EP3063486B1 - Method and system for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas - Google Patents

Method and system for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3063486B1
EP3063486B1 EP14790258.9A EP14790258A EP3063486B1 EP 3063486 B1 EP3063486 B1 EP 3063486B1 EP 14790258 A EP14790258 A EP 14790258A EP 3063486 B1 EP3063486 B1 EP 3063486B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
stream
cryogenic fluid
liquefied
gaseous
conduits
Prior art date
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Application number
EP14790258.9A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3063486A2 (en
Inventor
Nicola CASTELLUCCI
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Highview Enterprises Ltd
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Highview Enterprises Ltd
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Priority to PL14790258T priority Critical patent/PL3063486T3/pl
Publication of EP3063486A2 publication Critical patent/EP3063486A2/en
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Publication of EP3063486B1 publication Critical patent/EP3063486B1/en
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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
    • 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
    • F25J1/0002—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the fluid to be liquefied
    • F25J1/0012—Primary atmospheric gases, e.g. air
    • 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
    • F25J1/0012—Primary atmospheric gases, e.g. air
    • F25J1/0015—Nitrogen
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    • 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
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    • 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
    • F25J1/0047—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 an "external" refrigerant stream in a closed vapor compression cycle
    • F25J1/005—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 an "external" refrigerant stream in a closed vapor compression cycle by expansion of a gaseous refrigerant stream with extraction of work
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    • F25J1/0208—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process using a single-component refrigerant [SCR] fluid in a closed vapor compression cycle in combination with an internal quasi-closed refrigeration loop, e.g. with deep flash recycle loop
    • 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
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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    • F25J1/0228—Coupling of the liquefaction unit to other units or processes, so-called integrated processes
    • F25J1/0235—Heat exchange integration
    • F25J1/0236—Heat exchange integration providing refrigeration for different processes treating not the same feed stream
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    • 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
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    • F25J1/0243—Start-up or control of the process; Details of the apparatus used; Details of the refrigerant compression system used
    • F25J1/0244—Operation; Control and regulation; Instrumentation
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    • F25J1/0244—Operation; Control and regulation; Instrumentation
    • F25J1/0245—Different modes, i.e. 'runs', of operation; Process control
    • F25J1/0251—Intermittent or alternating process, so-called batch process, e.g. "peak-shaving"
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    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/02—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process
    • F25J1/0243—Start-up or control of the process; Details of the apparatus used; Details of the refrigerant compression system used
    • F25J1/0257—Construction and layout of liquefaction equipments, e.g. valves, machines
    • F25J1/0262—Details of the cold heat exchange system
    • F25J1/0264—Arrangement of heat exchanger cores in parallel with different functions, e.g. different cooling streams
    • F25J1/0265—Arrangement of heat exchanger cores in parallel with different functions, e.g. different cooling streams comprising cores associated exclusively with the cooling of a refrigerant stream, e.g. for auto-refrigeration or economizer
    • F25J1/0268—Arrangement of heat exchanger cores in parallel with different functions, e.g. different cooling streams comprising cores associated exclusively with the cooling of a refrigerant stream, e.g. for auto-refrigeration or economizer using a dedicated refrigeration means
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    • 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
    • F25J1/02—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process
    • F25J1/0243—Start-up or control of the process; Details of the apparatus used; Details of the refrigerant compression system used
    • F25J1/0279—Compression of refrigerant or internal recycle fluid, e.g. kind of compressor, accumulator, suction drum etc.
    • F25J1/0292—Refrigerant compression by cold or cryogenic suction of the refrigerant gas
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    • F25J2210/00—Processes characterised by the type or other details of the feed stream
    • F25J2210/62—Liquefied natural gas [LNG]; Natural gas liquids [NGL]; Liquefied petroleum gas [LPG]
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    • F25J2270/00—Refrigeration techniques used
    • F25J2270/90—External refrigeration, e.g. conventional closed-loop mechanical refrigeration unit using Freon or NH3, unspecified external refrigeration
    • F25J2270/904—External refrigeration, e.g. conventional closed-loop mechanical refrigeration unit using Freon or NH3, unspecified external refrigeration by liquid or gaseous cryogen in an open loop
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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    • F25J2280/00—Control of the process or apparatus
    • F25J2280/02—Control in general, load changes, different modes ("runs"), measurements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and system for re-liquefying boil-off gas by processing a stream of hydrocarbon gas, a stream of cryogenic fluid, and a stream of boil-off gas. More particularly, the present invention relates to controlling the flow rate of the stream of cryogenic fluid based in part on the flow rates of the streams of hydrocarbon gas and boil-off gas.
  • Natural gas is a key source of energy for the world economy; it is estimated that natural gas supplies approximately one-fifth of global energy needs. This compares to one-third and one-quarter for oil and coal respectively. As is generally the case with bulk energy commodities, natural gas reserves do not lie near the major areas of demand, and so natural gas must be transported and traded internationally. Approximately 30% of natural gas produced globally is traded on the world market.
