US20120118007A1 - Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility - Google Patents
Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility Download PDFInfo
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- US20120118007A1 US20120118007A1 US13/106,446 US201113106446A US2012118007A1 US 20120118007 A1 US20120118007 A1 US 20120118007A1 US 201113106446 A US201113106446 A US 201113106446A US 2012118007 A1 US2012118007 A1 US 2012118007A1
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- stream
- natural gas
- distillation column
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- 239000003949 liquefied natural gas Substances 0.000 title claims description 70
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 39
- 238000004821 distillation Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 63
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 286
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 claims description 74
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 42
- 238000005057 refrigeration Methods 0.000 claims description 20
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000010992 reflux Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000006227 byproduct Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000013589 supplement Substances 0.000 claims 1
- ATUOYWHBWRKTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Propane Chemical compound CCC ATUOYWHBWRKTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 114
- VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethene Chemical compound C=C VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 62
- 239000005977 Ethylene Substances 0.000 description 60
- 239000001294 propane Substances 0.000 description 57
- 239000003507 refrigerant Substances 0.000 description 51
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 9
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 9
- 239000012071 phase Substances 0.000 description 8
- 238000004088 simulation Methods 0.000 description 8
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 229910001868 water Inorganic materials 0.000 description 7
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000007791 liquid phase Substances 0.000 description 3
- QSHDDOUJBYECFT-UHFFFAOYSA-N mercury Chemical compound [Hg] QSHDDOUJBYECFT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910052753 mercury Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000012808 vapor phase Substances 0.000 description 3
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- OTMSDBZUPAUEDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethane Chemical compound CC OTMSDBZUPAUEDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 241000183024 Populus tremula Species 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002826 coolant Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012163 sequencing technique Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009835 boiling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012467 final product Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000002731 mercury compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003381 stabilizer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008016 vaporization Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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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
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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
- F25J1/003—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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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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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
- F25J1/0047—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
- F25J1/0052—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 vaporising a liquid refrigerant 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
- 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
- F25J1/0203—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
- 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
- F25J1/0209—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 as at least a three level refrigeration cascade
- F25J1/021—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 as at least a three level refrigeration cascade using a deep flash recycle loop
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- 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
- F25J1/02—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
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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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
- F25J1/0257—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
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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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
- F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
- F25J3/02—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream
- F25J3/0204—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream characterised by the feed stream
- F25J3/0209—Natural gas or substitute natural gas
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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- F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
- F25J3/02—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream
- F25J3/0228—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream characterised by the separated product stream
- F25J3/0233—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream characterised by the separated product stream separation of CnHm with 1 carbon atom or more
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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
- F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
- F25J3/02—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream
- F25J3/0228—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream characterised by the separated product stream
- F25J3/0238—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream characterised by the separated product stream separation of CnHm with 2 carbon atoms or more
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
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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
- F25J2200/00—Processes or apparatus using separation by rectification
- F25J2200/02—Processes or apparatus using separation by rectification in a single pressure main column system
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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
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- F25J2200/04—Processes or apparatus using separation by rectification in a dual pressure main column system
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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
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- F25J2200/40—Features relating to the provision of boil-up in the bottom of a column
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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
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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
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- F25J2205/00—Processes or apparatus using other separation and/or other processing means
- F25J2205/02—Processes or apparatus using other separation and/or other processing means using simple phase separation in a vessel or drum
- F25J2205/04—Processes or apparatus using other separation and/or other processing means using simple phase separation in a vessel or drum in the feed line, i.e. upstream of the fractionation step
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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
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- F25J2240/00—Processes or apparatus involving steps for expanding of process streams
- F25J2240/02—Expansion of a process fluid in a work-extracting turbine (i.e. isentropic expansion), e.g. of the 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
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- F25J2270/60—Closed external refrigeration cycle with single component refrigerant [SCR], e.g. C1-, C2- or C3-hydrocarbons
Definitions
- This invention relates to systems and processes for liquefying natural gas.
- the invention concerns LNG processes and facilities employing a heavies removal system.
- the invention concerns heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with a heavies removal system in an LNG facility.
- Cryogenic liquefaction is commonly used to convert natural gas into a more convenient form for transportation and/or storage. Because liquefying natural gas greatly reduces its specific volume, large quantities of natural gas can be economically transported and/or stored in liquefied form.
- LNG liquefied natural gas
- LNG can be “stockpiled” for use when natural gas demand is low and/or supply is high.
- future demand peaks can be met with LNG from storage, which can be vaporized as demand requires.
- PLNG pressurized LNG
- Other methods produce an LNG product having a pressure at or near atmospheric pressure.
- these non-pressurized LNG production methods involve cooling a natural gas stream through indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants and then expanding the cooled natural gas stream to near atmospheric pressure.
- most LNG facilities employ one or more systems to remove contaminants (e.g., water, mercury and mercury components, acid gases, and nitrogen, as well as a portion of ethane and heavier components) from the natural gas stream at different points during the liquefaction process.
- LNG facilities are designed and operated to provide LNG to a single market in a specific region of the world. Because specifications for the final characteristics of the natural gas product, such as, for example, higher heating value (HHV), Wobbe index, methane content, ethane content, C 3 + content, and inerts content vary widely throughout the world, LNG facilities are typically optimized to meet a certain set of specifications for a single market. In large part, achieving the stringent final product specifications involves effectively removing certain components from the natural gas feed stream. LNG facilities may employ one or more distillation columns to remove these components from the incoming natural gas stream. Oftentimes, the heavies removal system is configured in a two column arrangement utilizing a high pressure demethanizer followed by a lower downstream column.
- At least one of the columns used to separate the heavier components from the natural gas stream can generally be operated at or near the critical pressure of the components being separated.
- a process for liquefying a natural gas stream in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility includes: (a) cooling at least a portion of the natural gas stream in an upstream refrigeration cycle to thereby produce a cooled natural gas stream; (b) introducing at least a portion of the cooled natural stream into an inlet of a first distillation column; (c) introducing at least a portion of the natural gas stream to provide heat duty to a first reboiler associated with the first distillation column to produce a first heated vapor fraction and a first heated liquid fraction from a reboiler inlet stream while cooling the portion of the natural gas stream and returning the cooled portion of the natural gas stream to the LNG facility; (d) using the first distillation column and the first reboiler and associated first heated vapor fraction from the reboiler inlet stream to separate all incoming streams into a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream, wherein the first column
- FIG. 1 is a simplified overview of a cascade-type LNG facility configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cascade-type LNG facility configured in accordance with one embodiment of present invention with certain portions of the LNG facility connecting to lines A, B, C, D, E and/or F being illustrated in FIG. 1 ; and
- FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a heavies removal zone integrated into the LNG facility of FIG. 1 through lines A, B, C, D, E and/or F.
- the present invention can be implemented in a facility used to cool natural gas to its liquefaction temperature to thereby produce liquefied natural gas (LNG).
- the LNG facility generally employs one or more refrigerants to extract heat from the natural gas and reject to the environment.
- the present invention can be implemented in a mixed refrigerant LNG system.
- mixed refrigerant processes can include, but are not limited to, a single refrigeration system using a mixed refrigerant, a propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant system, and a dual mixed refrigerant system.
- the present invention is implemented in a cascade LNG system employing a cascade-type refrigeration process using one or more predominately pure component refrigerants.
- the refrigerants utilized in cascade-type refrigeration processes can have successively lower boiling points in order to facilitate heat removal from the natural gas stream being liquefied.
- cascade-type refrigeration processes can include some level of heat integration.
- a cascade-type refrigeration process can cool one or more refrigerants having a higher volatility through indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants having a lower volatility.
- cascade and mixed-refrigerant LNG systems can employ one or more expansion cooling stages to simultaneously cool the LNG while reducing its pressure.
- FIG. 1 one embodiment of a cascade-type LNG facility in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated.
- the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 generally comprises a propane refrigeration cycle 30 , an ethylene refrigeration cycle 50 , and a methane refrigeration cycle 70 with an expansion section 80 .
- FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate embodiments of heavies removal zones capable of being integrated into the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 . While “propane,” “ethylene,” and “methane” are used to refer to respective first, second, and third refrigerants, it should be understood that the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 and described herein can apply to any combination of suitable refrigerants.
- the main components of propane refrigeration cycle 30 include a propane compressor 31 , a propane cooler/condenser 32 , high-stage propane chillers 33 A and 33 B, an intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 , and a low-stage propane chiller 35 .
- the main components of ethylene refrigeration cycle 50 include an ethylene compressor 51 , an ethylene cooler 52 , a high-stage ethylene chiller 53 , a low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 , and an ethylene economizer 56 .
