Industry High flame is part of cool-down process before facility fully operational

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JEFF DUCHARME
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

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SAINT JOHN - High above the tanks at Canaport LNG, the flare that can be seen leaping into the sky is part of the cool-down process before the facility can become fully operational.

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Cindy Wilson/Telegraph-Journal

The flare rising from the tanks at Canaport LNG could rise as high as 40 metres over the next few days and will be high for the next week to 10 days. In the foreground are people on Mispec Beach.

The tanker Bilbao Knutsen arrived at Canaport on Saturday to off-load its cargo of liquefied natural gas.

The liquefied natural gas, which is -162 C, is slowly introduced into the maze of pipes, equipment and storage tanks at the LNG terminal. Since the infrastructure is far warmer that the LNG carried inside the massive tanker, the LNG turns to vapour and that is what is driving the flare.

Carolyn Van Der Veen, spokeswoman for Canaport LNG, said the flare will be high for approximately the next seven to 10 days until the facility is brought down to operating temperature.

"Once we go into full operation, it will go down to a metre, a metre and a half high," Van Der Veen said of the flare.

Over the next few days, during what's called the cool-down phase, the flare could shoot as high as 40 metres into the air. Canaport has sent letters to Red Head residents explaining the process and the flaring.

"It's a safety release system for boil-off gas," Van Der Veen said.

The tanker will remain docked at the terminal for at least a week as the facility is readied to receive and store the cargo.

"Once it gets to that temperature, then we can bring the actual liquid LNG through the piping system and into tank one."