Gas compression (CNG, CBG) and liquefaction (LNG, LBG)

Market leader in compressors guarantees technical quality

Our partner in biogas compression is Fornovo Gas Srl, an Italian company with over 40 years of experience in gas compression stations. Fornovo Gas is the European market leader in engineering and manufacturing of compressors for natural gas and biomethane pressurization.

Fornovo Gas product range includes compressors for natural gas, biogas, biomethane as well as process industry. In total, they have supplied more than 1,000 compressors for a variety of applications.

Market leader in compressors guarantees technical quality

Fornovo Gas compression solutions

CNG/CBG

Gas compressors for mother stations. These compressors pressurize the gas taken directly from a natural gas grid or a biogas upgrading plant for further supply to a gas filling station. The inlet pressure is often 3-16 bar and the outlet pressure is 250-275 bar.
Gas compressors for daughter stations, i.e. for gas filling stations to which natural gas or biomethane is transported in pressurized form. At these filling stations, the highest pressures are transferred directly from the gas storage to the car’s gas tank, and only part of the gas passes through the compressor on a wide input pressure scale.

When talking about pressurized forms of natural gas and biogas, the abbreviations CNG and CBG are often used. These correspond to the terms Compressed Natural Gas and Compressed Biogas.

Biomethane injection to the gas network

Gas compressors for the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid. Usually, the pressures of gas distribution networks are 4-16 bar and large transmission lines are 20-60 bar.

Natural gas grid pressurization

Compressors are used for keeping up the natural gas grid pressure, either when injecting gas to the grid or at pressurization stations along the grid.

Technical gases

Custom-made oil-free compressors for the most typical technical gases such as air, carbon dioxide (CO₂) or nitrogen (N₂).

All solutions can be delivered as a single compressor or as a complete GASVECTOR solution, where the compressor, electrical and automation systems and, if necessary, gas storage cylinders are installed in one weatherproof container.

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Liquefaction of natural gas and biogas

When talking about liquefied forms of natural gas and biogas, the abbreviations LNG and LBG are often used. They stand for Liquefied Natural Gas and Liquefied Biogas.

Natural gas and biogas are liquefied by cooling. Natural gas, which predominantly consists of methane and contains small traces of ethane, liquefies at about -163°C. The liquefaction temperature of biogas is also about -163°C, because at the liquefaction stage biogas is almost equal to pure biomethane (once carbon dioxide and impurities are removed from the raw biogas). The liquefaction temperature can be raised by increasing the pressure.

When natural gas and biomethane are liquefied, the volume of the gas compresses to one six-hundredths of what it would be at atmospheric pressure. This allows the gas to be transported and stored much easier and thus more economically.

Therefore, gas liquefaction is typically used instead of gas compression when:

gas needs to be transported for long distances, and
when the largest possible amount of gas is needed in the smallest possible volume, for example as a fuel used on ships.

Biovoima as a partner in building a complete solution

The solutions for gas pressurization and especially liquefaction are always tailored to the customer’s needs and the requirements of each individual project. Biovoima’s expertise includes the evaluation of the most cost-efficient technical implementations related to gas production and/or its use, with the highest possible commercial benefits.

Gas compression and liquefaction

Gas compression is the most common way to facilitate gas transportation