- the main components of methane refrigeration cycle 70 include a methane compressor 71 , a methane cooler 72 , and a methane economizer 73 .
- the main components of expansion section 80 include a high-stage methane expansion valve and/or expander 81 , a high-stage methane flash drum 82 , an intermediate-stage methane expansion valve and/or expander 83 , an intermediate-stage methane flash drum 84 , a low-stage methane expansion valve and/or expander 85 , and a low-stage methane flash drum 86 .
- FIGS. 2 and 3 present embodiments of a heavies removal zone that is integrated into the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 through lines A-F.
- propane refrigeration cycle 30 Propane is compressed in multi-stage (e.g., three-stage) propane compressor 31 driven by, for example, a gas turbine driver (not illustrated).
- the stages of compression may exist in a single unit or two or more separate units mechanically coupled to a single driver.
- the propane is passed through conduit 300 to propane cooler 32 , wherein it is cooled and liquefied through indirect heat exchange with an external fluid (e.g., air or water).
- the stream from propane cooler 32 can then be passed through conduit 302 to a pressure reduction means, illustrated as expansion valve 36 A, wherein the pressure of the liquefied propane is reduced, thereby evaporating or flashing a portion thereof.
- the resulting two-phase stream then flows through conduit 304 a into high-stage propane chiller 33 a .
- High stage propane chiller 33 a uses the flashed propane refrigerant to cool the incoming natural gas stream in conduit 110 .
- the cooled natural gas stream from high-stage propane chiller 33 a flows through conduit 114 to a separation vessel, wherein water and in some cases propane and heavier components are removed, typically followed by a treatment system 40 , in cases where not already completed in upstream processing, wherein moisture, mercury and mercury compounds, particulates, and other contaminants are removed to create a treated stream.
- the stream exits the treatment system 40 through conduit 116 .
- a portion of the stream in conduit 116 can be routed through conduit A to a heavies removal zone illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3 , which will be discussed in detail shortly.
- the remaining portion of the stream in conduit 116 is combined with a yet-to-be discussed stream in conduit G exiting the heavies removal zone illustrated.
- the combined stream can then enter intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 , wherein the stream is cooled in indirect heat exchange means 41 through indirect heat exchange with a yet-to-be-discussed propane refrigerant stream.
- the resulting cooled stream in conduit 118 can then be recombined with a yet-to-be-discussed stream in conduit B exiting heavies removal zone illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3 , and the combined stream can then be routed to low-stage propane chiller 35 , wherein the stream can be further cooled through indirect heat exchange means 42 .
- the resultant cooled stream can then exit low-stage propane chiller 35 through conduit 120 .
- the cooled stream in conduit 120 can be routed to high-stage ethylene chiller 53 , which will be discussed in more detail shortly.
- the combined vaporized propane refrigerant stream exiting high-stage propane chillers 33 and 33 A is returned to the high-stage inlet port of propane compressor 31 through conduit 306 .
- the liquid propane refrigerant in high-stage propane chiller 33 A provides refrigeration duty for the natural gas stream 110 .
- Two-phase refrigerant stream can enter the intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 through conduit 310 , thereby providing coolant for the natural gas stream (in conduit 116 ) and to yet-to-be-discussed streams entering intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 through conduits 204 and 310 .
- the vaporized portion of the propane refrigerant exits intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 through conduit 312 and can then enter the intermediate-stage inlet port of propane compressor 31 .
- the liquefied portion of the propane refrigerant exits intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 through conduit 314 and is passed through a pressure-reduction means, illustrated here as expansion valve 44 , whereupon the pressure of the liquefied propane refrigerant is reduced to thereby flash or vaporize a portion thereof.
- the resulting vapor-liquid refrigerant stream can then be routed to low-stage propane chiller 35 through conduit 316 and where the refrigerant stream can cool the methane-rich stream and a yet-to-be-discussed ethylene refrigerant stream entering low-stage propane chiller 35 through conduits 118 and 206 , respectively.
- the vaporized propane refrigerant stream then exits low-stage propane chiller 35 and is routed to the low-stage inlet port of propane compressor 31 through conduit 318 wherein it is compressed and recycled as previously described.
- a stream of ethylene refrigerant in conduit 202 enters high-stage propane chiller 33 b , wherein the ethylene stream is cooled through indirect heat exchange means 39 .
- the resulting cooled ethylene stream can then be routed in conduit 204 from high-stage propane chiller 33 b to intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 .
- the ethylene refrigerant stream can be further cooled through indirect heat exchange means 45 in intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 .
- the resulting cooled ethylene stream can then exit intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 and can be routed through conduit 206 to enter low-stage propane chiller 35 .
- the ethylene refrigerant stream can be at least partially condensed, or condensed in its entirety, through indirect heat exchange means 46 .
- the resulting stream exits low-stage propane chiller 35 through conduit 208 and can subsequently be routed to a separation vessel 47 , wherein a vapor portion of the stream, if present, can be removed through conduit 210 , while a liquid portion of the ethylene refrigerant stream can exit separator 47 through conduit 212 .
- the liquid portion of the ethylene refrigerant stream exiting separator 47 can have a representative temperature and pressure of about ⁇ 24° F. (about ⁇ 31° C.) and about 285 psia (about 1,965 kPa).
- the liquefied ethylene refrigerant stream in conduit 212 can enter ethylene economizer 56 , wherein the stream can be further cooled by an indirect heat exchange means 57 .
- the resulting cooled liquid ethylene stream in conduit 214 can then be routed through a pressure reduction means, illustrated here as expansion valve 58 , whereupon the pressure of the cooled predominantly liquid ethylene stream is reduced to thereby flash or vaporize a portion thereof.
- the cooled, two-phase stream in conduit 215 can then enter high-stage ethylene chiller 53 .
- high-stage ethylene chiller 53 At least a portion of the ethylene refrigerant stream can vaporize to further cool the stream in conduit 121 entering an indirect heat exchange means 59 .
- the vaporized and remaining liquefied ethylene refrigerant exits high-stage ethylene chiller 53 through respective conduits 216 and 220 .
- the vaporized ethylene refrigerant in conduit 216 can re-enter ethylene economizer 56 , wherein the stream can be warmed through an indirect heat exchange means 60 prior to entering the high-stage inlet port of ethylene compressor 51 through conduit 218 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the cooled stream in conduit 120 exiting low-stage propane chiller 35 can thereafter be split into two portions, as shown in FIG. 1 . At least a portion of the natural gas stream can be routed through conduit E. While the remaining portion of the cooled natural gas stream in conduit 121 can be routed to high-stage ethylene chiller 53 , and then can be and cooled in indirect heat exchange means 59 of high-stage ethylene chiller 53 .
- the remaining liquefied ethylene refrigerant exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 in conduit 220 can re-enter ethylene economizer 56 , to be further sub-cooled by an indirect heat exchange means 61 in ethylene economizer 56 .
- the resulting sub-cooled refrigerant stream exits ethylene economizer 56 through conduit 222 and can subsequently be routed to a pressure reduction means, illustrated here as expansion valve 62 , whereupon the pressure of the refrigerant stream is reduced to thereby vaporize or flash a portion thereof.
- the resulting, cooled two-phase stream in conduit 224 enters low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 .
- a portion of the cooled natural gas stream exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 can be routed through conduit C to the heavies removal zone in FIG. 2 or 3 through conduit C, while another portion of the cooled natural gas stream exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 can be routed through conduit 122 to enter indirect heat exchange means 63 of low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 .
- the remaining portion of the cooled natural gas stream in conduit 122 can then be combined the first column vapor stream exiting the heavies removal zone (e.g. first column vapor stream exiting the first distillation column 650 in FIG.
- conduit D may be combined with a yet-to-be-discussed stream exiting methane refrigeration cycle 70 in conduit 168 , for the resulting composite stream to then enter indirect heat exchange means 63 in low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the cooled stream (which can comprise the stream in conduit 122 optionally combined with streams in conduits D and 168 ) can be at least partially condensed through indirect heat exchange with the ethylene refrigerant entering low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 through conduit 224 .
- the vaporized ethylene refrigerant exits low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 through conduit 226 and can then enters ethylene economizer 56 .
- the vaporized ethylene refrigerant stream can be warmed through an indirect heat exchange means 64 prior to being fed into the low-stage inlet port of ethylene compressor 51 through conduit 230 . As shown in FIG.
- a stream of compressed ethylene refrigerant exits ethylene compressor 51 through conduit 236 and can subsequently be routed to ethylene cooler 52 , wherein the compressed ethylene stream can be cooled through indirect heat exchange with an external fluid (e.g., water or air).
- the resulting cooled ethylene stream can then be introduced through conduit 202 into high-stage propane chiller 33 B for additional cooling as previously described.
