EP3043134A1 - Procédé d'élimination d'azote d'un flux contenant de l'azote - Google Patents

Procédé d'élimination d'azote d'un flux contenant de l'azote Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3043134A1
EP3043134A1 EP15150824.9A EP15150824A EP3043134A1 EP 3043134 A1 EP3043134 A1 EP 3043134A1 EP 15150824 A EP15150824 A EP 15150824A EP 3043134 A1 EP3043134 A1 EP 3043134A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
nitrogen
stream
containing stream
mol
heat exchanger
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP15150824.9A
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Thijs Groenendijk
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Original Assignee
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV filed Critical Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority to EP15150824.9A priority Critical patent/EP3043134A1/fr
Publication of EP3043134A1 publication Critical patent/EP3043134A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
    • F25J3/06—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation
    • F25J3/0605—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the feed stream
    • F25J3/061—Natural gas or substitute natural gas
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/0002—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the fluid to be liquefied
    • F25J1/0022—Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/0002—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the fluid to be liquefied
    • F25J1/0022—Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas
    • F25J1/0025—Boil-off gases "BOG" from storages
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/003—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the kind of cold generation within the liquefaction unit for compensating heat leaks and liquid production
    • F25J1/0032—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the kind of cold generation within the liquefaction unit for compensating heat leaks and liquid production using the feed stream itself or separated fractions from it, i.e. "internal refrigeration"
    • F25J1/004—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the kind of cold generation within the liquefaction unit for compensating heat leaks and liquid production using the feed stream itself or separated fractions from it, i.e. "internal refrigeration" by flash gas recovery
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
    • F25J3/06—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation
    • F25J3/063—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream
    • F25J3/0635—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream separation of CnHm with 1 carbon atom or more
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
    • F25J3/06—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation
    • F25J3/063—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream
    • F25J3/066—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream separation of nitrogen
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2215/00—Processes characterised by the type or other details of the product stream
    • F25J2215/04—Recovery of liquid products
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2220/00—Processes or apparatus involving steps for the removal of impurities
    • F25J2220/60—Separating impurities from natural gas, e.g. mercury, cyclic hydrocarbons
    • F25J2220/62—Separating low boiling components, e.g. He, H2, N2, Air

