LNG & Cryogenic Equipment Transport

LNG & Cryogenic Equipment Hauling Services

Liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, liquid argon, and other cryogenic products require specialized storage and process equipment — bulk storage tanks, vaporizers, cold boxes, and distribution systems — that are large, heavy, and precisely engineered. Transporting this equipment from fabrication facilities to LNG fueling stations, industrial gas plants, power generation facilities, and petrochemical complexes requires oversize and overweight permits, careful load planning, and carriers with experience handling fragile, high-value cylindrical vessels. R&RM LLC has been hauling industrial process equipment and oversize loads across all 48 continental states since 2011.

LNG Storage Tanks and Bulk Cryogenic Vessels

Horizontal Cryogenic Storage Tanks

Horizontal cryogenic bulk tanks are the most common configuration for LNG fueling stations, industrial gas distribution depots, and smaller peak-shaving storage facilities. These cylindrical double-wall vacuum-jacketed vessels store liquefied gases at cryogenic temperatures — LNG at approximately -260°F, liquid oxygen and nitrogen at -297°F and -320°F respectively. Transport specifications for horizontal cryogenic tanks:

• Capacities and dimensions: Common horizontal cryogenic tanks for LNG fueling stations range from 3,000-gallon to 100,000-gallon capacity. A 70,000-gallon LNG tank is typically 12 to 14 feet in outside diameter and 55 to 75 feet long. Diameter is the controlling transport dimension — tanks over 8 feet 6 inches in outside diameter require overwidth permits in all 48 states, and tanks over 14 feet in width enter the heavy escort tier.
• Weight: A vacuum-jacketed horizontal cryogenic tank at 70,000-gallon capacity weighs 80,000 to 120,000 pounds depending on wall thickness, insulation design, and head configuration. These loads exceed standard 80,000-pound gross vehicle weight limits and require overweight permits. Multi-axle lowboy and RGN trailer configurations distribute the load across more axles to stay within state axle weight limits.
• Fragility considerations: Double-wall vacuum-jacketed cryogenic vessels must not be subjected to excessive shock loading, twisting, or point loading on the vacuum jacket. Tie-down configurations must use the manufacturer's specified lifting and support points. We work from fabricator rigging drawings and coordinate with the manufacturer's installation engineers when handling first-article or large-bore tanks.

Vertical LNG and Cryogenic Storage Tanks

Large vertical cryogenic storage tanks — the full-containment and double-wall flat-bottom type used at LNG import/export terminals, large industrial gas plants, and peak-shaving facilities — are typically too large to transport as assembled vessels and are instead field-erected at the installation site. However, the inner tank bottom assemblies, inner tank shell ring courses, outer tank components, and associated piping and equipment modules that arrive at the site during construction are transported as oversize loads. Inner shell ring courses for large LNG tanks are steel cylinders 10 to 20 feet tall and 100 to 300 feet in diameter when assembled — fabricated as individual bent and welded plates transported as flat plate bundles and large curved panel sections on standard and overwidth flatbed loads.

For smaller vertical cryogenic vessels — high-pressure dewars, vertical bulk tanks at 10,000 to 20,000-gallon capacity used at hospitals, research facilities, and smaller industrial gas users — the assembled vessel ships on an RGN or flatbed trailer, often within standard width and height limits when shipped horizontally, but requiring overweight permits for the heaviest tanks.

Cryogenic Vaporizers and Heat Exchangers

Ambient Vaporizers

Ambient air vaporizers — the finned aluminum tube banks that convert liquid cryogenic products back to gas phase by absorbing heat from ambient air — are installed at the outlet of bulk cryogenic storage tanks. Large vaporizer banks for high-throughput industrial gas supply points and LNG fueling stations are 10 to 20 feet wide and 15 to 30 feet tall in their assembled configuration, and ship as individual vaporizer modules or as assembled multi-module racks. Individual vaporizer modules are typically within standard height and width limits, but assembled rack configurations — especially for high-capacity LNG fueling stations — may require overwidth or overheight permits. See our guide on oversize permit services for the state-by-state width triggers that apply to assembled vaporizer racks.

Submerged Combustion Vaporizers and Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

Submerged combustion vaporizers (SCV) for LNG regasification and large shell-and-tube heat exchangers for industrial cryogenic applications are pressure vessels with dimensions and weights similar to those of process heat exchangers in refineries and petrochemical plants. A large SCV unit may weigh 30,000 to 80,000 pounds and measure 6 to 10 feet in diameter and 20 to 40 feet in length — transport requirements similar to other industrial pressure vessels and process equipment. These ship on RGN lowboy trailers with overwidth and overweight permits as required by the vessel's outer dimensions.