- the cooled natural gas stream exiting low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 in conduit 124 can also be referred to as the “pressurized LNG-bearing stream” As shown in FIG. 1 , the pressurized LNG-bearing stream exits low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 through conduit 124 prior to entering main methane economizer 73 .
- the methane-rich stream in conduit 124 can be cooled in an indirect heat exchange means 75 through indirect heat exchange with one or more yet-to-be discussed methane refrigerant streams.
- the cooled, pressurized LNG-bearing stream exits main methane economizer 73 through conduit 134 and can then be routed into expansion section 80 of methane refrigeration cycle 70 .
- expansion section 80 the pressurized LNG-bearing stream first passes through high-stage methane expansion valve 81 and/or expander, whereupon the pressure of this stream is reduced to thereby vaporize or flash a portion thereof.
- the resulting two-phase methane-rich stream in conduit 136 can then enter high-stage methane flash drum 82 , whereupon the vapor and liquid portions of the reduced-pressure stream can be separated.
- the vapor portion of the reduced-pressure stream exits high-stage methane flash drum 82 through conduit 138 to then enter main methane economizer 73 , wherein at least a portion of the high-stage flash gas can be heated through indirect heat exchange means 76 of main methane economizer 73 .
- the resulting warmed vapor stream exits main methane economizer 73 through conduit 138 and can then be routed to the high-stage inlet port of methane compressor 71 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the liquid portion of the reduced-pressure stream exits high-stage methane flash drum 82 through conduit 142 to then re-enter main methane economizer 73 , wherein the liquid stream can be cooled through indirect heat exchange means 74 of main methane economizer 73 .
- the resulting cooled stream exits main methane economizer 73 through conduit 144 and can then be routed to a second expansion stage, illustrated here as intermediate-stage expansion valve 83 but could include an expander.
- Intermediate-stage expansion valve 83 further reduces the pressure of the cooled methane stream which reduces the stream's temperature by vaporizing or flashing a portion thereof.
- the resulting two-phase methane-rich stream in conduit 146 can then enter intermediate-stage methane flash drum 84 , wherein the liquid and vapor portions of this stream can be separated and can exit the intermediate-stage flash drum 84 through respective conduits 148 and 150 .
- the vapor portion (also called the intermediate-stage flash gas) in conduit 150 can re-enter methane economizer 73 , wherein the vapor portion can be heated through an indirect heat exchange means 77 of main methane economizer 73 .
- the resulting warmed stream can then be routed through conduit 154 to the intermediate-stage inlet port of methane compressor 71 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the liquid stream exiting intermediate-stage methane flash drum 84 through conduit 148 can then pass through a low-stage expansion valve 85 and/or expander, whereupon the pressure of the liquefied methane-rich stream can be further reduced to thereby vaporize or flash a portion thereof.
- the resulting cooled, two-phase stream in conduit 156 can then enter low-stage methane flash drum 86 , wherein the vapor and liquid phases can be separated.
- the liquid stream exiting low-stage methane flash drum 86 through conduit 158 can comprise the liquefied natural gas (LNG) product.
- the LNG product which is at about atmospheric pressure, can be routed through conduit 158 downstream for subsequent storage, transportation, and/or use.
- the vapor stream exiting low-stage methane flash drum (also called the low-stage methane flash gas) in conduit 160 can be routed to methane economizer 73 , wherein the low-stage methane flash gas can be warmed through an indirect heat exchange means 78 of main methane economizer 73 .
- the resulting stream can exit methane economizer 73 through conduit 164 , whereafter the stream can be routed to the low-stage inlet port of methane compressor 71 .
- Methane compressor 71 can comprise one or more compression stages. In one embodiment, methane compressor 71 comprises three compression stages in a single module. In another embodiment, one or more of the compression modules can be separate, but can be mechanically coupled to a common driver. Generally, one or more intercoolers (not shown) can be provided between subsequent compression stages.
- the compressed methane refrigerant stream exiting methane compressor 71 can be discharged into conduit 166 .
- a portion of the compressed methane refrigerant stream exiting compressor 71 through conduit 166 can be routed through conduit F to the heavies removal zones in FIGS. 2 and 3 through conduit F, while another portion of the compressed methane refrigerant can be routed to methane cooler 72 , whereafter the stream can be cooled through indirect heat exchange with an external fluid (e.g., air or water) in methane cooler 72 .
- an external fluid e.g., air or water
- the resulting cooled methane refrigerant stream exits methane cooler 72 through conduit 112 , whereafter a portion of the methane refrigerant can be routed through conduit H to the heavies removal zones in FIG. 2 , while the remaining portion of the methane refrigerant stream can be directed to and further cooled in propane refrigeration cycle 30 .
- the methane refrigerant stream can be discharged into conduit 130 and subsequently routed to main methane economizer 73 , wherein the stream can be further cooled through indirect heat exchange means 79 .
- the resulting sub-cooled stream exits main methane economizer 73 through conduit 168 and can then combined with stream in conduit 122 exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 and/or with stream in conduit D exiting the heavies removal zone (e.g. first predominately vapor stream from first distillation column 650 in FIGS. 2-3 ) prior to entering low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 , as previously discussed.
- the heavies removal zone depicted in FIG. 2 generally comprises: a first distillation column 650 , a first reboiler 654 , a valve 644 and/or an expander, a second heat exchanger 750 , a second distillation column 660 , and a third heat exchanger 652 .
- the streams exiting the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 and routed to the heavies removal zone are dependent on the operating conditions of the heavies removal zone, i.e., the temperature, pressure, etc.
- streams are reintroduced into the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 at an appropriate stage in the process to facilitate thermal design and not to damage the equipment.
- the streams returning to the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 are reintroduced through manual or automated sequencing valves to thereby deliver the incoming fluid to the appropriate stages within the equipment limitations.
- a cooled natural gas stream exiting downstream of the high stage ethylene chiller 53 through conduit C is combined with a predominantly vapor stream exiting downstream of low-stage propane chiller 35 through conduit E in FIG. 1 (a portion of a natural gas stream) and enters the heavies removal zones shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
- the combined stream in conduit C and E enter a control valve 644 and/or an expander and is subsequently introduced directly into first distillation column 650 through conduit 601 .
- the control valve adjusts pressure or flow.
- an analyzer monitors and controls the temperature of the incoming combined D and E streams and adjusts the relative stream flow rates to thereby adjust the first distillation column inlet temperature as necessary to help control the desired separation.
- the first distillation column 650 separates the incoming streams producing a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream and a reboiler cold side inlet stream.
- the first distillation column contains a chimney or trap-out tray, wherein lighter composition streams are directed to the upper regions of the distillation column while heavier composition streams are routed to the lower portions of the distillation column.
- a first column vapor stream can be withdrawn from an overhead vapor outlet of first distillation column and thereafter be routed through conduit D to the liquefaction process of the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 .
- the first column liquid bottoms stream can be withdrawn from a bottom outlet of first distillation column 650 and can thereafter be routed through conduit 602 to a second heat exchanger 750 , discussed below.
- the reboiler inlet stream exits the distillation column at the chimney or trap-out tray and is routed through conduit 604 to the first reboiler 654 , discussed below.
- At least a portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn from conduit 116 in FIG. 1 can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted in FIG. 2 through conduit A.
- the at least a portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn from conduit 116 in FIG. 1 is a treated natural gas feed stream.
- the stream in conduit A can enter the warm fluid inlet of first reboiler 654 to form a heating pass 680 and thereby provide reboiler heat duty to the first distillation column 650 .
- the portion of the natural gas stream provides heat duty to at least a portion of the reboiler cold side inlet stream to thereby produce in a cooled and in some cases a partially condensed portion of the natural gas stream, a first heated liquid fraction 608 ( a ) and a first heated vapor fraction 608 ( b ).
- the cooled and/or partially condensed portion of the natural gas stream is withdrawn from the warm side outlet of the first reboiler 654 and can subsequently be routed back into the LNG facility through conduit B.
- the flow of treated natural gas supplied to the warm side inlet may be adjusted to control temperature at an optimal location on the first distillation column or peripheral equipment piping.
- a portion of the natural gas stream exiting a high stage methane compressor through conduit 166 can be withdrawn through conduit H or F and can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
- the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F in FIG. 1 is a methane compressor discharge stream.
- the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F can enter the warm fluid inlet of a cooling pass 582 of second heat exchanger 750 to thereby provide heat duty to the second heat exchanger 750 .
- the portion of the natural gas stream along with a portion of the first column liquid bottoms stream undergo indirect heat exchange to thereby produce a cooled portion of the natural gas stream and a second heated stream.