  • the two principal methods for transporting natural gas are: a) transporting in gaseous form in pipelines; and b) transporting in liquid form as liquefied natural gas (LNG) in transport vessels.
  • LNG liquefied natural gas
  • LNG To transport natural gas in liquid form as LNG, the gas must be liquefied (i.e. changed from a gaseous state to a liquid state).
  • the liquefaction of LNG is an energy intensive process and so is more economical for long distance transport; in particular across oceans.
  • LNG accounts for nearly three-quarters of long-distance natural gas trade. Due to the energy required for its liquefaction, LNG contains a large quantity of embodied cold energy which is released when it is re-gasified (i.e. changed from its liquid state following liquefaction back into its gaseous state).
  • LNG import terminals typically receive LNG from a transport vessel, such as a specially designed cargo ship, and pump it into large capacity low-pressure storage tanks, where it is stored at cryogenic temperatures (around -163 °C).
  • LNG is pumped to high pressure, warmed and vaporised before being exported on the gas network.
  • the export rate, or nomination is highly dependent on gas price.
  • Figure 6 shows an example profile of a year's send-out from an LNG terminal. These conditions require a liquefaction plant to be as flexible and efficient as possible to enable operators to have maximum control over when and how much LNG is exported, whilst maximising storage capacity and longevity.
  • a typical boil-off rate may be 0.05% of the volume per day. However, this rate may increase up to 3 times or more depending on the design and operational requirements of the plant. The boil-off rate may be even higher during transients such as unloading of an LNG cargo.
  • LNG is a multi-component fluid (typically composed of methane, ethane, nitrogen, propane and butane) and it is widely understood that during the storage and handling of such multi-component cryogenic fluids, boil-off may result in a change in their component concentration. This is the result of the different volatilities of the component fluids. Heat ingress will cause the components to evaporate at different rates. The more volatile components (with lower saturation temperatures for a fixed pressure) will tend to evaporate first and the liquid phase will therefore become more concentrated in the less volatile components. This represents an additional problem as strict regional standards for natural gas composition must be respected. Over time, evaporation leads to a costly degradation of the LNG stock. The ratio of the calorific value and the density of the gas (the Wobbe index) must subsequently be controlled by the reinjection of LNG components, typically propane and nitrogen.
  • the transfer of heat from warm pipework to the incoming LNG causes the boil-off rate to increase. This may result in a peak in the rate of boil-off.
  • boil-off cannot be completely eliminated.
  • the loss of LNG stock through boil-off may be eliminated by re-liquefying the boil-off gas and returning it to storage in its liquid form.
  • the full volume of LNG is thus retained and the degradation of the LNG composition is avoided, thus increasing the longevity of the stock.
  • Re-liquefaction is achieved by compressing, cooling and in some cases expanding the boil-off gas.
  • cooling is achieved using closed-loop refrigeration cycles with a refrigerant fluid.
  • the boil-off gas may be employed as a refrigerant fluid by returning a portion of cooled or re-liquefied boil-off gas to the system to perform cooling.
  • the process of re-liquefaction is energy intensive and represents a high operating cost.
  • boil-off gas may be utilised to offset the operating costs of the plant. Examples include extracting useful heat or work from combustion.
  • the benefits of this solution vary according to market conditions as the boil-off gas used in this way is diverted from the gas market. In some cases there may not be sufficient energy requirement in the plant and it is often more cost effective to import energy from external sources.
  • Boil-off gas may alternatively be sent out on the local or regional gas network, but compressing the gaseous boil-off gas to the required pressure for the network is costly. To reduce energy requirements the boil-off gas is often condensed into a stream of supercooled LNG. The resulting liquid may be pumped to higher pressure and gasified to achieve the required network pressure. Alternatively, the boil-off gas may be re-liquefied in heat exchange with a stream of LNG before being mixed in its liquid phase. In any case, since boil-off gas is richer in the more volatile components of LNG, mixing with LNG allows the criteria for gas composition to be respected. However, during this process, up to two units or more of re-gasified LNG must be added to one unit of boil-off gas.
  • Re-liquefaction represents a means of addressing both the loss of LNG over time through boil-off and the degradation of the LNG stock.
  • the operator is afforded maximum control over when and how much gas is exported; crucially, the operator is not required to export gas during unfavourable market conditions.
  • a re-liquefaction process requires the input of work to compress the working fluid.
  • the fluid is then cooled by a cold source.
  • a cold source Those skilled in the art will recognise that the quantity of work required to achieve the required cooling is dependent on the temperature of the cold source. Where the cold source is at ambient temperature, a greater quantity of work is required. Where the cold source is below ambient temperature, for example at cryogenic temperature, the quantity of work required is greatly reduced.
  • US 4329842 describes a system for utilising cold energy from regasification of LNG at an LNG vaporising plant.
  • LNG is taken from an LNG source ship and passed through to a pipeline via a liquid air generating plant where it is used generate liquid air for subsequent use in a power generation system.
  • US 3400547 discloses a process for utilising a cryogenic fluid to facilitate generation and transport of LNG.
