Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled down to approximately −162 °C (−260 °F) to liquid form. LNG is mainly used to transport big amounts of natural gas over long distances that are not connected by pipelines. Usually it is done by ships using specially designed cryogenic carriers or by road using cryogenic tankers that keep the gas at the right temperature. When LNG reaches its destination, it is regasified and pushed into the local pipeline for distribution.
Liquefied natural gas can also be used as fuel in natural gas vehicles. The technology for that is rather new and continually developing. But LNG is already used in trucks and also ships and trains. Since liquified natural gas and compressed natural gas (CNG) both consist of the same thing, the advantages and disadvantages for using them are mostly the same. The difference is that the energy density of LNG is higher than that of CNG, meaning that the storage cylinder of LNG can be smaller. But since LNG needs to be stored at the temperature of −162 °C, the cylinder still has to be cryogenic. This means that CNG and LNG are directly competing in the world of natural gas vehicles.
