SNG conversion systems

What it addresses

Plants that rely on piped natural gas can lose production when the supply is interrupted or the pressure at the burners drops. Many have no second fuel ready for the boilers and heaters that the process depends on.

An SNG system vaporises LPG and mixes it with air so that the mixture has the same Wobbe Index as natural gas. Matched this way, the existing burners can fire it without a burner or orifice change. Whether that holds for your burners is confirmed in the written design calculation before fabrication.

What we cover

• Wobbe Index matched: no burner or orifice change
• LPG-air mixing skid designed, fabricated and commissioned in-house
• Written design calculation shared before fabrication
• Automatic changeover back to natural gas

Typical applications

• Backup fuel for gas-fired steam boilers and thermal fluid heaters when natural gas is interrupted or restricted
• Main fuel for gas-fired equipment at sites without a piped natural gas connection
• Automatic changeover between natural gas and SNG, so production does not wait for a manual switch

System considerations

• Gas demand: the total and peak hourly consumption of every burner the system must supply
• LPG storage and supply: tank or cylinder capacity, refilling logistics, and the space and separation distances the site needs
• Vaporisation capacity, so LPG is turned into vapour at the rate the plant needs, including at peak load
• Mixing and Wobbe Index control, so the mixture burns like natural gas in the existing burners
• Changeover between natural gas and SNG and how it works with the burner management system
• Pressure regulation, gas train and piping from the skid to each consumer
• Safety: gas detection, emergency shut-off, ventilation, and the approvals required for LPG storage
• Running cost: all of the energy in SNG comes from LPG, so the LPG price drives the cost

What to prepare before an assessment or quotation

• A list of gas-fired equipment with burner make, model and rated gas consumption, from nameplates or manuals
• Gas bills or meter readings for recent months, and the peak hourly flow if you know it
• Gas pressure at the supply inlet and at the burners
• Running hours and days, and how often and for how long the gas supply is interrupted
• A site layout or photographs showing where LPG storage and the skid could go
• The LPG price you are offered, if you want a running-cost comparison

Limits of this information

This page is general information, not a design. Whether SNG suits your plant, the skid capacity, the storage and the safety arrangements can only be decided after a site inspection and a design calculation.

LPG prices change. Any cost comparison is an estimate based on the prices and consumption you give us, not a guaranteed saving.