LNG Filling Station

LNG refueling stations are dedicated facilities for refueling liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles. They can be categorized into four types: skid-mounted, standard, L-CNG, and mobile skid-mounted. Core equipment includes LNG storage tanks, cryogenic pumps, refueling machines, and pressure regulating vaporizers. The storage tanks operate at temperatures up to -162℃ and are designed to a pressure of 1.2 MPa, utilizing vacuum insulation technology for storage.

After natural gas is purified (removing impurities such as CO2, sulfides, heavy hydrocarbons, and water), it is cryogenically cooled to -162°C under normal pressure, changing from a gaseous state to a liquid state, which is called liquefied natural gas. The volume of liquefied natural gas is about 1/620 of the volume of the same mass of natural gas, and its weight is about 45% of the weight of the same volume of water.

LNG refueling stations are refueling stations that supply liquefied natural gas (LNG). They are generally classified into four types:

• Skid-mounted refueling stations
• Standard refueling stations
• L-CNG refueling stations
• Mobile skid-mounted refueling stations、

Category Characteristics

Skid-Mounted：

1. Highly Mobile and Spacious: It does not rely on natural gas pipelines; LNG is transported using LNG tank trucks as the gas source. All process equipment is mounted on a single skid, resulting in a compact overall size (12m x 2.5m x 3.31m). The control system is housed in a modified standard container (6m x 2.5m x 3m). Before LNG filling, the total weight of the refueling station is only 21.8t, making it ideal for truck transport. The location of the refueling station can be changed according to market demand, making it particularly suitable for urban areas.
2. Safe, Environmentally Friendly, and Energy-Efficient: LNG has already undergone purification, eliminating the need for power-intensive equipment such as compression, cooling, dehydration, and desulfurization. The entire production process eliminates the need for natural gas purification equipment and air compressors, significantly reducing supporting facilities, saving on equipment costs, and shortening the construction period.
3. Highly Automated and Easy to Operate: Equipped with an automatic control system, data acquisition, combustible gas monitoring, overpressure pump shutdown, and low-pressure pump startup are all completed automatically, making it simple and easy to operate.

Standard：

Primarily suitable for refueling volumes of 30,000-50,000 m³/day, this type of refueling station occupies approximately 5-7 acres and is mainly used for heavy-duty trucks or intercity buses in large cities with a large number of vehicles and large refueling volumes. The main equipment of a 30,000-50,000 m³/day standard refueling station is configured with dual pumps and dual liquid dispensers.

L-CNG：

L-CNG refueling stations have strong comprehensive performance, capable of refueling both LNG and CNG.

They can fully utilize their efficiency in areas with relatively favorable LNG prices and in larger cities.

Mobile：

Mobile skid-mounted stations are mainly used when there are no immediate conditions for building a station, but users have urgent refueling needs.

The advantage is that all equipment is installed on a mobile vehicle, providing high mobility. The disadvantage is a relatively small gas storage capacity, with storage tanks around 13-30 cubic meters.