Introduction

When the Freeport LNG terminal is complete next year, it will be one of the most-advanced and largest receiving and regasification facilities in the world. With a peak sendout capacity of 1.75 billion cubic feet per day (12 million metric tons per year) and an ultimate capacity of nearly 4.0 BCFD, it is truly worthy of being Texas’ first major gas import facility.

Freeport LNG features several unique revolutionary innovations that make its design one of a kind. The first is a massive air-tower vaporization system that will use a water-glycol closed loop to warm LNG into natural gas vapor. This system will save upwards of 15 million cubic feet per day in fuel gas, and its only emission is millions of gallons of rainwater condensation.

To back up the ambient-air vaporizer system, Freeport is also building a fleet of eight state-of-the-art submerged combustion vaporizers to provide 100% redundancy.

Another major design innovation of Freeport LNG is its massive unloading dock and turning basin that will be one of the first capable of accepting the new Q-MAX 250,000-cubic-meter cargo ships, the largest in the world.

The marine offloading system is linked to two 160,000-cubic-meter full-containment tanks, the walls of which are more than eight-feet thick.

Moreover, the LNG will flow from the dock to the tanks via a revolutionary new vacuum-jacketed piping system designed to transport the liquid with minimal heat influx.

On top of these and other innovations, Freeport has also taken great measures to ensure the facility causes minimal disruption to the residents and wildlife on Quintana Island. The developers have taken such precautions as using low-impact lighting and creating nature sanctuaries at the same time as installing state-of-the-art security and surveillance systems.

We hope you will join us for what promises to be one of the most interesting facility tours you’ll see this decade. The tour will leave from Houston October 4th and be guided by Bill Henry, vice president.