Cryogenic Storage & LNG Equipment worked example

Vaporizer Capacity at 65% expected vaporizer availability: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop expected vaporizer availability to 65%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate usable vaporizer gas capacity after availability and performance losses for LNG, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, or other cryogenic service.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Rated gas output per vaporizer train: 4 SCFH / train (held at the documented default)
  • Available vaporizer trains or cycles: 480 trains (held at the documented default)
  • Expected vaporizer availability: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)
  • Performance derate for conditions: 97 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Nameplate vaporizer capacity = rated gas output per train × available vaporizer trains.
  • Usable vaporizer capacity works out to 1,211 SCFH at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Nameplate vaporizer capacity works out to 1,920 SCFH at these inputs.
  • Capacity lost to vaporizer unavailability works out to 672 SCFH at these inputs.
  • Capacity lost to performance derate works out to 37.44 SCFH at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where expected vaporizer availability sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,676 SCFH, this scenario comes in 27.78% below the baseline at 1,211 SCFH.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to expected vaporizer availability, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. A single fixed derate cannot capture the full ambient curve; an ambient air vaporizer's duty falls sharply at low temperature, high humidity, and with stacked-cycle frost buildup, so verify against the coldest-day rating.

Results at a glance

  • Usable vaporizer capacity: 1,211 SCFH (headline result)
  • Nameplate vaporizer capacity: 1,920 SCFH
  • Capacity lost to vaporizer unavailability: 672 SCFH
  • Capacity lost to performance derate: 37.44 SCFH

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Vaporizer Capacity calculator, set expected vaporizer availability to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.