  • Cold energy from evaporation of LNG at a market site Is used to liquefy nitrogen, which is transported to the field.
  • cold energy from the liquefied nitrogen is used to liquefy natural gas to form LNG, which is transported back to the market site.
  • US2007/0186563 discloses a method of cold recovery in a cold compressed natural gas cycle.
  • Cold energy from cold compressed natural gas in a cavern is used to liquefy air for storage, with the resulting natural gas being distributed via pipeline.
  • Natural gas may be drawn from the pipeline, cooled using cold energy form the liquefied air, and stored in the cavern.
  • US 3768271 B discloses a method and plant for storing and transporting a liquefied combustible gas.
  • JP 2002 295799 A discloses an LNG storage tank and a liquid nitrogen tank connected to an air separator. Liquid nitrogen of an appropriate quantity is pumped to a heat exchanger for generating gaseous nitrogen from the liquid nitrogen tank while reliquefying BOG from the LNG storage tank. At the same time, gaseous nitrogen boil-off gas is liquefied by gasifying LNG from the storage tank.
  • a method for liquefying boil-off gas according to the invention is disclosed in claim 1.
  • an improved method of re-liquefying boil-off gas is achieved through effective recovery, storage and recycling at a later time of the cold energy released during re-gasification of a hydrocarbon gas.
  • the energy required to re-liquefy boil-off gas using the method of the invention may be more than halved compared with conventional methods.
  • the energy requirements for the method of the invention are low enough to be implemented in existing hydrocarbon gas infrastructure.
  • the method provides a cost-effective technique which improves flexibility of managing the export of hydrocarbon gas according to market conditions; increases the longevity of storage; and effectively increases the storage volume of the hydrocarbon gas tanks by ensuring hydrocarbon gas used in continuous cooling is not lost. It is particularly advantageous in that it reduces the work required for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas by the recycling of cold available on site that would otherwise be unavailable when required.
  • a particular advantage of the present invention is that cold from the re-gasification of hydrocarbon gas may be recovered, stored and utilised in a process for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas independently of the rate and time of cold recovery.
  • a liquefied cryogenic fluid in a fluid store, and by controlling the flow rate of the cryogenic fluid into and out of the store, it is possible to make use of cold recovered from regasification of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas whilst that process is taking place; store the recovered cold in the fluid store; and utilise it when required to re-liquefy boil-off gas.
  • the steps of storing and controlling the cryogenic fluid enable energy to be transferred between two processes even if those processes are not taking place at the same time.
  • the present invention is particularly useful at LNG import terminals and any other LNG storage infrastructure with a regasification plant, where the cold from re-gasification of LNG may be recovered and utilised for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas.
  • cryogenic fluid boil-off gas and hydrocarbon gas in their gaseous and liquefied forms. It should be understood that in each case, the same fluid is being referred to albeit in a different phase. For instance, the invention mentions a liquefied cryogenic fluid. It will be understood that this is the liquefied state of the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid which is also mentioned.
  • cryogenic fluid is described as such in both its gaseous and liquefied forms irrespective of the temperature of the fluid.
  • the gaseous cryogenic fluid may be at near-ambient or above ambient temperatures. Regardless, it is referred to in this application as a cryogenic fluid because it is utilised to transfer heat to and from fluids at cryogenic temperatures.
  • 'cold' is merely the absence of energy, rather than a form of energy itself, it is convenient to use the expression 'cold energy' in a discussion of energy transfer in a cryogenic energy system because it is typically cold temperatures which are sought to be preserved and ingress of heat energy which is sought to be excluded.
  • 'cold energy' is a convenient fiction for describing this technology and is analogous to the transfer and preservation of heat energy in non-cryogenic systems.
  • the method may further comprise the step of processing the stream of gaseous boil-off gas and the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store such that:
  • This method is advantageous because it permits the boil-off gas to be re-liquefied whilst regasification of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas is taking place, as well as at a later time using the cold stored in the cryogenic fluid. This further improves the efficiency of the process because cold energy from regasification can be used to cool boil-off gas directly, whereas cooling using the cryogenic fluid may be reserved for when regasification is not taking place.
  • the steps of: a) transferring heat from the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store; and b) transferring heat from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store; may be concurrent.
  • the cold energy from regasification is used to re-liquefy boil-off gas and cool and liquefy the cryogenic fluid for later use. This may be particularly preferable if there is a plentiful supply of cryogenic fluid; stocks of liquefied cryogenic fluid in the store are low; and/or a long delay is expected until the next regasification of hydrocarbon gas.
  • the step of processing the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid and the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas may further comprise one or both of the steps of: expanding the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid after heat transfer; and compressing the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid prior to heat transfer.
  • the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid may be compressed to a supercritical pressure.
  • the transfer of heat itself is sufficient to effect the change of phase from liquid to gas and vice versa.
  • one fluid will enter a heat exchange (for example) in the liquid phase and exit in the gaseous phase whilst the other will enter the heat exchange in the gaseous phase and exit in the liquid phase.
