Dresser-Rand Commissions First Micro-Scale LNG System

Dresser-Rand has commissioned its first micro-scale natural gas liquefaction system at the Ten Man liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Pennsylvania, USA.

The modular, portable LNGo technology is designed to distributed production of LNG and can be installed in a short period of time to meet local demand for LNG, said Dresser-Rand, which is part of Siemens Power and Gas. The solution allows the operator, Frontier Natural Resources, to monetize stranded gas assets at Tenaska Resources LLC’s Mainesburg field, located in the Marcellus shale play, the company said. Frontier Natural Resources is an independent natural gas producer focused on developing conventional and unconventional resources.

The scope of supply included a standardized LNGo solution consisting of four different modules, each handling one step of the liquefaction process. The whole LNGo system can be transported on eight trucks. It is deployed directly at the gas field and has a footprint of approximately 508 m², roughly the size of a basketball court. The Ten Man facility commenced production in mid-September last year, just four months from contract signing, and has produced approximately half a million liters of LNG since startup, the company said.

“This project demonstrates our unique capabilities to deliver innovative solutions for oil and gas applications that help our clients maximize the value of their assets,” said Michael Walhof, sales director Distributed LNG Solutions for the Dresser-Rand business. “We are proud to provide Frontier Natural Resources with a reliable, robust solution to liquefy natural gas and cost-effectively move it to market.”

The LNGo technology makes it possible to monetize stranded gas deposits due to its relatively low capital and operating costs, the company said.The micro-scale LNGo solution can be deployed in rough terrain or remote regions, eliminating the need to establish an expensive gas pipeline infrastructure or arrange for long-distance trucking of LNG from centralized plants to point of use. It can function as a decentralized solution where the requisite pipeline infrastructure is lacking, or as an onsite transformation solution to reduce or eliminate flaring of petroleum gas at, for example, oil rigs or producing gas fields.