- the resulting cooled portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn from the warm side outlet of the second heat exchanger 750 can subsequently be routed back to the LNG facility through conduit G.
- the second heated stream withdrawn from the second heat exchanger 750 through conduit 610 can be introduced into a feed inlet of second distillation column 660 .
- the second heat exchanger 750 is used as an NGL stabilizer feed heater with the warm side fluid inlet flow rate through conduit H or F or warm side fluid outlet flow rate through conduit G controlled to produce an optimal second distillation column feed temperature.
- the second distillation column 660 separates the incoming streams.
- a second column overhead vapor stream (also called “second overhead stream”) is withdrawn through conduit 622 from second distillation column 660 .
- a portion of the second column overhead vapor stream exiting second distillation column 660 can enter cooling pass 684 of third heat exchanger 652 , wherein the stream can be cooled and at least partially condensed using air, water, or other suitable coolant.
- the resulting condensed or two-phase stream can then be routed through conduit 624 to a reflux accumulator, wherein the stream can be separated into a vapor and liquid phase.
- FIG. 3 another embodiment of a heavies removal zone suitable for integration with the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 is illustrated.
- the heavies removal zone depicted in FIG. 3 generally comprises: a first distillation column 650 , a first reboiler 654 , a feed separator 644 , an expansion device 646 , a second heat exchanger 750 , a second distillation column 660 , an optional vapor liquid separator 653 , and a third heat exchanger 652 .
- the streams exiting the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 and routed to the heavies removal zone are dependent on the operating conditions of the heavies removal zone, i.e., the temperature, pressure, etc.
- streams are reintroduced into the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 at an appropriate stage in the process as not to damage the equipment.
- the streams returning to the LNG facility depicted in FIG. 1 are reintroduced through manual or automated sequencing valves to thereby deliver the incoming fluid to the appropriate stages within the equipment limitations.
- the combined streams of conduits C and E can be introduced into a feed separation vessel, wherein the vapor and liquid phases are separated thereby producing a vapor fraction 601 ( a ) and a liquid fraction 603 .
- the vapor fraction is introduced into an expansion valve or expander 646 and subsequently introduced into the first distillation column 650 through conduit 601 ( b ).
- the liquid fraction is introduced into the same or lower location of the first distillation column 650 through conduit 603 .
- the relatively heavier components contained within the liquid stream 603 may be routed to a more optimal feed location to the first distillation column 650 .
- the first distillation column 650 separates the incoming streams producing a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream.
- the first column vapor stream can be withdrawn from the first distillation column through conduit D and routed to the LNG facility as depicted in FIG. 1 .
- the first column liquid bottoms stream can be withdrawn from a bottom outlet of first distillation column 650 and routed through conduit 602 to a second heat exchanger 750 , discussed below.
- the first distillation column can contain a chimney or trap-out tray, wherein column liquids are removed and directed through the third heat exchanger 652 to provide condensing or partial condensing duty before routing to an optional second vapor liquid separator 653 .
- Liquid from the optional second vapor liquid separator can be routed through conduit 604 ( b ) to the cold side inlet of the first reboiler 654 .
- Vapor from the optional vapor liquid separator 653 can be combined with vapor from the first reboiler 654 and returned to the first distillation column above or below the chimney or trap-out tray.
- Liquid from the first reboiler 654 can be returned to the first distillation column or combined with the first column liquid bottoms stream.
- conduit A At least a portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn from conduit 116 in FIG. 1 can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted in FIG. 3 through conduit A.
- the stream in conduit A can enter the warm side inlet of the first reboiler 654 to provide reboiler heat duty to the first distillation column 650 .
- the warm side outlet of the first reboiler 654 exits through conduit B and is returned to the LNG Facility as shown in FIG. 1 .
- a portion of the natural gas stream exiting a high stage methane compressor through conduit 166 can be withdrawn through conduit H or F and can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
- the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F in FIG. 1 is a methane compressor discharge stream.
- the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F can enter the warm side inlet of the second heat exchanger 750 to heat cold side inlet stream, which is the first column liquid bottoms stream 602 , to thereby establish the cold side outlet stream 610 of the second exchanger 750 to the optimal or desired feed temperature for the second distillation column 660 .
- the warm side outlet from the second heat exchanger 750 can be routed back to the LNG Facility through conduit G.
- the second distillation column 660 separates the incoming stream 610 into a second column overhead vapor stream and second column liquid bottoms stream.
- the second column overhead vapor stream (also called “second overhead stream”) is withdrawn through conduit 622 from second distillation column 660 .
- a portion of the second column overhead vapor stream exiting second distillation column 660 can enter cooling pass 684 of the third heat exchanger 652 , wherein the stream can be cooled and at least partially condensed.
- the resulting cooled and at least partially condensed stream can then be routed through conduit 624 to a first reflux accumulator, wherein the stream can be separated into vapor stream 630 and liquid stream 626 .
- the LNG production systems can be simulated on a computer using process simulation software in order to generate process simulation data in a human-readable form.
- the process simulation data can be in the form of a computer print out.
- the process simulation data can be displayed on a screen, a monitor, or other viewing device.
- the simulation data can then be used to manipulate the operation of the LNG system and/or design the physical layout of an LNG facility.
- the simulation results can be used to design a new LNG facility and/or revamp or expand an existing facility.
- the simulation results can be used to optimize the LNG facility according to one or more operating parameters. Examples of suitable software for producing the simulation results include HYSYSTM or Aspen Plus® from Aspen Technology, Inc., and PRO/II® from Simulation Sciences Inc.
Abstract
An LNG facility employing an optimized heavies removal system. The heavies removal system can comprise at least one distillation column and at least two separate heat exchangers. Feed and/or compressor discharge streams can be used to provide heat duty to the heat exchangers in a thermally efficient manner to facilitate the removal of heavy components from an overall LNG facility.
Description
- This application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Ser. No. 61/349,297 filed on May 28, 2010 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- This invention relates to systems and processes for liquefying natural gas. In another aspect, the invention concerns LNG processes and facilities employing a heavies removal system. In another aspect, the invention concerns heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with a heavies removal system in an LNG facility.
- Cryogenic liquefaction is commonly used to convert natural gas into a more convenient form for transportation and/or storage. Because liquefying natural gas greatly reduces its specific volume, large quantities of natural gas can be economically transported and/or stored in liquefied form.
- Transporting natural gas in its liquefied form can effectively link a natural gas source with a distant market when the source and market are not connected by a pipeline. This situation commonly arises when the source of natural gas and the market for the natural gas are separated by large bodies of water. In such cases, liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be transported from the source to the market using specially designed ocean-going LNG tankers.
- Storing natural gas in its liquefied form can help balance periodic fluctuations in natural gas supply and demand. In particular, LNG can be “stockpiled” for use when natural gas demand is low and/or supply is high. As a result, future demand peaks can be met with LNG from storage, which can be vaporized as demand requires.
- Several methods exist for liquefying natural gas. Some methods produce a pressurized LNG (PLNG) product that is useful, but requires expensive pressure-containing vessels for storage and transportation. Other methods produce an LNG product having a pressure at or near atmospheric pressure. In general, these non-pressurized LNG production methods involve cooling a natural gas stream through indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants and then expanding the cooled natural gas stream to near atmospheric pressure. In addition, most LNG facilities employ one or more systems to remove contaminants (e.g., water, mercury and mercury components, acid gases, and nitrogen, as well as a portion of ethane and heavier components) from the natural gas stream at different points during the liquefaction process.
- In general, LNG facilities are designed and operated to provide LNG to a single market in a specific region of the world. Because specifications for the final characteristics of the natural gas product, such as, for example, higher heating value (HHV), Wobbe index, methane content, ethane content, C3+ content, and inerts content vary widely throughout the world, LNG facilities are typically optimized to meet a certain set of specifications for a single market. In large part, achieving the stringent final product specifications involves effectively removing certain components from the natural gas feed stream. LNG facilities may employ one or more distillation columns to remove these components from the incoming natural gas stream. Oftentimes, the heavies removal system is configured in a two column arrangement utilizing a high pressure demethanizer followed by a lower downstream column. In addition, at least one of the columns used to separate the heavier components from the natural gas stream can generally be operated at or near the critical pressure of the components being separated. These limitations, coupled with rigid product specifications, results in distillation columns that are typically designed to operate within a relatively narrow range of conditions. When situations arise that force the columns out of design range (e.g., start-up of the facility or fluctuations in feed composition), the resulting column operation may result in product loss and/or a LNG product that does not meet the desired product specifications.