  • this is not always possible or convenient, and the process is made more efficient by one or both of compressing and expanding one or more of the fluids before and after heat transfer.
  • the method may further comprise the steps of passing the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas through first and second branches.
  • the step of transferring heat from the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store may further comprise:
  • the method further comprises combining the streams of gaseous hydrocarbon gas in the first and second branches.
  • first and second branches Passing the stream through first and second branches enables the cold energy transferred from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas to be used in more than one place.
  • the gaseous cryogenic gas it is advantageous for the gaseous cryogenic gas to undergo initial cooling, prior to compression for example, and then to undergo subsequent cooling to liquefy the cryogenic gas.
  • first and second streams of liquefied hydrocarbon gas both stages of cooling can be achieved by the cold energy from the regasification process.
  • the method further comprises the step of delivering the stream of gaseous hydrocarbon gas to a recipient such as one or more of: a hydrocarbon pipe network; a power station; and a consumer of gaseous hydrocarbon gas.
  • a recipient such as one or more of: a hydrocarbon pipe network; a power station; and a consumer of gaseous hydrocarbon gas.
  • the method further comprises the step of collecting the stream of gaseous boil-off gas, such as by collecting the boil-off gas from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store and/or collecting the boil-off gas from a store, conduit, or collection point coupled to the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store.
  • Boil-off can occur wherever liquefied hydrocarbon gas is present and at risk of being warmed through insufficient insulation. The skilled person is familiar with methods for collecting this boil-off from all over an infrastructure, wherever it occurs - even very far from the tank - and thus efficiencies can be increased.
  • the step of transferring heat from the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from the hydrocarbon gas store may be direct, or it may comprise transferring heat from the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid to a heat transfer fluid in a closed-loop refrigeration circuit and cooling the gaseous cryogenic fluid to a temperature below the saturation temperature of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas; and transferring heat from the heat transfer fluid in the closed-loop refrigeration circuit to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas.
  • Heat transfer takes place indirectly via one or more refrigeration circuits (or equivalent), wherein cold from a source stream is passed to one or more intermediate streams of heat transfer fluid before reaching Its destination stream.
  • cold from the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas i.e. the source stream
  • the closed-loop refrigeration circuit may also involve expanding and compressing the heat transfer fluid to obtain the required temperatures.
  • the step of transferring heat from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from the liquefied hydrocarbon gas store may further comprise:
  • the destination stream for the cold energy which passes from the source stream through the one or more intermediate streams may be more than one stream.
  • cold energy is transferred not only to the stream of gaseous cryogenic gas, but also to the stream of gaseous boil-off gas.
  • the method further comprises processing a stream of ambient air to form the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid.
  • processing a stream of ambient air may involve, for example, filtering the stream of ambient air to remove moisture, carbon dioxide and/or hydrocarbons; and/or compressing the stream of ambient air.
  • Air is particularly advantageous due to its abundance. This permits a readily available supply of gaseous cryogenic fluid for use on demand.
  • the method further comprises passing the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid through a separator prior to it entering the liquefied cryogenic fluid tank to separate any residual vapour phase from the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid, and returning the residual vapour phase to the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid.
  • cryogenic fluid may suffer boil-off within the infrastructure itself, in particular before the liquefied cryogenic fluid enters the store.
  • the liquefaction of cryogenic fluid may not be 100% efficient, and there may be cryogenic fluid in the vapour or gas phase even after the stream has been processed.
  • separating the vapour or gas phase and returning it to the gaseous stream of cryogenic fluid is particularly advantageous because the efficiency of the liquefaction process is improved.
  • the method further comprises pumping the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid from the liquefied cryogenic fluid store to increase its pressure prior to the step of transferring heat from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas to the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid from the liquefied cryogenic fluid store.
  • the step of transferring heat from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas to the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid from the liquefied cryogenic fluid store results in a second stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid.
  • the method may further comprise the step of expanding the second stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid to extract work from the stream.
  • the step of expanding the second stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid to extract work from the second stream may be performed in a single-stage expansion device, a two-stage expansion device, or a multi-stage expansion device.
  • the method further comprises super-heating the second stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid prior to one or more stages of expansion.
  • the heat source for super-heating the cryogenic fluid may be ambient air. It may otherwise be any heat source from a co-located process with a temperature of up to 500°C, for instance.
  • the method further comprises the step of converting the work extracted from the second stream into electricity.
  • the work required by the process (such as the work done in compressing the gaseous cryogenic fluid and/or pumping the liquefied cryogenic fluid) may be offset. Steps of increasing the pressure of the liquefied cryogenic fluid, and expanding and superheating the cryogenic fluid increase the efficiency by which work may be extracted from the stream. This work may be converted to electricity using an electric generator.
  • a system for liquefying boil-off gas according to the Invention is disclosed in claim 2.
  • the first and second arrangements of conduits may be arranged such that heat is transferred from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas passing through the second arrangement of conduits to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas passing through the first arrangement of conduits.
  • the third arrangement of conduits may comprise a compressor for compressing the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid.
