Safety valves for LNG & LPG applications

LNG and LPG make gas mobile

Demand for the compressed form of natural gas and petroleum gas is growing steadily and is expected to account for one third of global gas consumption in the medium term. Investments must pay off in the short term in order to remain profitable despite ever shorter supply contracts and trading on energy exchanges.

The shortening and flexibilization of supply chains by combining production and processing steps, e.g. on FLNGs (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas) or FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification), make this possible. However, the requirements for such projects are complex. Your supplier must be able to master this complexity of projects and the technical challenges.

LESER ensures reliable functioning and tightness of your safety valves even at cryogenic temperatures of -164°C and pressures up to 155 bar, which are necessary for the processing and transport of LNG. No matter which LNG application, onshore, offshore or even mobile, LESER has the right solution and approval for you.

LNG & LPG - Products

High Efficiency pressure relief valve from LESER

The LESER Advantage

The requirements for safety valves are manifold from conveying, liquefaction, transport, regasification and subsequent distribution. The LESER product range always offers the suitable product with the Types 526, 441, 459 and the Cryo-POSV optimized for LNG/LPG applications.

Thanks to the modern production technology Nanothightness, LESER achieves a 50% higher metallic tightness than API 527 requires. This still reliably meets the requirements of API 527 even at cryogenic temperatures and can be verified on LESER's own cryo test bench.

LESER's extensive network of sales engineers and its own project processing center will help you to deliver gas faster, both for technical requirements and in the execution of your project.

Case Study

LESER LNG POSVs support high plant efficiency in liquefaction process

Industry/Application:

LNG / natural gas liquefaction plant

LESER Solution:

POSV, Compact Performance, API

Customer since:

For more than 20 years

Quantity of Valves Supplied:

288 safety valves: 6 Type 811, 47 Type 459 and 235 Type 526

The Challenge
The liquefaction process must be designed efficiently so that the LNG can be offered economically. The necessary cryogenic media temperatures of -161 to -164 °C represent a challenge for the technical design of the individual components in the plant. This also applies in particular to the safety valves, which must function reliably as the final protection in the event of overpressure, even at the cryogenic process and Russian ambient temperatures.
Linde expected its suppliers to provide a reliable and punctual delivery in addition to solving the technical requirements.

Why did the customer choose LESER products?
LESER valves meet all requirements for use in natural gas liquefaction plants and offer a complete product range. The valves are designed in the low-maintenance “Durable Design” and can be adapted to the plants by various options.

The tightness of the safety valves has been proven under real conditions at media temperatures below -146 °C on LESER’s own cryogenic test bench. The precise helium leak test is based on the DIN EN 13648-1 standard.

The plant efficiency was supported by the use of pilot-operated safety valves (POSV) in the relevant areas. In contrast to spring-loaded safety valves, they are tight until they respond and thus meet the requirement of a higher operating pressure in relation to the response pressure of the plant. Six POSVs now support the efficiency of LIMUM® technology the liquefaction plant.

The LESER POSV for LNG is based on the proven design for LPG applications - Liquefied Petroleum Gas, which has been in use for many years as a standardized solution.

For the LNG low temperature range, LESER has further developed the design modularly so that it can be adapted to the respective project requirements. In the plant in Russia, for example, an evaporator was used and the pilot was thermally decoupled from the main valve to ensure a gaseous media state in the pilot. A temperature-resistant PTFE compound for piston sealing in the main valve enables the spring-loaded lip seal to be used at operating temperatures as low as -162 °C. The main valve is equipped with a PTFE compound for the sealing of the piston. The special seat bushing design does not require a soft seal in the wetted inlet area. The controlling pilot valve is available with a low-temperature resistant soft seal in Pop Action and Modulate Action versions for various requirements.

LESER’s project department supported Linde from the first FEED phase to the commissioning of the project. The production segment “Project Assembly” is specially designed for the requirements of projects and offers optimal conditions for customer acceptance.

Why did the customer choose LESER products?
Linde relies on LESER’s know-how in the cryogenic market, for example in projects with temperatures down to -269 °C for liquid helium applications. The company has been working with LESER in the field of technical gases for many years and knows their services very well. The joint experience in the project management of air separation plants and the complete LNG product range, in particular the modular Cryo-POSV in the Pop Action version, were important for Linde.

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