- In one embodiment of the present invention, a process for liquefying a natural gas stream in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, the process includes: (a) cooling at least a portion of the natural gas stream in an upstream refrigeration cycle to thereby produce a cooled natural gas stream; (b) introducing at least a portion of the cooled natural stream into an inlet of a first distillation column; (c) introducing at least a portion of the natural gas stream to provide heat duty to a first reboiler associated with the first distillation column to produce a first heated vapor fraction and a first heated liquid fraction from a reboiler inlet stream while cooling the portion of the natural gas stream and returning the cooled portion of the natural gas stream to the LNG facility; (d) using the first distillation column and the first reboiler and associated first heated vapor fraction from the reboiler inlet stream to separate all incoming streams into a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream, wherein the first column vapor stream exits through an overhead outlet, wherein the first column liquid bottoms stream exits through a bottoms outlet; (e) introducing at least a portion of the first column vapor stream exiting the first distillation column through the overhead outlet into the LNG facility; (f) introducing at least a portion of the first column liquid bottoms stream from the first distillation column into a second heat exchanger; (g) introducing at least a portion of the natural gas stream or at least a portion of a compressor discharge stream to provide heat duty to the second heat exchanger to thereby produce a second heated stream while cooling the portion of the natural gas stream or the portion of the compressor discharge stream; and (h) introducing at least a portion of the second heated stream into a second distillation column.
- The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures by way of example and not by way of limitation, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a simplified overview of a cascade-type LNG facility configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cascade-type LNG facility configured in accordance with one embodiment of present invention with certain portions of the LNG facility connecting to lines A, B, C, D, E and/or F being illustrated inFIG. 1 ; and -
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a heavies removal zone integrated into the LNG facility ofFIG. 1 through lines A, B, C, D, E and/or F. - Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not as a limitation of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
- The present invention can be implemented in a facility used to cool natural gas to its liquefaction temperature to thereby produce liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG facility generally employs one or more refrigerants to extract heat from the natural gas and reject to the environment. Numerous configurations of LNG systems exist and the present invention may be implemented in many different types of LNG systems.
- In one embodiment, the present invention can be implemented in a mixed refrigerant LNG system. Examples of mixed refrigerant processes can include, but are not limited to, a single refrigeration system using a mixed refrigerant, a propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant system, and a dual mixed refrigerant system.
- In another embodiment, the present invention is implemented in a cascade LNG system employing a cascade-type refrigeration process using one or more predominately pure component refrigerants. The refrigerants utilized in cascade-type refrigeration processes can have successively lower boiling points in order to facilitate heat removal from the natural gas stream being liquefied. Additionally, cascade-type refrigeration processes can include some level of heat integration. For example, a cascade-type refrigeration process can cool one or more refrigerants having a higher volatility through indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants having a lower volatility. In addition to cooling the natural gas stream through indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants, cascade and mixed-refrigerant LNG systems can employ one or more expansion cooling stages to simultaneously cool the LNG while reducing its pressure.
- Referring now to
FIG. 1 , one embodiment of a cascade-type LNG facility in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 generally comprises apropane refrigeration cycle 30, anethylene refrigeration cycle 50, and amethane refrigeration cycle 70 with anexpansion section 80.FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate embodiments of heavies removal zones capable of being integrated into the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 . While “propane,” “ethylene,” and “methane” are used to refer to respective first, second, and third refrigerants, it should be understood that the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 and described herein can apply to any combination of suitable refrigerants. The main components ofpropane refrigeration cycle 30 include apropane compressor 31, a propane cooler/condenser 32, high-stage propane chillers stage propane chiller 34, and a low-stage propane chiller 35. The main components ofethylene refrigeration cycle 50 include anethylene compressor 51, anethylene cooler 52, a high-stage ethylene chiller 53, a low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55, and anethylene economizer 56. The main components ofmethane refrigeration cycle 70 include amethane compressor 71, amethane cooler 72, and amethane economizer 73. The main components ofexpansion section 80 include a high-stage methane expansion valve and/or expander 81, a high-stagemethane flash drum 82, an intermediate-stage methane expansion valve and/or expander 83, an intermediate-stagemethane flash drum 84, a low-stage methane expansion valve and/or expander 85, and a low-stagemethane flash drum 86.FIGS. 2 and 3 present embodiments of a heavies removal zone that is integrated into the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 through lines A-F. - The operation of the LNG facility illustrated in
FIG. 1 will now be described in more detail, beginning withpropane refrigeration cycle 30. Propane is compressed in multi-stage (e.g., three-stage)propane compressor 31 driven by, for example, a gas turbine driver (not illustrated). The stages of compression may exist in a single unit or two or more separate units mechanically coupled to a single driver. Upon compression, the propane is passed throughconduit 300 to propane cooler 32, wherein it is cooled and liquefied through indirect heat exchange with an external fluid (e.g., air or water). The stream from propane cooler 32 can then be passed through conduit 302 to a pressure reduction means, illustrated asexpansion valve 36A, wherein the pressure of the liquefied propane is reduced, thereby evaporating or flashing a portion thereof. The resulting two-phase stream then flows through conduit 304 a into high-stage propane chiller 33 a. High stage propane chiller 33 a uses the flashed propane refrigerant to cool the incoming natural gas stream inconduit 110. - The cooled natural gas stream from high-stage propane chiller 33 a flows through
conduit 114 to a separation vessel, wherein water and in some cases propane and heavier components are removed, typically followed by atreatment system 40, in cases where not already completed in upstream processing, wherein moisture, mercury and mercury compounds, particulates, and other contaminants are removed to create a treated stream. The stream exits thetreatment system 40 throughconduit 116. Thereafter, a portion of the stream inconduit 116 can be routed through conduit A to a heavies removal zone illustrated inFIG. 2 or 3, which will be discussed in detail shortly. The remaining portion of the stream inconduit 116 is combined with a yet-to-be discussed stream in conduit G exiting the heavies removal zone illustrated. The combined stream can then enter intermediate-stage propane chiller 34, wherein the stream is cooled in indirect heat exchange means 41 through indirect heat exchange with a yet-to-be-discussed propane refrigerant stream. The resulting cooled stream inconduit 118 can then be recombined with a yet-to-be-discussed stream in conduit B exiting heavies removal zone illustrated inFIG. 2 or 3, and the combined stream can then be routed to low-stage propane chiller 35, wherein the stream can be further cooled through indirect heat exchange means 42. The resultant cooled stream can then exit low-stage propane chiller 35 throughconduit 120. Subsequently, the cooled stream inconduit 120 can be routed to high-stage ethylene chiller 53, which will be discussed in more detail shortly. - The combined vaporized propane refrigerant stream exiting high-
stage propane chillers 33 and 33A is returned to the high-stage inlet port ofpropane compressor 31 throughconduit 306. The liquid propane refrigerant in high-stage propane chiller 33A provides refrigeration duty for thenatural gas stream 110. Two-phase refrigerant stream can enter the intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 throughconduit 310, thereby providing coolant for the natural gas stream (in conduit 116) and to yet-to-be-discussed streams entering intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 throughconduits stage propane chiller 34 throughconduit 312 and can then enter the intermediate-stage inlet port ofpropane compressor 31. The liquefied portion of the propane refrigerant exits intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 throughconduit 314 and is passed through a pressure-reduction means, illustrated here asexpansion valve 44, whereupon the pressure of the liquefied propane refrigerant is reduced to thereby flash or vaporize a portion thereof. The resulting vapor-liquid refrigerant stream can then be routed to low-stage propane chiller 35 throughconduit 316 and where the refrigerant stream can cool the methane-rich stream and a yet-to-be-discussed ethylene refrigerant stream entering low-stage propane chiller 35 throughconduits stage propane chiller 35 and is routed to the low-stage inlet port ofpropane compressor 31 throughconduit 318 wherein it is compressed and recycled as previously described. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , a stream of ethylene refrigerant inconduit 202 enters high-stage propane chiller 33 b, wherein the ethylene stream is cooled through indirect heat exchange means 39. The resulting cooled ethylene stream can then be routed inconduit 204 from high-stage propane chiller 33 b to intermediate-stage propane chiller 34. Upon entering intermediate-stage propane chiller 34, the ethylene refrigerant stream can be further cooled through indirect heat exchange means 45 in intermediate-stage propane chiller 34. The resulting cooled ethylene stream can then exit intermediate-stage propane chiller 34 and can be routed throughconduit 206 to enter low-stage propane chiller 35. In low-stage propane chiller 35, the ethylene refrigerant stream can be at least partially condensed, or condensed in its entirety, through indirect heat exchange means 46. The resulting stream exits low-stage propane chiller 35 throughconduit 208 and can subsequently be routed to aseparation vessel 47, wherein a vapor portion of the stream, if present, can be removed throughconduit 210, while a liquid portion of the ethylene refrigerant stream can exitseparator 47 throughconduit 212. The liquid portion of the ethylene refrigerantstream exiting separator 47 can have a representative temperature and pressure of about −24° F. (about −31° C.) and about 285 psia (about 1,965 kPa). - Turning now to