  • the first arrangement of conduits may comprise a first branch and a second branch.
  • the first branch is preferably arranged such that heat is transferred to a stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas passing through the first branch from the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid passing through the third arrangement of conduits at a first heat exchange region upstream of the compressor.
  • the second branch is preferably arranged such that heat is transferred to a stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas passing through the second branch from a stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid passing through the third arrangement of conduits at a second heat exchange region downstream of the compressor.
  • the first and second branches may bifurcate from a single conduit upstream of the first and second heat exchange regions, and recombine to a single conduit downstream of the first and second heat exchange regions.
  • the source of boil-off gas may be the first store, and/or a store, conduit, or collection point coupled to the first store.
  • the first and third arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred between the first and third arrangements of conduits via a closed-loop refrigeration circuit comprising a heat transfer fluid passing through a fifth arrangement of conduits.
  • the fifth and third arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred from the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid passing through the third arrangement of conduits to the heat transfer fluid passing through the fifth arrangement of conduits.
  • the fifth and first arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred from the heat transfer fluid passing through the fifth arrangement of conduits to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas passing through the first arrangement of conduits.
  • first and second arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas passing through the second arrangement of conduits to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas passing through the first arrangement of conduits
  • first and second arrangements of conduits may also be arranged such that heat is transferred between the first and second arrangements of conduits via the closed-loop refrigeration circuit.
  • the fifth and second arrangements of conduits may be arranged such that heat is transferred from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas passing through the second arrangement of conduits to the heat transfer fluid passing through the fifth arrangement of conduits.
  • the second branch may be arranged such that heat is transferred from the heat transfer fluid passing through the fifth arrangement of conduits to the stream of liquefied hydrocarbon gas passing through the second branch.
  • the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid air, and the third arrangement of conduits further comprises one or both of: a filtration system for removing moisture, carbon dioxide and/or hydrocarbons from a stream of ambient air; and a compressor for compressing a stream of ambient air.
  • a filtration system for removing moisture, carbon dioxide and/or hydrocarbons from a stream of ambient air
  • a compressor for compressing a stream of ambient air.
  • the third arrangement of conduits may further comprise a separator upstream of the second store for extracting any residual vapour phase from the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid passing through the third arrangement of conduits prior to entering the second store, and a return conduit arranged to direct the residual vapour phase extracted from the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid to the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid passing through the third arrangement of conduits.
  • the second and fourth arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred between the second and fourth arrangements of conduits at a third heat exchange region and the fourth arrangement of conduits further comprises a pump upstream of the third heat exchange region for pumping the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid passing through the fourth arrangement of conduits prior to it passing through the third heat exchange region.
  • the third heat exchange region is configured such that heat is transferred from the stream of gaseous boil-off gas passing through the second arrangement of conduits to the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid passing through the fourth arrangement of conduits to produce a second stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid.
  • the fourth arrangement of conduits further comprises an expansion device for expanding the second stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid and extracting work from the second stream of cryogenic fluid.
  • the expansion device may be a single-stage expansion device, a two-stage expansion device, or a multi-stage expansion device.
  • the fourth arrangement of conduits is coupled to one or more super-heaters, wherein each super-heater is either upstream of the first stage of the expansion device or between stages of the expansion device.
  • each super-heater is either upstream of the first stage of the expansion device or between stages of the expansion device.
  • the system will comprise a first superheater upstream of the first stage, a second superheater between the first and second stages, and a third superheater between the second and third stages.
  • the terms 'upstream' and 'between' do not preclude the possibility of there being other components (valves, an suchlike) between a superheater and a respective stage. It will be appreciated that not every stage need have a corresponding superheater. For a given arrangement in an expansion device, any number of superheaters may be provided in any arrangement appropriate for the circumstances.
  • first, second, third and fourth arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred between the first and third arrangements of conduits, between the second and fourth arrangements of conduits, at a single heat exchange region.
  • the heat exchange region may be provided by a single heat exchange (i.e. such that heat transfer is effected directly), or by a plurality of heat exchangers .i.e. such that heat transfer is effected via the aforementioned closed-loop refrigeration circuit.
  • first, second, third and fourth arrangements of conduits are arranged such that heat is transferred between the first and second arrangements of conduits at the single heat exchange region.
  • the closed-loop refrigeration circuit mentioned above may operate using one of a single-phase Brayton cycle and a dual-phase Rankine cycle.
  • the heat transfer fluid may be any fluid with the appropriate thermo-dynamic properties with respect to the saturation temperatures of the hydrocarbon gas and the cryogenic fluid.
  • nitrogen or propane may be used, both of which are typically available at a hydrocarbon gas terminal.
  • the cryogenic fluid mentioned above may be one of nitrogen or air, preferably ambient air. Nitrogen is typically available at a hydrocarbon gas terminal and requires minimal processing before it can be used, whereas air is abundant.
  • the liquefied hydrocarbon gas mentioned herein is preferably Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
  • LNG is the predominant kind of hydrocarbon gas in current supply, and therefore the present invention finds particular utility with LNG.
