Zeus: Fifty Mobile Fuelers Soon to Serve North American LNG Fuel Markets

As North American fleets of trucks, drilling rigs and other heavy-duty industrial customers tap into greater volumes of North American shale gas, mobile fueling technology is increasingly being deployed to supply LNG, according to a Zeus Development survey.

These fuelers allow consumers to obtain supply quickly without significant onsite engineering and construction and then move the units to new territories as operations shift. A one-day meeting to discuss the trend and review technology will be hosted by Zeus in Houston, June 25.

Several mobile fueling design concepts are being deployed by at least six manufacturers. Some concepts rely upon transport trailers for onsite storage while others integrate storage tanks into self-contained transportable units. Some come with sophisticated metering and dispensing systems for commercial transfer at the time of vehicle fueling while others are equipped with pumps and vaporization systems for high-volume discharge.

“Another design criterion is whether the fueler can receive full trailer loads of LNG,” said Tom Campbell, LNG fuel analyst at Zeus who led the survey. “At least 16,000 gallons (60 cubic meters) of LNG storage capacity is required to enable full trailer deliveries with uninterrupted service.”

The most rapid growth market for the new fueling technology is on-land oil and gas exploration and production. From its survey data, Zeus estimates 30 units will soon be used to fuel large reciprocating engines and turbines that produce electricity for drilling and fracturing operations. Leaders in this area include Prometheus Energy, Linde and Encana.

“Truck fleets, though, are coming up fast,” Campbell said. “We estimate 20 mobile fuelers will soon be used to supply LNG to truck fleets. More often these units require sophisticated dispensing systems.”

On June 25-26, Zeus will host back-to-back workshops, the first of which will examine the growing mobile-fueler trend. The second will consider intermodal LNG distribution. Linde, INOXCVA and WesMor will display equipment for review. Speakers will present projects.

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LNG World News Staff, May 12, 2013; Image: Zeus