Article

A study from The University of Western Australia demonstrates the efficient recovery of ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from LNG receiving terminals using ambient seawater as the heat source. The study evaluates three process configurations through simulation and optimization, revealing that regasification facilities can deliver both pipeline-quality natural gas and high-value petrochemical feedstocks.

The research indicates that recovering higher hydrocarbons is economically advantageous, especially in areas with high petrochemical demand. The optimized designs showed that while all configurations were profitable under long-term price conditions, one design achieved the highest ethane recovery but required higher operational energy. The proposed systems can transform LNG terminals into value-generating hubs, minimizing additional energy input and potentially reducing carbon emissions while maintaining comparable environmental impacts.