Natural gas is a clean and efficient energy source, which is widely used in heating, power generation and transportation.In the application of natural gas, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) are two common forms.Although they are all forms of natural gas processing, there are significant differences in production, storage, and transportation.Today Rudy Petrochemical will discuss the difference between compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas in depth with you to help you better understand them.
Compressed natural gas (CNG): Compressed natural gas is natural gas compressed through a compressor to a higher pressure, generally about 200 to 250 atmospheres, thereby reducing its volume to about 1% to 1.5% of its original volume.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG): Liquefied natural gas converts natural gas into liquid form by cooling to extremely low temperatures (about -162 degrees Celsius), which greatly reduces its volume and makes storage and transportation more convenient.
Compressed natural gas (CNG): The production of compressed natural gas mainly uses compressors to compress natural gas to a certain pressure.The compressed natural gas is transported through pipelines or loaded into the gas storage tanks of compressed natural gas vehicles.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG): The production of liquefied natural gas requires the original natural gas to be desulfurized, dehydrated, etc., and then through the liquefaction process, that is, by reducing the temperature and increasing the pressure to convert it into a liquid state.This requires the natural gas to be cooled to an extremely low temperature first, and then liquefied through a liquefaction device.
Compressed natural gas (CNG): Compressed natural gas is usually stored as a gas in a steel cylinder or in a gas storage tank of a compressed natural gas vehicle.Due to its relatively large size, it requires relatively large storage space.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG): Liquefied natural gas is stored in liquid form, usually in specially designed adiabatic containers.Since the volume of liquid natural gas is much smaller than that of gaseous, the storage space for the same energy is smaller.
Compressed natural gas (CNG): Compressed natural gas is usually transported by pipeline or loaded into compressed natural gas vehicles for transportation.Due to its large size, its transportation distance is limited.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG): Liquefied natural gas is mainly transported over long distances by specially designed liquefied natural gas ships or tank cars.Compared with CNG, LNG is smaller in size, so the transportation distance is longer, and it is also more suitable for long-distance transportation.
Compressed natural gas (CNG): Compressed natural gas is usually used as fuel for vehicles such as city buses and taxis, as well as for some industrial and commercial purposes.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG): Liquefied natural gas is mainly used for long-distance energy supply, such as international energy trade, ocean-going ships, power plants, etc.
Although compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas are both forms of natural gas processing, there are significant differences in their production, storage, transportation and application.Understanding these differences helps to choose the form of natural gas that is most suitable for a particular purpose and make more informed decisions about energy use and environmental protection.
Both compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) require the use of specific devices and equipment during their production, storage, and transportation.The following is a brief description of these devices：
Compressed natural gas (CNG) plant：
Compressor: A compressor is a key equipment for compressing natural gas from environmental pressure to target pressure.These compressors usually use plunger or screw structures.
Storage Tank: Compressed natural gas is usually stored in high-strength steel gas storage tanks for supply to CNG vehicles or for other applications.
Filling equipment: A device used to load compressed natural gas from a gas storage tank into a CNG vehicle, including filling guns, valves, and connecting pipelines.
Filters and Dryers: Used to remove impurities and moisture from compressed natural gas to ensure that the natural gas supplied to the vehicle is of good quality.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant：
Liquefaction Plant: A liquefaction plant is used to cool raw natural gas to extremely low temperatures and convert it into a liquid state by increasing pressure.These devices usually include coolers, pressure reducing valves, liquefiers, etc.
Liquefaction Storage Tank (LNG Storage Tank): Liquefied natural gas is stored in adiabatic containers. These containers are usually double-walled structures to ensure the safety of liquid gas during storage and transportation.
Regasification Plant: If you need to convert liquefied natural gas into a gaseous state for supply to a pipeline network or other purposes, you need to use a regasification plant.These devices usually include heaters, pressure reducing valves, etc.
Ships or Tankers: Specially designed ships or tankers used to transport liquefied natural gas over long distances.These means of transport are highly insulated to ensure that liquefied natural gas will not leak or deteriorate during transportation.