  • the present invention may be implemented with any hydrocarbon gas wherein the re-liquefaction of boil-off in any application where a hydrocarbon which is normally in its gaseous phase under ambient conditions is stored as a cryogenic liquid in large quantities and then re-gasified for use.
  • a first embodiment of the present invention uses a cryogenic fluid, such as liquid air or liquid nitrogen, to store the cold from the re-gasification of LNG.
  • a cryogenic fluid such as liquid air or liquid nitrogen
  • the LNG is pumped to high pressure and split into two streams, whereby the first stream is warmed and vaporised in heat exchange with the cryogenic fluid in its gaseous phase; and the second stream is warmed and vaporised in heat exchange with a refrigerant, typically nitrogen, in a closed-loop refrigeration cycle.
  • a refrigerant typically nitrogen
  • the two, now gaseous, streams are then merged into a single stream of gaseous natural gas for export.
  • the re-gasified natural gas is sent, as known in the art, to a recipient, which may form part of the LNG infrastructure or be an external infrastructure or customer. Examples include, but are not limited to: a gas sendout station, a pipe network, a power station, and a bottling plant.
  • the stream may be split and sent to multiple recipients.
  • the cryogenic fluid is supplied in its gaseous form at near ambient temperature and is pre-cooled in heat exchange with the first stream of LNG; compressed using a compressor to supercritical pressure; sub-cooled in heat exchange with the refrigerant in the closed-loop refrigeration cycle; and expanded, whereby it condenses to form a cryogenic liquid.
  • the closed-loop refrigeration cycle is used to cool the cryogenic fluid to a temperature below the saturation temperature of LNG.
  • the closed-loop system may be a single-phase Brayton cycle wherein the heat transfer fluid is compressed with a compressor; cooled in counter-flow heat exchange with the second stream of LNG; expanded in an expander; and warmed in heat exchange with the pre-cooled, compressed gaseous phase cryogenic fluid.
  • the present invention uses some of the cold produced by re-gasification of the LNG to re-liquefy boil-off gas.
  • the boil-off gas is compressed with a compressor; and cooled in counter-flow heat exchange with the refrigerant in the closed-loop refrigeration cycle, whereby its condenses into liquid phase.
  • the present invention uses the cold stored in the cryogenic fluid to re-liquefy boil-off gas.
  • the boil-off gas is compressed using a compressor; and cooled in heat exchange with the cryogenic fluid such that it becomes liquid.
  • the warmed cryogenic fluid is thus vaporised, super-heated; and expanded isentropically through one or multiple turbo-expansion stages, thus producing work.
  • the present invention may use both the cold from the re-gasification of LNG and the cold stored in the cryogenic fluid to re-liquefy boil-off gas.
  • the system is able to operate flexibly, at different operating points, by altering the flow of boil-off gas (e.g. by changing the flow rate and/or by redirecting the boil-off gas as described below) and by adjusting the duty of the nitrogen and boil-off gas compressors accordingly.
  • a cryogenic store (e.g. storage tank) is provided for storing the cryogenic fluid, allowing the flow of cryogenic fluid in and the flow of cryogenic fluid out to be controlled independently.
  • the heat transfer rate between the cryogenic fluid and the LNG, and the heat transfer rate between the boil-off gas and the cryogenic fluid from the cryogenic storage tank may be independently and dynamically controlled by varying the flow rate of the cryogenic fluid into and the flow rate of the cryogenic fluid out of the cryogenic storage tank respectively.
  • the re-gasification of LNG and the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas may therefore occur independently at different times and at different rates.
  • the flow rates may be controlled in response to both current, real time operational parameters and future predicted operational parameters in order to optimise the management of the LNG stock in the LNG tank.
  • Operational parameters include, for example, one or more of demand for LNG, availability of LNG or cryogenic fluid, and rate of boil-off
  • the flow rate of liquid cryogenic fluid out of the cryogenic storage tank may be controlled as a function of the measured flow of boil-off gas.
  • the period of low, or zero, LNG sendout is predicted to be short, it may be preferential to economise the stock of liquid cryogenic fluid in the cryogenic storage tank and allow boil-off gas to accumulate within the pressure limits of the LNG tank.
  • the flow-rate of gaseous cryogenic fluid may be controlled as a function of the LNG sendout rate. Alternatively, it may be reduced as the cryogenic storage tank approaches full capacity.
  • boil-off gas may be mixed in its gaseous phase with the gasified liquid natural gas rather than being re-liquefied.
  • the cold boil-off gas which comes from an LNG tank or a chamber, vessel, header or anywhere where boil-off gas is collected, is withdrawn via conduit 1 by compressor 3.
  • Boil-off gas is compressed into conduit 2 from the tank storage pressure, which normally is just above ambient pressure, to between 1 and 10 bar, but more typically 3 to 6 bar.
  • tank storage pressure normally is just above ambient pressure, to between 1 and 10 bar, but more typically 3 to 6 bar.
