The current state and possible prospects for using liquefied natural gas tank containers

Abstract

One of the ways to reduce emissions of harmful substances into the environment is considered in the paper. This way is connected with the transition from liquid and solid hydrocarbon fuels to liquefied natural gas, which is one of the reasons for the increase in gas fuel consumption with the observed growth in the last decade for its transportation in liquefied form in tank containers. The main countries owning tank containers are the USA, Germany and the UK. It is noted that tank containers are used for transportation and storage of liquefied gas in small volumes for end users; this method of transportation is mobile, since sea, rail and automobile transport can be used for this; storage of liquefied gas in tank containers does not require the construction of additional infrastructure. Further prospects of tank containers for liquefied natural gas are considered. The possibility of supplying gas by tank containers, especially for autonomous remote settlements and regions of the Russian Federation with a low population density, while in these regions the population needs gas for heating residential buildings, is discussed. The use of tank containers, due to its advantages, may have the potential for use in the Russian Federation. Thus, within the framework of the review study, the issues of the current state and prospects for the use of tank containers for LNG transportation are considered in detail. It is noted that the mobility and flexibility of transportation ensures storage without additional refrigeration systems for about three months, including that LNG tank containers are used for gas supply to sparsely populated and hard-to-reach points without connection to main gas pipelines, satisfaction of short-term peak gas consumption in winter, and use of gas as motor fuel for the various types of transport.