This paper presents an overview of a recent Study conducted to assess the best vaporization technology for use at a specific southern U.S. site. The Client directives led to the examination of ambient vaporization technologies as a primary process and with fired-heaters as the back-up heat source. The Study itself is comprised of a methodical analysis of the underlying thermodynamics, the overall thermal efficiency, a comprehensive assessment of the total system reliability and maintainability and finally economic viability. This paper is a digest of that Study and offers some general conclusions of the applicability of ambient LNG vaporizers.

Increasing energy costs combined with the regulatory and socio-political environment directed the analysis away from traditional technologies of submerged combustion vaporizers (SCV) and open-rack vaporizers (ORV). Licensors and manufacturers are marketing ambient air LNG vaporization systems as standalone systems or more properly hybrid systems of ambient units coupled with auxiliary fired heaters and/or with waste heat recovery systems. There appears to be considerable promotion of these technologies with frequent comparisons to the more traditional processes. However, without an experience base from which to draw, it is difficult to assess whether to employ ambient units and which system is best suited for a specific application.