Shaping the Future of Energy
There are several trends shaping the future of energy production today, including the push for more environmentally friendly alternatives as well as the most cost effective approaches. In this environment, liquefied natural gas has emerged as a viable interim solution to many of the challenges involved in the transition from a fossil-fuel based global infrastructure to one where a blend of energy-production approaches are in place. The primary advantages of using liquefied natural gas relate to the cost efficiencies in its transportation, since it occupies around one-six-hundredth of the space of the natural gas from which it is produced. One of the most significant disadvantages of liquefied natural gas, though, is the enormous expense involved in its manufacture and storage. At present, there are about 60 liquefied natural gas receiving terminals operating in 16 countries around the world and many more are either under active construction or are in the planning stages. The siting of these terminals is based on a combination of geographic proximity, as well as political and social factors that can increase the costs associated with the manufacturing process. Despite the challenges involved, the liquefied natural gas industry is expected to account for an increasing share of the energy market in the next several decades in the United States and abroad. Therefore identify the salient operational aspects of liquefied natural gas represents a timely and valuable enterprise which is the focus of this study. Chapter one of the study provides an overview and background in the introduction, as well as the study's aims and objectives and chapter two presents a review and analysis of the liquefaction process, how liquefied natural gas is used to generate power, and recent trends in the development and operation of natural gas fields . Finally, a summary of the research and important findings are presented in the study concluding chapter.