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of removing nitrogen from a nitrogen-containing stream.
  • NRU Nemrogen Rejection Unit
  • One or more of the above or other objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing a method of removing nitrogen from a nitrogen-containing stream, the method comprising at least the steps of:
  • An advantage of the method according to the present invention is that it has a surprisingly simple design and can be standardized to treat and liquefy a wide range of feed gas compositions. Further, there is relatively limited utility and chemicals requirement resulting in a significant OPEX and CAPEX reduction.
  • a nitrogen-containing stream is provided.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream is not particularly limited (other than having a pressure of at least 5.0 bara and a temperature of at most 20°C), it preferably is a methane-rich gas stream.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream comprises at least 5 mol% nitrogen, preferably at least 10 mol%, more preferably at least 12 mol%.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream contains less than 80 mol% nitrogen.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream comprises at least 20 mol%, preferably at least 40 mol% methane, and typically below 85 mol%.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream comprises at most 2.0 mol% C 2+ , preferably at most 1.0 mol%, more preferably at most 0.5 mol%.
  • C 2+ refers to C 2+ -hydrocarbons, i.e. hydrocarbons containing 2 or more carbon atoms per molecule.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream comprises at most 200 ppm CO 2 , preferably at most 100 ppm CO 2 , more preferably at most 50 ppm CO 2 .
  • the nitrogen-containing stream provided in step (a) has a pressure of above 5.0 bara (and preferably above 6.0 bara, more preferably above 10.0 bara).
  • the nitrogen-containing stream has a pressure of at most 30.0 bara, preferably at most 25 bara.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream has a temperature of at most (i.e. below) -50°C.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream has a temperature of at least (i.e. above) -150°C, preferably at least -140°C, more preferably at least - 125°C.
  • step (b) the nitrogen-containing stream is cooled in a first and a second heat exchanger thereby obtaining a cooled nitrogen-containing stream.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream is cooled first in the first heat exchanger and then in the second heat exchanger to obtain the cooled nitrogen-containing stream.
  • the cooled nitrogen-containing stream has a temperature of from -145°C to - 155°C.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream is cooled in the first heat exchanger against a stream having a temperature of from -165°C to -110°C, preferably at least -160°C and preferably at most -150°C.
  • the stream against which nitrogen-containing stream is cooled in the first heat exchanger typically has a temperature after heat exchanging of from -145°C to -45°C.
  • step (c) the cooled second nitrogen-containing stream is expanded thereby obtaining an expanded nitrogen-containing stream.
  • the expander as used in step (c) according to the present invention is not particularly limited (and may include a JT valve an orifice, a common expander, etc.), it is preferred that in the expander enthalpy is withdrawn from the cooled nitrogen-containing stream.
  • a suitable expander for withdrawing enthalpy whilst expanding is a turboexpander.
  • the expanded nitrogen-containing stream has a pressure of from 1.5 to 6.0 bara, preferably about 2.0 bara.
  • the expanded nitrogen-containing stream obtained in step (c) has a temperature of at most -150°C, preferably at most -155°C, more preferably at most -160°C.
  • step (d) the expanded nitrogen-containing stream is separated in a gas/liquid separator thereby obtaining a gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream and a liquid nitrogen-depleted stream.
  • the gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream obtained in step (d) comprises from 30 to 75 mol% nitrogen, preferably above 40 mol%, more preferably above 50 mol% and preferably less than 70 mol%.
  • the liquid nitrogen-depleted stream obtained in step (d) comprises at least 90 mol% methane, preferably at least 92 mol% and typically less than 98 mol%, preferably less than 95 mol%.
  • the liquid nitrogen-depleted stream obtained in step (d) comprises less than 10 mol% nitrogen.
  • step (e) the gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream is heated in the first or second heat exchanger thereby obtaining a heated nitrogen-enriched stream.
  • step (e) the gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream is heated in the second heat exchanger.
  • the heated nitrogen-enriched stream has a temperature of from -155°C to 30°C, preferably about 15°C.
  • the gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream typically has a pressure of from 1.5 to 6.0 bara.
  • Fig. 1 schematically shows a process scheme for performing a method of removing nitrogen from a nitrogen-containing stream.
  • the process scheme is generally referred to with reference number 1.
  • the process scheme 1 comprises a heat exchanger 2 ("the first heat exchanger") and a heat exchanger 3 ("the second heat exchanger"), a gas/liquid separator 4 and JT-valve 5.
  • the process scheme may comprise further heat exchangers in addition to the first heat exchanger 2 and second heat exchanger 3.
  • the first heat exchanger 2 and second heat exchanger 3 are separate heat exchangers.
  • a nitrogen-containing stream 10 is provided.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream 10 is a cold stream and originates from e.g. a gas/liquid separator running at relatively cold conditions.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream 10 is cooled in the first and second heat exchangers 2,3 thereby obtaining a cooled nitrogen-containing stream 30.
  • the first and second heat exchangers 2 and 3 are indirect heat exchangers; hence no direct contact between the streams takes place, but only heat exchanging contact.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream 10 is cooled first in the first heat exchanger 2 (against stream 80, resulting in heated stream 90) and then (as stream 20) in the second heat exchanger 3 to obtain the cooled nitrogen-containing stream 30.
  • the cooled nitrogen-containing stream 30 is expanded in JT-valve 5 thereby obtaining an expanded nitrogen-containing stream 40, which stream 40 is separated in the gas/liquid separator 4 to obtain a gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream 50 and a liquid nitrogen-depleted stream 60.
  • the gaseous nitrogen-enriched stream 50 is heated (in the embodiment of Figure 1 ) in the second heat exchanger 3 thereby obtaining a heated nitrogen-enriched stream 70.
  • the heated nitrogen-enriched stream 70 may be sent to e.g. a duct (or auxiliary) burner of a gas turbine to be used as a fuel gas.
  • Stream 80 may originate from e.g. an LNG end flash system and heated stream 90 (obtained after heat exchanging stream 80 against stream 10 in the first heat exchanger 2) may be sent to e.g. a loop and recycled.
  • Tables 1 and 2 below show two actual non-limiting examples of the method according to the present invention, providing information on conditions and composition of the various streams, whilst using the scheme of Figure 1 for removing nitrogen from a nitrogen-containing stream.
  • the nitrogen-containing stream was provided at a lower temperature (-115.0°C) than that of Table 2 (-60.2°C).
  • the present invention allows for an effective removal of nitrogen (via stream 50/70) from stream 10.
  • Stream 60 contained only 7.2 mol% N 2 .

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Separation By Low-Temperature Treatments (AREA)
EP15150824.9A 2015-01-12 2015-01-12 Procédé d'élimination d'azote d'un flux contenant de l'azote Withdrawn EP3043134A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP15150824.9A EP3043134A1 (fr) 2015-01-12 2015-01-12 Procédé d'élimination d'azote d'un flux contenant de l'azote

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP15150824.9A EP3043134A1 (fr) 2015-01-12 2015-01-12 Procédé d'élimination d'azote d'un flux contenant de l'azote

Publications (1)

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EP3043134A1 true EP3043134A1 (fr) 2016-07-13

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EP15150824.9A Withdrawn EP3043134A1 (fr) 2015-01-12 2015-01-12 Procédé d'élimination d'azote d'un flux contenant de l'azote

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3160489A (en) * 1961-02-06 1964-12-08 Fluor Corp Nitrogen removal from natural gas
US3360944A (en) * 1966-04-05 1968-01-02 American Messer Corp Gas liquefaction with work expansion of major feed portion
US20030136146A1 (en) * 2002-01-18 2003-07-24 Ernesto Fischer-Calderon Integrated processing of natural gas into liquid products

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3160489A (en) * 1961-02-06 1964-12-08 Fluor Corp Nitrogen removal from natural gas
US3360944A (en) * 1966-04-05 1968-01-02 American Messer Corp Gas liquefaction with work expansion of major feed portion
US20030136146A1 (en) * 2002-01-18 2003-07-24 Ernesto Fischer-Calderon Integrated processing of natural gas into liquid products

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