Recent developments in LNG vaporization systems have relied upon atmospheric heat exchange to capture heat for the vaporization process. While atmospheric heat exchange for cooling purposes is universally understood, so far there are not many published quantitative comparisons of the various available techniques and the equipment used for atmospheric heat exchange. The LNG industry is generally slow in accepting the new technologies due to the large investment cost and the risk involved.

The paper examines many factors associated with the use of atmospheric vaporization systems, including capital and operating cost and risk. The basis for comparison in this paper is an LNG vaporization terminal in the U.S Gulf Coast. Vaporization system options evaluated include; SCV only, two-loop system with direct contact heat exchangers, single loop system with indirect contact heat exchangers (with various working fluids), and hybrid systems combining SCV's, ORV's and direct contact heat exchangers.

The paper also discusses the variations and weather patterns and how these affect plant design and heat exchanger operations, including sensitivity analysis for multiple site variables.