Air Separation Units (ASU) and Cold Box Modules

Air separation units separate atmospheric air into its component gases — oxygen, nitrogen, and argon — through a cryogenic distillation process. Industrial-scale ASUs are among the largest process equipment assemblies transported on highways. Transport considerations for ASU components:

• Cold box modules: The cold box is the insulated enclosure that houses the cryogenic distillation columns and heat exchangers. Large cold box modules for world-scale ASUs — serving steel mills, chemical plants, and large hospitals — are 12 to 20 feet wide, 15 to 20 feet tall, and 40 to 80 feet long. These require overwidth, overheight, and sometimes overlength permits, typically with multiple pilot car escorts. See our coverage of superload permits for the permit process when cold box dimensions exceed standard oversize permit thresholds.
• Distillation columns: Cryogenic distillation columns for large ASUs are tall, narrow cylindrical pressure vessels — 3 to 8 feet in diameter and 40 to 100 feet tall. These ship horizontally on flatbed or lowboy trailers. The controlling dimension is usually length — columns over 65 feet long require overlength permits and may require a rear steering dolly. Weight per column ranges from 15,000 to 80,000 pounds for large-bore, thick-wall columns.
• Compressor trains: ASU feed air compressors and product gas compressors are large, heavy equipment packages — skid-mounted centrifugal or reciprocating compressor units weighing 40,000 to 200,000 pounds. Large compressor skids require overweight permits and multi-axle lowboy trailer configurations. See our equipment page on pressure vessels and tanks for related transport information.

LNG Fueling Station Equipment

The rapid expansion of LNG as a heavy-duty truck fuel has driven a buildout of LNG fueling infrastructure at truck stops and fleet terminals nationwide. A complete LNG fueling station involves multiple heavy haul loads during construction and installation:

• LNG storage tank: The primary storage vessel — typically 15,000 to 70,000 gallons — is the largest and heaviest single load in the station build. As described above, horizontal LNG tanks at these capacities range from 8 to 14 feet in diameter and 40 to 70 feet long, weighing 50,000 to 120,000 pounds. These require overwidth and overweight permits and ship on multi-axle RGN or lowboy trailers.
• Vaporizer modules: One or more ambient vaporizer banks at the fueling station outlet are typically assembled rack structures, shipped as a single or multi-piece oversize load.
• Dispenser islands and canopy structure: The fueling dispenser islands and overhead canopy structure ship as structural steel components on standard or overlength flatbed loads. The canopy columns and beams may require overlength permits for the longest members.
• Emergency shutdown system and control building: Prefabricated control buildings and safety system enclosures for LNG stations are modular structures similar to telecom equipment shelters — typically 10 to 14 feet wide and 20 to 40 feet long, requiring overwidth permits for the widest designs.

Regions We Serve for LNG & Cryogenic Equipment Transport

LNG infrastructure is concentrated in natural gas production and distribution corridors, and industrial gas plants cluster near major manufacturing centers. R&RM LLC serves LNG and cryogenic equipment transport needs from our base in Cumming, Georgia throughout the Southeast, Gulf Coast, and across all 48 continental states:

• Texas and Gulf Coast: The highest concentration of LNG terminals, gas processing plants, and industrial gas customers. Texas and Louisiana are primary markets for LNG tank and ASU component transport.
• Southeast: Rapid industrial growth in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee drives LNG fueling station buildout and industrial gas plant construction along I-85, I-40, and I-75 corridors.
• Midwest and Great Plains: Steel mill, chemical plant, and large-scale manufacturing demand for industrial gases supports ASU and cryogenic tank transport in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.

Getting a Quote for LNG & Cryogenic Equipment Transport

To prepare an accurate transport quote for cryogenic tanks and process equipment, we need the following information:

• Equipment type (LNG storage tank, vaporizer, cold box module, distillation column, compressor skid, etc.)
• Outside dimensions as shipped: diameter or width, overall length, and height on the trailer
• Empty weight and total weight as shipped
• Origin address (fabrication facility, staging yard, or current installation site)
• Destination address and any known site access constraints
• Required delivery date and any installation schedule requirements
• Manufacturer rigging drawing number (for vacuum-jacketed vessels with specific tie-down requirements)

R&RM LLC handles permit acquisition, trailer selection, escort coordination, and delivery logistics for LNG and cryogenic equipment projects. Call us at (404) 987-6225 or submit a quote request online to start your cryogenic equipment transport.