Blu Launches First US Natural-Gas Recapture System
Liquefied natural gas-fueling company Blu said it has launched the first U.S. system to recapture boil-off gas from storage tanks and return it to the pipeline.
The system, installed at the Blu LNG fueling station in Nampa, Idaho, eliminates the need to vent off excess LNG into the atmosphere.
“By returning excess gas to the natural-gas distribution system, we are increasing efficiency, saving money and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions,” Blu CEO Merritt Norton said in a statement.
The boil-off LNG is released from the tank into a pressure regulator then warmed and returned to gas form. The gas is pressurized to match the pressure of the natural-gas pipeline and injected into the pipeline, according to Blu.
Before passing into the pipeline, the gas is metered, and the vented gas is sold to Intermountain Gas Co.
The company said it plans to install gas-recapture systems at other Idaho facilities, including Jerome and Idaho Falls, and eventually at all of its fueling stations that have access to a nearby natural-gas pipeline.
