SeGen Underwater Technology

Israel In Our Day Listen online: http://frontpagejerusalem.com/site/index.php
Reported by Shalle McDonald
Written by Kasey Barr

Israeli company, SeaGen, has developed a new solution to storing Liquefied Petroleum Gas in a manner that is far safer and environmentally friendly then the current steel storehouses that line the shores of many of the world’s port cities.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), refers to the gaseous liquids that are produced when processing natural gas and crude oil. The two main commercial bi-products are propane and butane. Propane and butane are widely used in fuels for certain types of ovens, grills, heating systems and vehicles.

Forty percent of the world’s consumption of LPG, about 100 million tons per year, is currently being stored in 16,000 storage sites throughout the world. These areas are considered increasingly vulnerable to accidents and attacks. Most storage units are near residential areas where any mishap has the potential to create mass human casualties in addition to devastating ecological damages.

Many companies are increasing security for their storage facilities to prevent possible terrorist attacks as well as investing in technologies to prevent accidental explosions. Land LPG storage devices are particularly dangerous because the liquefied petroleum gas is stored at a pressure much greater than that of the surrounding air.

Based on the use of underwater hydrostatic pressure, SeaGen Systems has developed an innovative underwater LPG storage terminal that maintains the gas in its liquefied form in a uniquely developed “smart” container system. The underwater system not only helps eliminate risks, but it is based on clean technology. Many of the existing storage units are old and rusting and often leak significant amounts of Petrolium which increase the risk of explosions during the transferring of LPG to carrier vehicles.

CEO of SeaGen, Ofir Sarid, claims that with the SeaGen solution, the gas stored off shore and under the water “has no chance of explosion.” Sarid explains, “If you have a spark around [a land] site there can be explosions and dead people… under water, there is no pressure difference between inside the tanks and underwater so no explosion could be possible.”

If a leak would occur, the gasses would simply bubble to the surface where they would simply be released into the air. Also, underwater smart tanks would be much more difficult to find and sabotage making the Sea Gen underwater storage devices a win-win product for both environmentalists and security forces.

Another attractive advantage to the underwater storage devices is the potential to free-up large plots of real-estate currently dedicated to storing LPG. Sarid claims that SeaGen will enable municipalities in most of the western countries to clear their shorelines of unsightly stainless steel storage devices and open the areas for real-estate investment.

SeaGen is privately owned and operates under the “Yozmot HaEmek” technological incubator. SeaGen is in the process of obtaining the necessary permits for its new installations and hopes to begin setting up its pilot site for an LPG underwater storage farm off the coast of Israel by the end of the year.