Abstract:
The demand for energy has increased significantly. On the other hand, energy production
suppliers are located in different and remote locations around the world. This requires efficient
transport and storage of large-scale energy. Usually, large-scale is stored and transported in
liquefied forms due to its reduced volume. However, liquid cryogenic storage loses some of its
energy due to evaporation, called boil-off gas (BOG), which is called by change in temperature
between storage medium and environment. This study examines the production of Dimethyl
Ether (DME) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from natural gas, comparing boil-off gas
(BOG) generation, energy intensities, and environmental impacts using dynamic simulation.
Results from the simulation indicate a significantly higher BOG rate for LNG, with storage
pressure increasing from 0.5 atm to 4.1 atm over 15 days, compared to a minimal increase from
23.4 atm to 23.7 atm for DME in the same period. This suggests that DME offers superior
storage stability with lower evaporative losses. However, DME production was found to be
more energy-intensive, with an energy consumption of 37.9 GJ/tonne compared to 2.07
GJ/tonne for LNG, and also generated higher CO2 emissions, at 2.12 kg CO2/kg of DME versus
LNG emission of 1.16 kg CO2/kg of LNG. These findings highlight a trade-off between the
lower BOG rate of DME and its higher energy and environmental impacts. Thus, the choice
between DME and LNG production pathways depends on the specific priorities of the
application, whether it be minimizing evaporative losses or reducing energy consumption and
emissions.
