The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, inaugurated India’s first private Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility plant at Nagpur in Maharashtra. The plant has been set up on Kamptee Road near Nagpur Jabalpur Highway, by Baidyanath Ayurvedic Group, the makers of Ayurvedic medicines.
Once operational, this LNG filling station in Nagpur will be the first such facility to operate on a commercial basis. LNG is a clean, pollution-free and cost-effective liquid fuel, which is also easy to store and reduces logistics costs.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
LNG is a natural gas, mainly methane (CH4) with some mixture of ethane (C2H6), that has been cooled down to liquid form for easier non-pressurized storage & transport. It takes up around 1/600th of volume of natural gas in gaseous state. It is odourless, colourless, non-toxic and non-corrosive gas.
How LNG is produced?
LNG is produced from hydrocarbon deposits containing a wide range of hydrocarbon products like methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10). These products have wide boiling points and different heating values which allow for different routes of commercialization. Acidic elements like hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) alongside oil, mud, water, and mercury, are removed from LNG to deliver smoothed stream of gas.
What are the associated risks?
If acidic elements and impurities are not removed, it could result in damage of equipment. Corrosion of steel pipes and amalgamation of mercury within cryogenic heat exchangers can also cause extensive damage.