Liquefied Gases Today

As mentioned in the introductory material, the aim of this Handbook is to provide accurate and authoritative information about the compressed and liquefied gases having current commercial importance, and to provide such information in a manner that is easily accessible to both general readers and professionals alike. For this reason, published standards for procedures, equipment design, and so forth, have not been reproduced in this book, although much of the essential content of certain standards is presented in summary form. Clear references are provided to applicable standards and regulations so that readers who need more detailed information will know where it can be found. 

The myriad uses of compressed and liquefied gases have become so pervasive in modern society that we often take them for 

Compressed and liquefied gases have enabled humans to venture deep below the seas and to speed far into space. Gases provide the tremendous power to launch spacecraft, as well as the micro-thrusts needed to control and maneuver space vehicles (see Fig. 1-1). 

Medical techniques which involve special gas mixtures such as those required in hyperbaric chambers and other oxygen therapies have achieved remarkable results. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is used for diagnostic purposes, and special low-temperature surgical procedures, known as cryosurgery, also require the use of compressed gases (see Fig. 1-2). 

A comprehensive description of the uses to which compressed and liquefied gases are put could in itself fill the pages of a book. 

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The Ruhrkohle/ VESA Oel coal-liquefaction plant came into operation in Bottrop, West Germany in 1981. Today, it is the largest pilot plant in the world for direct coal liquefaction, with a coal throughput of 200 t/d yielding 18 t/d of liquefied gas, 29 t/d of light oil and 69 t/d middle oil. 

Fluorine was isolated by Henri Moissan at the end of June 1886 during an electrolysis of liquefied anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, containing potassium fluoride, at -23°C. The gas, produced at the anode, was fluorine. This achievement earned Moissan the 1906 Nobel prize in chemistry. Thousands of tons of fluorine are being produced today by essentially the same, albeit slightly improved, electrolytic method. Obviously, this scale of fluorine production means that fluorine chemistry has turned into an important branch of industry. This development can be understood if we look at fluorine from a chemist s point of view. 

Seamless steel pressure vessels are the most common method in use today for hydrogen transportation at short distances (<200 km) and when small quantities are involved (up to about 500 kg). The different vessel options include cylinders, manifolded cylinder pallets and tube trailers. While single cylinders or manifolded pallets are trucked to the destination and off loaded, tube trailers, which consist of several steel cylinders mounted to a protective framework, are often left in place and replaced when empty. Transporting hydrogen in liquefied form is seven times more efficient in terms of actual hydrogen weight transported than using compressed gas cylinders. 

Salt caverns have been used to store Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for a long time, but the technique is relatively recent for natural gas. It was introduced in the United States in 1961, in Saint-Clair County, Michigan. Today, there are around 60 storage facilities of this type world-wide, 27 are located in the US. The number of this type of storage is increasing rapidly (a lot of new projects especially in Western Europe). 

Petroleum chemicals or petrochemicals are chemicals derived from petroleum, liquefied petroleum gases, or natural gas. These raw materials are the major sources of organic chemicals today, and the term petrochemicals is virtually synonymous with organic chemicals. Therefore, the markets for petrochemicals are the same as the markets for organic chemicals in general. Even a few inorganic chemicals—for example, sulfur, sulfuric acid, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide—are made from petroleum and natural gas. 

In today s world, production of various petroleum products, such as petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and several other hydrocarbons, decides the economy of a country. The basic products required to produce these important ingredients are crude oil and natural gas, the main source for which is either offshore or desert. Oil exploration, several miles away from cities and towns and production units such as refineries, poses a big challenge to transport the ingredients to... 

Qatargas pioneered the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry in Qatar and is today the largest LNG Company in the world, realizing its vision to deliver LNG to customers around the globe from its facilities in Qatar. 

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