Energy Recovery from LNG (Part 1): Techno-economic assessment of the retrofit of an existing LNG regasification facility with an organic rankine cycle for power production
Not affiliated, Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago.
Research Article
Open Access Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 2026, 10(01), 062-076.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjet.2026.10.1.0023
Publication history:
Received on 09 February 2026; revised on 16 March 2026; accepted on 18 March 2026
Abstract:
Research in the area of LNG cold energy offers the opportunity to maximize the gain of this cold energy. Therefore, this article examines the feasibility of the Propane Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and explores how to maximize the gain from this cycle. This article analyses Key Performance Metrics (KPMs) versus process parameters. DWSIM was used to simulate the cycle using the Peng Robinson 1978 Advanced thermodynamics model and the economics and heat exchanger calculations were performed using Python in DWSIM. It is shown that the new KPMs, Total Annualized Earnings (TAE) and Annualized Interest Rate of Return (AIRR) for the base case are USD300.5k and 14 % and for the alternative case, the TAE and AIRR are USD857.1k and 23.4 %. The net power extracted per unit mass of LNG for each case is 0.0084 kWh/kg and 0.0097 kWh/kg respectively. Therefore, this ORC is feasible. It is also shown that reducing the LNG pressure results in a greater TAE. The TAE and AIRR for this cycle are USD535.9k and 18.5 %, an over 75 % TAE increase compared to the base case which makes it more profitable than the base case.
Keywords:
ORC; LNG; Cold Energy Use; Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA); Exergy Analysis; Sensitivity Analysis
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Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0