THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS REGASIFICATION TERMINALS

Sve veća potrošnja ugljikovodika ostavlja otiske na okolišu. Razvoj tehnologije prati rast privrede i ljudske populacije što direktno utječe na okoliš. Prirodni plin postaje ekološko poželjno gorivo. U početku se nekontrolirano ispušta, zatim spaljuje, a sada je važan energent u rastućoj privredi. Plinski „posao“ je u porastu što znači i porast infrastrukture koja osigurava transport od proizvodnih polja do potrošača. Razvija se odobalna tehnologija iskorištavanja prirodnog plina, a kako bi se lakše transportirao do potrošača vrši se ukapljivanje i transportira tankerima. Prirodni plin sastoji se uglavnom od metana, a da bi bio u tekućem stanju pri atmosferskom tlaku potrebno ga je ohladiti na kriogenu temperaturu od -162 ºC. Na terminalu za uplinjavanje najčešće se koristi toplina morske vode za uplinjavanje ukapljenog prirodnog plina. Terminal se smješta na obali, ili priobalno što predstavlja dodatno opterećenje ionako već preopterećenog područja. Tehnologija obrade ukapljenog prirodnog plina novijeg je datuma i još je u fazi razvoja, što znači da šira populacija još nije dovoljno upoznata s njom. Smještanje terminala na plutajuće platforme osim za potrebe uplinjavanja prirodnog plina pruža i mogućnost smještaja ostale industrijske opreme usko vezane za tu tehnologiju.Increased hydrocarbon consumption leaves environmental prints. Technology development follows the growth of the economy and the human population, which directly affects the environment. The natural gas byproduct becomes an ecologically desirable fuel. Initially, it was released, then burned, and has now become an important source of energy in a growing economy. Gas "business" is on the rise, which means an increase in infrastructure that ensures transportation from production fields to consumers. The offshore natural gas exploitation technology is developed, and in order to facilitate transportation to the consumer, it is being liquefied and transported by LNG tankers. Natural gas consists mainly of methane, and in order to be in a liquid state at atmospheric pressure, it must be cooled to a cryogenic temperature of -162 ºC. At regasification terminals, the heat of seawater for the regasification of liquefied natural gas is most commonly used. The terminal is located on the coast, or on the coast waterside, which is an additional burden on an already overburdened area. The liquefied natural gas processing technology is newer and is still in the developmental phase, which means that a wider population is not yet sufficiently acquainted with it. Placing the terminal on floating platforms except for the needs of natural gas regasification also provides the possibility of accommodating other industrial equipment closely related to this technolog