Patent ID: 8356487

Claim:
A method of vaporizing liquefied natural gas, comprising the steps of: passing liquefied natural gas through a vaporization coil internal to a submerged combustion vaporizer, the submerged combustion vaporizer having an internal water bath at a bath temperature surrounding the vaporization coil and a burner that conveys hot flue gases directly into the internal water bath when operated, to provide a vaporized gas output at a send-out temperature; drawing water from the internal bath of the submerged combustion vaporizer and supplying it to an atmospheric heating tower having an ambient air temperature; returning water from the atmospheric heating tower to the internal bath of the submerged combustion vaporizer; receiving control inputs at a control wherein said inputs comprise a gas send out rate control, a submerged combustion vaporizer heat rate control, a heating tower fan speed control and a heating tower water on/off control; modulating the operating rate of the burner of the submerged combustion vaporizer by measuring and performing feedback on the measured gas send-out temperature; and modulating the operating rate of the atmospheric heating tower by manipulating the fan control and the tower on/off control in response to the control inputs by measuring and performing feedback on the measured gas send-out temperature.