  • Boil-off gas which is now in its liquid form, thus can be used as LNG, is then expanded through an expansion device 7, and conveyed by pump 9 to an LNG tank 11 via conduit 10.
  • the method of independent claim 1 is not performed if no heat is transferred from the stream of boil-off gas to the stream of cryogenic fluid from the fluid store.
  • Nitrogen in gaseous form, available at a pressure between 1 and 16 bar, but more typically 6 to 9 bar, is withdrawn via conduit 12 and passed through heat exchanger 13 where it is cooled to near LNG storage temperature. Nitrogen is then compressed by a single or multistage compressor 15 to a pressure between 50 and 70 bar, but more typically 54 to 60 bar. Nitrogen, which is now above its supercritical pressure, is cooled in heat exchanger 5 to between -155°C and -185°C, but more typically -165°C and -175°C. Leaving the heat exchanger the nitrogen passes through conduit 21 and then expands through the expansion device 22. The liquid fraction obtained from the isenthalpic expansion, which in this embodiment is 100%, passes through conduit 23 to reach the liquid nitrogen storage tank 24.
  • Cooling to heat exchanger 5 is supplied by the refrigeration cycle shown between heat exchangers 5 and 29, where a refrigerant gas, typically nitrogen, is compressed by compressor 37 to between 4 bar and 16 bar, but more typically 7 bar to 10 bar, fed to heat exchanger 29, wherein it is cooled by heat exchange with LNG to between -161°C and - 140°C, but more typically -156°C.
  • the cold refrigerant passes through conduit 39 to reach the inlet of the expansion device 40, where the refrigerant is expanded to between 1 bar and 7 bar, but more typically 2 to 4 bar.
  • the refrigerant passes through conduit 41 and is fed to heat exchanger 5 at a temperature between -190°C and -170°C, more typically - 185°C.
  • Cooling to heat exchangers 29 and 13 is supplied by the LNG which is withdrawn from the LNG tank 11 by the LNG pump 26, pumped to a pressure between 60bar and 150 bar, more typically 80 bar and 120 bar.
  • the high pressure LNG in conduit 27 is then split in two streams.
  • a proportion of the LNG flow is directed to heat exchanger 29 via conduit 28 and the rest is sent to heat exchanger 13 via conduit 32.
  • Conduit 30 and 33 are merged together to form conduit 34 and convey the LNG, which is now in gaseous form, to the natural gas distribution network.
  • the send-out rate can vary between 0% and 100% of the maximum capacity of the LNG re-gasification terminal.
  • the send-out rate is above a certain threshold there is enough cold to liquefy the boil-off gas stream and the nitrogen stream.
  • this threshold it is enough to turn down the nitrogen compressor 15 to adjust the system to the new operating conditions.
  • the preferred system can easily adjust to any level of send-out rate by completely stopping compressor 15 and, should the LNG send-out rate drop even further, diverting some of the compressed boil-off gas to conduit 42.
  • the boil-off gas is then conveyed to heat exchanger 43, wherein it is cooled, liquefied and subcooled by heat exchange with liquid nitrogen.
  • Boil-off gas which is now in its liquid form, is then expanded through an expansion device 45, and conveyed by pump 47 to an LNG tank 11 via conduit 48.
  • the liquid nitrogen flow rate which passes through heat exchanger 43 is throttled by control valve 50.
  • the nitrogen emerges from heat exchanger 43 in conduit 52 in its gaseous form.
  • the nitrogen is then superheated in heat exchanger 53 to any temperature up to 500°C and expanded through a turbine 55 to recover the energy.
  • the expansion of the nitrogen stream can be done in a single stage, two stages, as shown in Fig.1 , or several stages with intermediate heat exchangers for superheating the nitrogen.
  • Control of the system is achieved using any conventional controller which operates to vary the duty of gaseous cryogenic fluid compressor 15 to control the flow rate of the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid; open and close valve 50 to control the flow rate of the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid from tank 24; and optionally vary the duty of gaseous boil-off gas compressor 3 to control the flow rate of the stream of gaseous boil-off gas.
  • any conventional controller which operates to vary the duty of gaseous cryogenic fluid compressor 15 to control the flow rate of the stream of gaseous cryogenic fluid; open and close valve 50 to control the flow rate of the stream of liquefied cryogenic fluid from tank 24; and optionally vary the duty of gaseous boil-off gas compressor 3 to control the flow rate of the stream of gaseous boil-off gas.
  • other means for controlling the flow rates of these streams are possible and within the capabilities of a skilled person to implement depending on particular circumstances.
  • FIG.2 A system diagram of a second embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig.2 .
  • the second embodiment is identical to the first in every way, except that the cryogenic fluid is air rather than nitrogen.
  • conduit 12 no longer coveys gaseous nitrogen but ambient air which has undergone a cleaning, scrubbing and drying process.
  • Ambient air is withdrawn through conduit 61, it undergoes a first stage of cleaning as it passes through the air filter 62, compressed by compressor 64, sent to the air filtration unit 66, where moisture, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons are removed, before emerging as clean and dry air in conduit 12.
