Research Projects

India is shifting towards a natural gas-based economy, with a growing share of gas in the energy mix. To meet this demand, the country is strengthening its LNG import facilities, which are known for their cryogenic nature and waste of cold energy. This project proposes a holistic integrated process design to recover waste cold energy in LNG regasification terminals, focusing on a polygeneration concept that includes multiple cold energy recovery options. The project aims to generate electricity, liquid air, and ethylene glycol from LNG cold energy using an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), which can be used to meet power demand and make the terminal self-reliant. The selection of working fluids is crucial for ORC performance, and a computer-aided molecular design approach combined with machine learning-based predictive models will enhance net power generation. In developing countries like India, perishable food is wasted due to lack of proper refrigeration facilities. Liquid air produced by waste cold can provide refrigeration in cold chains for agro-food and pharmaceutical sectors. With the rise in digitalization, cooling demand for data centers is expected to increase significantly. Ethylene glycol obtained via LNG cold recovery can meet the cooling requirements of data centres. One challenge faced by LNG terminals is managing boil-off gas (BOG) generated due to heat leakage into storage tanks. This project aims to address both BOG management and cold recovery options as one integrated process, using a simulation-based optimization framework to assess the technoeconomic feasibility of the proposed integrated process. The completion of this project could demonstrate the sustainability and economic feasibility of various cold recovery options for an LNG importing nation.