ethylene refrigeration cycle 50 inFIG. 1 , the liquefied ethylene refrigerant stream inconduit 212 can enterethylene economizer 56, wherein the stream can be further cooled by an indirect heat exchange means 57. The resulting cooled liquid ethylene stream inconduit 214 can then be routed through a pressure reduction means, illustrated here asexpansion valve 58, whereupon the pressure of the cooled predominantly liquid ethylene stream is reduced to thereby flash or vaporize a portion thereof. The cooled, two-phase stream inconduit 215 can then enter high-stage ethylene chiller 53. In high-stage ethylene chiller 53, at least a portion of the ethylene refrigerant stream can vaporize to further cool the stream inconduit 121 entering an indirect heat exchange means 59. The vaporized and remaining liquefied ethylene refrigerant exits high-stage ethylene chiller 53 throughrespective conduits conduit 216 can re-enterethylene economizer 56, wherein the stream can be warmed through an indirect heat exchange means 60 prior to entering the high-stage inlet port ofethylene compressor 51 throughconduit 218, as shown inFIG. 1 . - The cooled stream in
conduit 120 exiting low-stage propane chiller 35 can thereafter be split into two portions, as shown inFIG. 1 . At least a portion of the natural gas stream can be routed through conduit E. While the remaining portion of the cooled natural gas stream inconduit 121 can be routed to high-stage ethylene chiller 53, and then can be and cooled in indirect heat exchange means 59 of high-stage ethylene chiller 53. - The remaining liquefied ethylene refrigerant exiting high-
stage ethylene chiller 53 inconduit 220 can re-enterethylene economizer 56, to be further sub-cooled by an indirect heat exchange means 61 inethylene economizer 56. The resulting sub-cooled refrigerant stream exitsethylene economizer 56 throughconduit 222 and can subsequently be routed to a pressure reduction means, illustrated here asexpansion valve 62, whereupon the pressure of the refrigerant stream is reduced to thereby vaporize or flash a portion thereof. The resulting, cooled two-phase stream inconduit 224 enters low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , a portion of the cooled natural gas stream exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 can be routed through conduit C to the heavies removal zone inFIG. 2 or 3 through conduit C, while another portion of the cooled natural gas stream exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 can be routed throughconduit 122 to enter indirect heat exchange means 63 of low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55. The remaining portion of the cooled natural gas stream inconduit 122 can then be combined the first column vapor stream exiting the heavies removal zone (e.g. first column vapor stream exiting thefirst distillation column 650 inFIG. 2 or 3 through the overheat outlet) in conduit D and/or may be combined with a yet-to-be-discussed stream exitingmethane refrigeration cycle 70 inconduit 168, for the resulting composite stream to then enter indirect heat exchange means 63 in low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55, as shown inFIG. 1 . - In low-stage ethylene chiller/
condenser 55, the cooled stream (which can comprise the stream inconduit 122 optionally combined with streams in conduits D and 168) can be at least partially condensed through indirect heat exchange with the ethylene refrigerant entering low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 throughconduit 224. The vaporized ethylene refrigerant exits low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 throughconduit 226 and can then entersethylene economizer 56. Inethylene economizer 56, the vaporized ethylene refrigerant stream can be warmed through an indirect heat exchange means 64 prior to being fed into the low-stage inlet port ofethylene compressor 51 throughconduit 230. As shown inFIG. 1 , a stream of compressed ethylene refrigerant exitsethylene compressor 51 throughconduit 236 and can subsequently be routed toethylene cooler 52, wherein the compressed ethylene stream can be cooled through indirect heat exchange with an external fluid (e.g., water or air). The resulting cooled ethylene stream can then be introduced throughconduit 202 into high-stage propane chiller 33B for additional cooling as previously described. - The cooled natural gas stream exiting low-stage ethylene chiller/
condenser 55 inconduit 124 can also be referred to as the “pressurized LNG-bearing stream” As shown inFIG. 1 , the pressurized LNG-bearing stream exits low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55 throughconduit 124 prior to enteringmain methane economizer 73. Inmain methane economizer 73, the methane-rich stream inconduit 124 can be cooled in an indirect heat exchange means 75 through indirect heat exchange with one or more yet-to-be discussed methane refrigerant streams. The cooled, pressurized LNG-bearing stream exitsmain methane economizer 73 throughconduit 134 and can then be routed intoexpansion section 80 ofmethane refrigeration cycle 70. Inexpansion section 80, the pressurized LNG-bearing stream first passes through high-stagemethane expansion valve 81 and/or expander, whereupon the pressure of this stream is reduced to thereby vaporize or flash a portion thereof. The resulting two-phase methane-rich stream inconduit 136 can then enter high-stagemethane flash drum 82, whereupon the vapor and liquid portions of the reduced-pressure stream can be separated. The vapor portion of the reduced-pressure stream (also called the high-stage flash gas) exits high-stagemethane flash drum 82 throughconduit 138 to then entermain methane economizer 73, wherein at least a portion of the high-stage flash gas can be heated through indirect heat exchange means 76 ofmain methane economizer 73. The resulting warmed vapor stream exitsmain methane economizer 73 throughconduit 138 and can then be routed to the high-stage inlet port ofmethane compressor 71, as shown inFIG. 1 . - The liquid portion of the reduced-pressure stream exits high-stage
methane flash drum 82 throughconduit 142 to then re-entermain methane economizer 73, wherein the liquid stream can be cooled through indirect heat exchange means 74 ofmain methane economizer 73. The resulting cooled stream exitsmain methane economizer 73 throughconduit 144 and can then be routed to a second expansion stage, illustrated here as intermediate-stage expansion valve 83 but could include an expander. Intermediate-stage expansion valve 83 further reduces the pressure of the cooled methane stream which reduces the stream's temperature by vaporizing or flashing a portion thereof. The resulting two-phase methane-rich stream inconduit 146 can then enter intermediate-stagemethane flash drum 84, wherein the liquid and vapor portions of this stream can be separated and can exit the intermediate-stage flash drum 84 throughrespective conduits conduit 150 can re-entermethane economizer 73, wherein the vapor portion can be heated through an indirect heat exchange means 77 ofmain methane economizer 73. The resulting warmed stream can then be routed throughconduit 154 to the intermediate-stage inlet port ofmethane compressor 71, as shown inFIG. 1 . - The liquid stream exiting intermediate-stage
methane flash drum 84 throughconduit 148 can then pass through a low-stage expansion valve 85 and/or expander, whereupon the pressure of the liquefied methane-rich stream can be further reduced to thereby vaporize or flash a portion thereof. The resulting cooled, two-phase stream inconduit 156 can then enter low-stagemethane flash drum 86, wherein the vapor and liquid phases can be separated. The liquid stream exiting low-stagemethane flash drum 86 throughconduit 158 can comprise the liquefied natural gas (LNG) product. The LNG product, which is at about atmospheric pressure, can be routed throughconduit 158 downstream for subsequent storage, transportation, and/or use. - The vapor stream exiting low-stage methane flash drum (also called the low-stage methane flash gas) in
conduit 160 can be routed tomethane economizer 73, wherein the low-stage methane flash gas can be warmed through an indirect heat exchange means 78 ofmain methane economizer 73. The resulting stream can exitmethane economizer 73 throughconduit 164, whereafter the stream can be routed to the low-stage inlet port ofmethane compressor 71. -
Methane compressor 71 can comprise one or more compression stages. In one embodiment,methane compressor 71 comprises three compression stages in a single module. In another embodiment, one or more of the compression modules can be separate, but can be mechanically coupled to a common driver. Generally, one or more intercoolers (not shown) can be provided between subsequent compression stages. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , the compressed methane refrigerant stream exitingmethane compressor 71 can be discharged intoconduit 166. A portion of the compressed methane refrigerantstream exiting compressor 71 throughconduit 166 can be routed through conduit F to the heavies removal zones inFIGS. 2 and 3 through conduit F, while another portion of the compressed methane refrigerant can be routed tomethane cooler 72, whereafter the stream can be cooled through indirect heat exchange with an external fluid (e.g., air or water) in methane cooler 72. The resulting cooled methane refrigerant stream exits methane cooler 72 throughconduit 112, whereafter a portion of the methane refrigerant can be routed through conduit H to the heavies removal zones inFIG. 2 , while the remaining portion of the methane refrigerant stream can be directed to and further cooled inpropane refrigeration cycle 30. - Upon being cooled in
propane refrigeration cycle 30 through heat exchanger means 37, the methane refrigerant stream can be discharged intoconduit 130 and subsequently routed tomain methane economizer 73, wherein the stream can be further cooled through indirect heat exchange means 79. The resulting sub-cooled stream exitsmain methane economizer 73 throughconduit 168 and can then combined with stream inconduit 122 exiting high-stage ethylene chiller 53 and/or with stream in conduit D exiting the heavies removal zone (e.g. first predominately vapor stream fromfirst distillation column 650 inFIGS. 2-3 ) prior to entering low-stage ethylene chiller/condenser 55, as previously discussed. - Turning now to
FIG. 2 , one embodiment of a heavies removal zone suitable for integration with the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 is illustrated. The heavies removal zone depicted inFIG. 2 generally comprises: afirst distillation column 650, afirst reboiler 654, avalve 644 and/or an expander, asecond heat exchanger 750, asecond distillation column 660, and athird heat exchanger 652. The streams exiting the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 and routed to the heavies removal zone are dependent on the operating conditions of the heavies removal zone, i.e., the temperature, pressure, etc. Likewise, upon exiting the heavies removal zone several streams are reintroduced into the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 at an appropriate stage in the process to facilitate thermal design and not to damage the equipment. In one embodiment, the streams returning to the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 are reintroduced through manual or automated sequencing valves to thereby deliver the incoming fluid to the appropriate stages within the equipment limitations. - In an embodiment as shown in
