LNG plant design in cold climates

S. MOKHATAB, Gas Processing Consultant, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; and D. MESSERSMITH, Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemicals, Houston, Texas Monetizing natural gas via LNG technology in cold climates (e.g., Kenai, Alaska; Hammerfest, Norway; and Sakhalin, Russia) has proven commercially viable. Although the low temperatures of the feed gas, ambient air and cooling water in arctic climates help improve liquefaction energy efficiency for LNG production, the process design of the liquefaction plants presents unique challenges due to the harsh environment and geographic isolation. For these reasons, gas pretreatment and liquefaction technologies commonly used in baseload LNG facilities—which have