric storage capacity, process simplicity and
inherent safety.
he benefits of ANG give several
advantages over alternative
approaches, such as linepack,
ow-pressure (LP) gasholders1 and
pressurised storage2 including
compressed natural gas (CNG) at
200 barg.
The technology has been under
development by Advantica for several
years and now it is being brought close
to the point of implementation on a real
distribution network.

Applications
The applications of ANG range from
small-scale on-board fuel storage for
natural gas vehicles including
motorbikes, cars, buses, trains and
ships, through to strategic local network
storage. Despite the same operating
principles, the process requirements are
different and need to be understood and
optimised for each application.
ANG local network storage could be
implemented as a new installation as an
alternative to linepack, or retrofitted at
the sites of existing LP gasholders and
pressurised storage vessels by filling
the vessels with activated carbon to
gain from the enhanced storage
capacity.

How does it work?

Using low-cost activated carbon
material, natural gas is stored in
adsorbed form, ideally at 7-40 barg. This
allows substantially higher volumetric
capacities than pressurised storage at
an equivalent pressure.
The adsorption capacity of a solid
adsorbent is determined by its
microstructure, storage pressure and
temperature. Depending on system
conditions and carbon characteristics,
8

gas international

Storage capacity chart.

an enhancement factor of three to five

times over pressurised storage can be
expected at 25 barg. Retrofitting at a LP
gasholder site for 7 barg ANG storage
could achieve a 30-fold volumetric
enhancement. This is equivalent to a
six-fold increase using an ANG vessel of
five times smaller internal volume, if the
same low-pressure discharge is
maintained.
As the adsorption uptake is non-linear
with pressure, a relatively large amount
of gas can remain on the carbon at
Simplified process flow diagram of ANG.

pressure above 1 barg. Discharge to as

low a pressure as possible is important
to maximise the use of the available
storage capacity.

The ANG Operation

ANG technology relies on sequential
adsorption and discharge (desorption) of
gas in a vessel filled with activated
carbon according to demand. Key
components of an ANG system are:
(i) Guard bed. Pre-adsorption vessel
removing higher hydrocarbons (C5+)

08-09 Gas Network.ps - 4/16/2007 9:19 AM

Advantages
Compared to other network storage
technologies, the ANG local network
storage offers advantages such as:
Implementation at the point of need
and reduced dependence on the
transmission system.
Flexibility of siting and close to pointof-use location.
Phased investment. Linepack is
normally constructed at the start of
a long-term network uprating plan,
with CAPEX spent at the start of the
investment period. ANG storage,
however, allows CAPEX phasing
with a just-in-time approach to
construction. The modular nature
of the design can allow the
construction of a single vessel or
banks of units.
Lower CAPEX. CAPEX is likely to be
highly competitive with linepack for
commercial-scale installations.
Lower OPEX. Nearly 10 times lower
OPEX than the LP gasholders.
Safer system compared to CNG (7-40
barg vs 200 barg). Even at an
equivalent pressure, ANG is
inherently safer than pressurised
storage due to the nature of adsorbed
storage, despite the higher gas
inventory.
Lower footprint and visual impact than
LP gasholders. 30-fold volumetric
enhancement can be achieved over LP
gasholders at 7 barg storage
pressure. Below ground installation is
ultimately possible.
Gas trading opportunity. When
multiple sources or pricings are
available, local storage gives the
flexibility to take more gas at off-peak
price or from the cheaper source when
it is available. This can be stored for
peak-time use, gaining from the price
differential.

Gas Quality
Guard bed operation and system
integration was developed and
demonstrated in the 3-million
ANGUARD (ANG System with Guard Bed
Device) project led by Advantica with
four other European partners3, and
supported by the European Commission.
The heavier hydrocarbons and
odorants adsorbed on the guard bed
need to be regenerated each cycle into
the gas during discharge to ensure
consistent pipeline gas quality. A simple
optimised heating profile for the guard
bed was established to achieve
consistent desorption of the
components from the guard bed carbon
and a multi-component adsorption model
was developed for complete simulation
of the ANG system. Guard bed carbons
were also developed which optimise the
process and minimise opex.

Recent case study

A techno-economic feasibility study has
been carried out for an overseas asset
of BG, to compare the processes and
feasibility of various local network
storage technologies versus ANG. ANG
has shown to be highly competitive with
favourable characteristics in meeting

provides supplementary flow during

peak-time to reduce the pressure drop
along the distribution network,
The subsequent network analysis
showed that the provision of ANG
storage gives a smoother diurnal profile.
By locating the storage correctly, for
example, at the extremities of the
network where a pressure deficit
problem is likely, it also has significant
impact on maintaining the network
pressure. Despite its discharge to the
low-pressure (1 barg or less) distribution
network, the ANG storage acts as a
second supply source and decreases
the amount of gas off-take from the
high-pressure network, resulting in
reduced pressure drop along the
network.

Conclusions
Process simulation and economic
analysis have shown that ANG can be an
attractive alternative to linepack, LP
gasholders or pressurised storage due
to its simple, modular and relatively lowcost operation.
ANG technology is mature and well
understood. It has been proven in
principle and is ready for demonstration
in actual operation. Advantica is working
with BG to
prove it on a
real network
through a
technical
demonstration
project. A pilot
full-scale ANG
storage vessel
is expected to
be implemented
following the
successful
demonstration
of the
technology.
ANG network storage
results from
SynerGEE Gas on
simplified MGL network.

the objectives of storage provision.

These are:
To meet the diurnal demand
requirements and peak shaving. To
delay the city-gate capacity upgrading
process by capping and optimising the
peak flow under its design capacity.
To maintain the distribution network
above the minimum pressure needed
for effective operation of its CNG
refuelling stations. The local storage

For more information contact either

layyen.lau@advanticagroup.com or
rob.judd@advanticagroup.com

References
1 LP gasholder: Storage at about
1 barg.
2 Pressurised storage: Any higher storage pressure
than the LP gasholders. CNG is specifically used
for storage at 200 barg.
3 Sucliffe Speakman Carbons, University of Lisbon,
ISQ (Portugal) and IPGsrl (Italy).
gas international

Volume 47 Issue 4 May 2007

and odorants which will cause

degradation of the main adsorption
bed.
(ii) ANG storage vessel. Packed with
activated carbon and storing gas at
7-40 barg.
(iii) Carbons. Different carbons are
selected for the guard bed and main
bed for their preferential adsorption
of various components.
(iv) Gas heater. To allow the desorption
of higher hydrocarbon and odorants
on guard bed back to the gas during
discharge phase for gas quality
assurance.