FIG. 1 , a cooled natural gas stream exiting downstream of the highstage ethylene chiller 53 through conduit C is combined with a predominantly vapor stream exiting downstream of low-stage propane chiller 35 through conduit E inFIG. 1 (a portion of a natural gas stream) and enters the heavies removal zones shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 . InFIG. 2 , the combined stream in conduit C and E enter acontrol valve 644 and/or an expander and is subsequently introduced directly intofirst distillation column 650 throughconduit 601. The control valve adjusts pressure or flow. In an embodiment, an analyzer monitors and controls the temperature of the incoming combined D and E streams and adjusts the relative stream flow rates to thereby adjust the first distillation column inlet temperature as necessary to help control the desired separation. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , thefirst distillation column 650 separates the incoming streams producing a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream and a reboiler cold side inlet stream. The first distillation column contains a chimney or trap-out tray, wherein lighter composition streams are directed to the upper regions of the distillation column while heavier composition streams are routed to the lower portions of the distillation column. A first column vapor stream can be withdrawn from an overhead vapor outlet of first distillation column and thereafter be routed through conduit D to the liquefaction process of the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 . The first column liquid bottoms stream can be withdrawn from a bottom outlet offirst distillation column 650 and can thereafter be routed throughconduit 602 to asecond heat exchanger 750, discussed below. The reboiler inlet stream exits the distillation column at the chimney or trap-out tray and is routed throughconduit 604 to thefirst reboiler 654, discussed below. - Referring now to
FIG. 2 , at least a portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn fromconduit 116 inFIG. 1 can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted inFIG. 2 through conduit A. In an embodiment, the at least a portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn fromconduit 116 inFIG. 1 is a treated natural gas feed stream. As shown inFIG. 2 , the stream in conduit A can enter the warm fluid inlet offirst reboiler 654 to form aheating pass 680 and thereby provide reboiler heat duty to thefirst distillation column 650. The portion of the natural gas stream provides heat duty to at least a portion of the reboiler cold side inlet stream to thereby produce in a cooled and in some cases a partially condensed portion of the natural gas stream, a first heated liquid fraction 608(a) and a first heated vapor fraction 608(b). The cooled and/or partially condensed portion of the natural gas stream is withdrawn from the warm side outlet of thefirst reboiler 654 and can subsequently be routed back into the LNG facility through conduit B. In an embodiment the flow of treated natural gas supplied to the warm side inlet may be adjusted to control temperature at an optimal location on the first distillation column or peripheral equipment piping. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , a portion of the natural gas stream exiting a high stage methane compressor throughconduit 166 can be withdrawn through conduit H or F and can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted inFIGS. 2 and 3 . In an embodiment, the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F inFIG. 1 is a methane compressor discharge stream. As shown inFIG. 2 , the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F can enter the warm fluid inlet of acooling pass 582 ofsecond heat exchanger 750 to thereby provide heat duty to thesecond heat exchanger 750. The portion of the natural gas stream along with a portion of the first column liquid bottoms stream undergo indirect heat exchange to thereby produce a cooled portion of the natural gas stream and a second heated stream. The resulting cooled portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn from the warm side outlet of thesecond heat exchanger 750 can subsequently be routed back to the LNG facility through conduit G. The second heated stream withdrawn from thesecond heat exchanger 750 throughconduit 610 can be introduced into a feed inlet ofsecond distillation column 660. In one embodiment, thesecond heat exchanger 750 is used as an NGL stabilizer feed heater with the warm side fluid inlet flow rate through conduit H or F or warm side fluid outlet flow rate through conduit G controlled to produce an optimal second distillation column feed temperature. - The
second distillation column 660 separates the incoming streams. A second column overhead vapor stream (also called “second overhead stream”) is withdrawn throughconduit 622 fromsecond distillation column 660. A portion of the second column overhead vapor stream exitingsecond distillation column 660 can entercooling pass 684 ofthird heat exchanger 652, wherein the stream can be cooled and at least partially condensed using air, water, or other suitable coolant. The resulting condensed or two-phase stream can then be routed throughconduit 624 to a reflux accumulator, wherein the stream can be separated into a vapor and liquid phase. - Turning now to
FIG. 3 , another embodiment of a heavies removal zone suitable for integration with the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 is illustrated. The heavies removal zone depicted inFIG. 3 generally comprises: afirst distillation column 650, afirst reboiler 654, afeed separator 644, anexpansion device 646, asecond heat exchanger 750, asecond distillation column 660, an optional vaporliquid separator 653, and athird heat exchanger 652. The streams exiting the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 and routed to the heavies removal zone are dependent on the operating conditions of the heavies removal zone, i.e., the temperature, pressure, etc. Likewise, upon exiting the heavies removal zone several streams are reintroduced into the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 at an appropriate stage in the process as not to damage the equipment. In one embodiment, the streams returning to the LNG facility depicted inFIG. 1 are reintroduced through manual or automated sequencing valves to thereby deliver the incoming fluid to the appropriate stages within the equipment limitations. - In
FIG. 3 , the combined streams of conduits C and E can be introduced into a feed separation vessel, wherein the vapor and liquid phases are separated thereby producing a vapor fraction 601(a) and aliquid fraction 603. The vapor fraction is introduced into an expansion valve orexpander 646 and subsequently introduced into thefirst distillation column 650 through conduit 601(b). The liquid fraction is introduced into the same or lower location of thefirst distillation column 650 throughconduit 603. By utilizing the feed separation vessel, the relatively heavier components contained within theliquid stream 603 may be routed to a more optimal feed location to thefirst distillation column 650. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , thefirst distillation column 650 separates the incoming streams producing a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream. The first column vapor stream can be withdrawn from the first distillation column through conduit D and routed to the LNG facility as depicted inFIG. 1 . The first column liquid bottoms stream can be withdrawn from a bottom outlet offirst distillation column 650 and routed throughconduit 602 to asecond heat exchanger 750, discussed below. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , the first distillation column can contain a chimney or trap-out tray, wherein column liquids are removed and directed through thethird heat exchanger 652 to provide condensing or partial condensing duty before routing to an optional secondvapor liquid separator 653. Liquid from the optional second vapor liquid separator can be routed through conduit 604(b) to the cold side inlet of thefirst reboiler 654. Vapor from the optional vaporliquid separator 653 can be combined with vapor from thefirst reboiler 654 and returned to the first distillation column above or below the chimney or trap-out tray. Liquid from thefirst reboiler 654 can be returned to the first distillation column or combined with the first column liquid bottoms stream. - Referring now to
FIG. 3 , at least a portion of the natural gas stream withdrawn fromconduit 116 inFIG. 1 can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted inFIG. 3 through conduit A. As shown inFIG. 3 , the stream in conduit A can enter the warm side inlet of thefirst reboiler 654 to provide reboiler heat duty to thefirst distillation column 650. The warm side outlet of thefirst reboiler 654 exits through conduit B and is returned to the LNG Facility as shown inFIG. 1 . - As shown in
FIG. 1 , a portion of the natural gas stream exiting a high stage methane compressor throughconduit 166 can be withdrawn through conduit H or F and can be routed to the heavies removal zones depicted inFIGS. 2 and 3 . In an embodiment, the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F inFIG. 1 is a methane compressor discharge stream. As shown inFIG. 3 , the portion of the natural gas stream in conduit H or F can enter the warm side inlet of thesecond heat exchanger 750 to heat cold side inlet stream, which is the first column liquid bottoms stream 602, to thereby establish the coldside outlet stream 610 of thesecond exchanger 750 to the optimal or desired feed temperature for thesecond distillation column 660. The warm side outlet from thesecond heat exchanger 750 can be routed back to the LNG Facility through conduit G. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , thesecond distillation column 660 separates theincoming stream 610 into a second column overhead vapor stream and second column liquid bottoms stream. The second column overhead vapor stream (also called “second overhead stream”) is withdrawn throughconduit 622 fromsecond distillation column 660. A portion of the second column overhead vapor stream exitingsecond distillation column 660 can entercooling pass 684 of thethird heat exchanger 652, wherein the stream can be cooled and at least partially condensed. The resulting cooled and at least partially condensed stream can then be routed throughconduit 624 to a first reflux accumulator, wherein the stream can be separated intovapor stream 630 andliquid stream 626. - In one embodiment of the present invention, the LNG production systems can be simulated on a computer using process simulation software in order to generate process simulation data in a human-readable form. In one embodiment, the process simulation data can be in the form of a computer print out. In another embodiment, the process simulation data can be displayed on a screen, a monitor, or other viewing device. The simulation data can then be used to manipulate the operation of the LNG system and/or design the physical layout of an LNG facility. In one embodiment, the simulation results can be used to design a new LNG facility and/or revamp or expand an existing facility. In another embodiment, the simulation results can be used to optimize the LNG facility according to one or more operating parameters. Examples of suitable software for producing the simulation results include HYSYS™ or Aspen Plus® from Aspen Technology, Inc., and PRO/II® from Simulation Sciences Inc.
