Transportation of cryogenic media
Cryogen leakage is not only dangerous but also expensive, considering the cost to make a gas into a cryogen in the first place. The components of any valve will contract and expand at different rates because of different material compositions or the time that the valve has been exposed to cryogen.
Because heat gains from the environment are a constant battle when dealing with cryogens, valve and piping insulation are mandatory. Gas processing involves handling the physical properties of gases, such as LNG, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and helium. These liquids are not stable at atmospheric pressure and, if allowed, can violently and instantaneously transform into the gas phase.