Enhanced gas distribution system
OwnerLeon Harland, William Wijngaarden +1inventors
InventorsLeon Harland, William Wijngaarden, Hein Wille
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An economical system provides gaseous hydrocarbon to numerous locations (16, 18) that are each in the vicinity of an ocean coast, so the local inhabitants have access to low cost, easily supplied by pipeline and clean-burning natural gas. One system includes at least one self-propelled FSRU (floating storage and regas unit, 200 in FIG. 6) that unloads LNG from a tanker (202) that has sailed more than 400 km. The FSRU sails a much smaller distance, such as 25 km, to a local facility (12A, 14A) where a regas unit (210) on the FSRU heats the LNG and delivers the gas.
Claims7
A method for supplying natural gas to at least one community with a coastal gas receiving facility located at a sea coast, comprising:
- sailing a tanker carrying LNG (liquefied natural gas) by at least 400 kilometers from a natural gas liquefying station to an offloading region that lies a plurality of kilometers but less than 400 kilometers from said coastal gas receiving facility;
- sailing a local vessel constructed to carry LNG to said offloading region, coupling said local vessel to said tanker, transferring LNG from said tanker to said local vessel, sailing said local vessel with LNG therein to said coastal gas receiving facility, heating LNG carried by the local vessel to generate gaseous hydrocarbons, and flowing the gaseous hydrocarbons through the coastal gas receiving facility.
A natural gas distribution system for supplying natural gas to a community where said natural gas has been transported as LNG (liquefied natural gas) by a tanker that has sailed at least 400 kilometers from a liquefying station to a location less than 400 km from said community, comprising:
- at least one coastal gas receiving facility located at a sea coast in the vicinity of said community;
- at least a first self-propelled local vessel that is constructed to receive LNG from said tanker and move under its own power to said coastal gas receiving facility;
- a regas unit that lies at said coastal gas receiving facility when said local vessel is there, and that heats LNG to produce gaseous natural gas and that is connected to said facility to carry said gaseous natural gas through said facility.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.