  • FIG.3 A system diagram of a third embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig.3 .
  • the third embodiment is identical to the first in every way, except that the liquid fraction obtained from the isenthalpic expansion of the nitrogen is not 100%, resulting in a vapour or gas phase of nitrogen existing immediately upstream of the nitrogen tank 24.
  • a separator 17 is added between the tank 24 and the expansion device 22.
  • the liquid and the vapour fraction obtained from the isenthalpic expansion passes through conduit 23 to reach the separator 17, wherein the liquid fraction is conveyed via conduit 18 to the nitrogen storage tank 24 and the vapour fraction is conveyed via conduit 19 to heat exchanger 5.
  • the nitrogen is warmed by heat exchange with incoming warm nitrogen and boil-off gas in heat exchanger 5 and then conveyed via conduit 20 back to the suction side of compressor 15 where it joins the incoming nitrogen in conduit 12.
  • FIG.4 A system diagram of a fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig.4 .
  • the fourth embodiment is identical to the first in every way, except that a pump 35 is installed downstream of the control valve to raise the pressure of the liquefied nitrogen from the nitrogen tank to between 100 bar and 200 bar, but more typically 120 bar and 150 bar.
  • the nitrogen emerges from heat exchanger 43 at high pressure and enters conduit 52 in its gaseous form.
  • the nitrogen is then superheated in heat exchanger 53 to any temperature up to 500°C and expanded through a turbine 55 to recover the energy.
  • the expansion of the nitrogen stream can be done in a single stage, two stages, as shown in Fig.4 , or several stages with intermediate heat exchangers for superheating the nitrogen.
  • the expansion turbines would be able to generate more power per unit mass of nitrogen compared to the first embodiment of this invention but a higher flow rate of nitrogen would be required to liquefy the same boil-off gas flow rate.
  • FIG.5 A system diagram of a fifth embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig.5 .
  • the fifth embodiment is identical to the first in every way, except that heat exchanger 5 and heat exchanger 43 from previous embodiments are replaced with a single heat exchanger 70.
  • the system no longer needs a separate heat exchanger to liquefy the boil-off gas when using liquid nitrogen.

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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)
  • Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
  • Separation By Low-Temperature Treatments (AREA)
EP14790258.9A 2013-10-28 2014-10-15 Method and system for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas Active EP3063486B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PL14790258T PL3063486T3 (pl) 2013-10-28 2014-10-15 Sposób i układ powtórnego skraplania gazu straconego wskutek wyparowania

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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GB1318996.4A GB2519594A (en) 2013-10-28 2013-10-28 Method and system for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas
PCT/GB2014/053090 WO2015063453A2 (en) 2013-10-28 2014-10-15 Method and system for the re-liquefaction of boil-off gas

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EP3063486A2 EP3063486A2 (en) 2016-09-07
EP3063486B1 true EP3063486B1 (en) 2020-07-08

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JP (1) JP6591410B2 (zh)
CN (1) CN105683690B (zh)
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RU2612240C1 (ru) * 2015-10-22 2017-03-03 Межрегиональное общественное учреждение "Институт инженерной физики" Установка для сжижения газов
FR3080906B1 (fr) * 2018-05-07 2021-01-15 Air Liquide Procede et installation de stockage et de distribution d'hydrogene liquefie
US20220128195A1 (en) * 2020-10-28 2022-04-28 Air Products And Chemicals, Inc. Method and System for Forming and Dispensing a Compressed Gas
IT202100020159A1 (it) * 2021-07-28 2023-01-28 Saipem Spa Processo di ricondensazione del bog mediante le frigorie di liquidi criogenici cogenerati nel processo di vaporizzazione del lng
NO20211391A1 (en) * 2021-11-19 2023-05-22 Econnect Energy As System and method for cooling of a liquefied gas product

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JP3664818B2 (ja) * 1996-08-02 2005-06-29 三菱重工業株式会社 ドライアイス、液化窒素の製造方法及びその装置並びにボイルオフガスの再液化方法及びその装置
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JP5148319B2 (ja) * 2008-02-27 2013-02-20 三菱重工業株式会社 液化ガス再液化装置、これを備えた液化ガス貯蔵設備および液化ガス運搬船、並びに液化ガス再液化方法
JP5339522B2 (ja) * 2009-05-12 2013-11-13 ジャパンマリンユナイテッド株式会社 液化ガス貯蔵システム
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Publication number Publication date
PT3063486T (pt) 2020-10-01
CN105683690B (zh) 2020-03-13
ES2819212T3 (es) 2021-04-15
WO2015063453A2 (en) 2015-05-07
JP2016535211A (ja) 2016-11-10
DK3063486T3 (da) 2020-09-07
EP3063486A2 (en) 2016-09-07
PL3063486T3 (pl) 2021-02-08
CN105683690A (zh) 2016-06-15
GB2519594A (en) 2015-04-29
WO2015063453A3 (en) 2015-08-27
GB201318996D0 (en) 2013-12-11
JP6591410B2 (ja) 2019-10-16

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