Impact of Liquefied Natural Gas Composition Changes on Methane Number as a Fuel Quality Requirement

Szymon Kuczyński, Mariusz Łaciak, Adam Szurlej and Tomasz Włodek
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Szymon Kuczyński: Drilling, Oil and Gas Faculty, AGH University of Science and Technology, PL30059 Krakow, Poland
Mariusz Łaciak: Drilling, Oil and Gas Faculty, AGH University of Science and Technology, PL30059 Krakow, Poland
Adam Szurlej: Drilling, Oil and Gas Faculty, AGH University of Science and Technology, PL30059 Krakow, Poland
Tomasz Włodek: Drilling, Oil and Gas Faculty, AGH University of Science and Technology, PL30059 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: The one of main quality requirements of natural gas as an engine fuel is the methane number (MN). This parameter indicates the fuel’s capability to avoid knocking in the engine. A higher MN value indicates a better natural gas quality for gas engines. Natural gas with higher methane content tends to have higher MN value. This study presents analysis of deviation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) composition and its impact on LNG quality as an engine fuel. The analysis of higher hydrocarbons and nitrogen content impact on LNG parameters was considered for several samples of LNG compositions. Most engine manufacturers want to set a new, lower limit value for methane number at 80. This fact causes significant restrictions on the range of variability in the composition of liquefied natural gas. The goal of this study was to determine the combination of the limit content of individual components in liquefied natural gas to achieve the strict methane number criterion (MN > 80). To fulfill this criterion, the methane content in LNG would have to exceed 93.7%mol, and a significant part of the LNG available on the market does not meet these requirements. The analysis also indicated that the methane number cannot be the only qualitative criterion, as its variability depends strongly on the LNG composition. To determine the applicability of LNG as an engine fuel, the simultaneous application of the methane number and Wobbe index criteria was proposed.

Keywords: LNG; liquefied natural gas; methane number; fuel; alternative fuel; LNG composition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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