- The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be used in a limiting sense to interpret the scope of the present invention. Modifications to the exemplary embodiments, set forth above, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Claims (17)
1. A process for liquefying a natural gas stream in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, the process comprising:
(a) cooling at least a portion of the natural gas stream in an upstream refrigeration cycle to thereby produce a cooled natural gas stream;
(b) introducing at least a portion of the cooled natural gas stream into an inlet of a first distillation column;
(c) introducing at least a portion of the natural gas stream to provide heat duty to a first reboiler associated with the first distillation column to produce a first heated vapor fraction and a first heated liquid fraction from a first reboiler inlet stream while cooling the portion of the natural gas stream and returning the cooled portion of the natural gas stream to the LNG facility;
(d) using the first distillation column and the first reboiler and associated first heated vapor fraction from the reboiler inlet stream to separate all incoming streams into a first column vapor stream, a first column liquid bottoms stream, wherein the first column vapor stream exits through an overhead outlet, wherein the first column liquid bottoms stream exits through a bottoms outlet;
(e) introducing at least a portion of the first column vapor stream exiting the first distillation column through the overhead outlet into the LNG facility;
(f) introducing at least a portion of the first column liquid bottoms stream from the first distillation column into a second heat exchanger;
(g) introducing at least a portion of the natural gas stream or at least a portion of a compressor discharge stream to provide heat duty to the second heat exchanger to thereby produce a second heated stream while cooling the portion of the natural gas stream or the portion of the compressor discharge stream; and
(h) introducing at least a portion of the second heated stream into a second distillation column.
2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the cooled natural gas stream or at least a portion of the cooled natural gas stream from step (a) is expanded across a valve or expander to thereby produce a lower pressure stream before step (b).
3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the cooled natural gas or at least a portion of the natural gas stream is separated into a liquid fraction and a vapor fraction prior to step (b).
4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the liquid and the vapor fraction are introduced into the first distillation column in separate locations.
5. The process according to claim 4 , wherein the vapor fraction is combined with the first column vapor stream of step (d).
6. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the lower pressure stream is separated into a liquid fraction and a vapor fraction prior to step (b).
7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the liquid and the vapor fraction are introduced into the first distillation column in separate locations.
8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the first distillation column includes one or more side reboilers.
9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the first distillation column includes one or more pumparounds.
10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the first distillation column includes one or more reboilers and one or more pumparounds.
11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the first distillation column includes an internal condenser.
12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein one or more side product streams are taken from the first distillation column;
13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a gas stream introduced directly into the first distillation column provides heat duty to replace the heat duty supplied by the first reboiler of step (c).
14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a gas stream introduced directly into the first distillation column provides heat duty to the first distillation column to supplement the heat duty supplied by the first reboiler according to step (c).
15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the natural gas stream of step (g) includes any recycled stream or compressor discharge stream.
16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the heat duty supplied to the second heat exchanger of step (g) is supplied by any compressor discharge stream.
17. The process according to claim 1 , wherein reflux provided to the first distillation column is liquefied natural gas or a portion of the overhead stream from the second distillation column of step (h).
Priority Applications (7)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/106,446 US20120118007A1 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-12 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
EP11787116.0A EP2577198A4 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-13 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
BR112012030299A BR112012030299A2 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-13 | heat integration process of compressor supply and discharge streams with heavy component removal system in a liquefied natural gas installation |
AP2012006602A AP2012006602A0 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-13 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
AU2011258744A AU2011258744A1 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-13 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
PCT/US2011/036383 WO2011149683A1 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-13 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
IL222859A IL222859A0 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2012-11-05 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
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US34929710P | 2010-05-28 | 2010-05-28 | |
US13/106,446 US20120118007A1 (en) | 2010-05-28 | 2011-05-12 | Process of heat integrating feed and compressor discharge streams with heavies removal system in a liquefied natural gas facility |
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US (1) | US20120118007A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2577198A4 (en) |
AP (1) | AP2012006602A0 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2011258744A1 (en) |
BR (1) | BR112012030299A2 (en) |
IL (1) | IL222859A0 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2011149683A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
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US20120096895A1 (en) * | 2010-10-26 | 2012-04-26 | Kirtikumar Natubhai Patel | Process for separating and recovering NGLs from hydrocarbon streams |
US20140366561A1 (en) * | 2013-06-17 | 2014-12-18 | Conocophillips Company | Integrated cascade process for vaporization and recovery of residual lng in a floating tank application |
WO2015134192A1 (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2015-09-11 | Conocophillips Company | Refrigerant supply to a cooling facility |
WO2018195013A1 (en) * | 2017-04-19 | 2018-10-25 | Conocophillips Company | Lng process for variable pipeline gas composition |
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CN111715300B (en) * | 2020-06-22 | 2021-08-24 | 江南大学 | Zinc ferrite/Bi-MOF/tannic acid composite visible light catalyst |
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- 2011-05-12 US US13/106,446 patent/US20120118007A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2011-05-13 AU AU2011258744A patent/AU2011258744A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2011-05-13 BR BR112012030299A patent/BR112012030299A2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2011-05-13 EP EP11787116.0A patent/EP2577198A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2011-05-13 WO PCT/US2011/036383 patent/WO2011149683A1/en active Application Filing
- 2011-05-13 AP AP2012006602A patent/AP2012006602A0/en unknown
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- 2012-11-05 IL IL222859A patent/IL222859A0/en unknown
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US9175905B2 (en) * | 2010-10-26 | 2015-11-03 | Kirtikumar Natubhai Patel | Process for separating and recovering NGLs from hydrocarbon streams |
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RU2659858C2 (en) * | 2013-06-17 | 2018-07-04 | Конокофиллипс Компани | Single cascade process for vaporization and recovery of residual liquefied natural gas in application related to floating tanks |
WO2014204601A1 (en) | 2013-06-17 | 2014-12-24 | Conocophillips Company | Integrated cascade process for vaporization and recovery of residual lng in a floating tank application |
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AU2014281090B2 (en) * | 2013-06-17 | 2018-09-20 | Conocophillips Company | Integrated cascade process for vaporization and recovery of residual LNG in a floating tank application |
WO2015134192A1 (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2015-09-11 | Conocophillips Company | Refrigerant supply to a cooling facility |
US11874055B2 (en) | 2014-03-04 | 2024-01-16 | Conocophillips Company | Refrigerant supply to a cooling facility |
WO2018195013A1 (en) * | 2017-04-19 | 2018-10-25 | Conocophillips Company | Lng process for variable pipeline gas composition |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
BR112012030299A2 (en) | 2016-08-09 |
AP2012006602A0 (en) | 2012-12-31 |
EP2577198A4 (en) | 2018-07-25 |
IL222859A0 (en) | 2012-12-31 |
EP2577198A1 (en) | 2013-04-10 |
WO2011149683A1 (en) | 2011-12-01 |
AU2011258744A1 (en) | 2012-12-06 |
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Owner name: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY, TEXAS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:QUALLS, WESLEY R.;REEL/FRAME:026354/0460 Effective date: 20110526 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
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