US2753700A - Method for using natural gas - Google Patents
Method for using natural gas Download PDFInfo
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- US2753700A US2753700A US278986A US27898652A US2753700A US 2753700 A US2753700 A US 2753700A US 278986 A US278986 A US 278986A US 27898652 A US27898652 A US 27898652A US 2753700 A US2753700 A US 2753700A
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- Prior art keywords
- gas
- pressure
- turbine
- expansion
- eutectic
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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
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B9/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point
- F25B9/002—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point characterised by the refrigerant
- F25B9/004—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point characterised by the refrigerant the refrigerant being air
Definitions
- My invention relates to an improvement in method and apparatus for using natural gas.
- One object of my invention is to use gas discharged under natural high pressure from the well to do work whereby the pressure of the gas is reduced to a level appropriate for use as a fuel.
- Another object of my invention is to use the gas well pressure to provide refrigeration or power or both while in no wise reducing the usefulness of the gas as a combustible fuel.
- Natural gas is normally discharged from the well at pressures in the order of two or three thousand pounds per square inch gauge and at temperatures in the order of the temperature of the ambient air.
- pressures in the order of two or three thousand pounds per square inch gauge and at temperatures in the order of the temperature of the ambient air.
- Such pressure is so high that heretofore special means have been used in the nature of reducing valves and the like to bring the pressures down to a point at which the gas can safely be burned. This has resulted in loss of the power value in the high pressure gas and has required special provisions to avoid icing or excessive cooling in connection with such pressure reduction.
- the work done by the gas in the turbine and the expansion of the gas as it does this work will, of course, cool the gas and it is possible to provide a turbine which will discharge the exhaust gas at pressure low enough to admit it to the gas main.
- the turbine will be so arranged that only a part of the pressure drop takes place in the turbine and the remainder of the pressure drop will take place in the expansion coil.
- any expansion engine can be it rotary or reciprocating, can be used to generate power from the pressure of the gas and to reduce the pressure of the gas.
- work is done by the expanding gas, either in the turbine or in the expanding coil and such work is represented either by power generated, by manufacture of ice, or by refrigeration.
- 1 is a gas well, gas being discharged therefrom through pipe 2 controlled by valve 3. Gas then passes through a pipe 4 to the intake side of a gas turbine 6, rotating the runner 7, after which the gas passes at lower pressure through a pipe 8 to the expansion coil 9 in a heat exchange tank 10, thence the gas is discharged to a gas main 11 leading to a burner or burners not here illustrated.
- the turbine shaft 12 rotates with the runner 7 and drives a pump 13.
- Pump 13 circulates the eutectic, preferably brine, through a pipe 14 into the heat exchange tank 10, where the eutectic is cooled by heat exchange with the gas passing through the expansion coil 9.
- the cool eutectic then passes through the pipe 15 to the iceforming tank 16, details of which are not shown as they form no part of my invention.
- the eutectic after giving up its heat in the tank 16 for the formation of ice returns through the pipe 17 to the low pressure side of the pump 13.
- the shaft 12 may also drive an electric generator 18 to generate electric power for any desired purpose.
- the clutch 19 on the shaft 12 between the runner 7 and the pump 13 may be disengaged so that the turbine 6 furnishes power only to the generator 18.
- the turbine would be so operated that substantially all the pressure drop would take place at the turbine and gas at usable combustion pressure would merely pass through the expansion coil 9 to the main.
- the electric load might be entirely cut off or at least reduced, and clutch 19 be connected and the eutectic would again be circulated. Under these circumstances, only a small pressure drop would take place in the turbine.
- FIG. 20 illustrates an electric motor which can also drive the pump 13 if it is desired to operate it to circulate the eutectic without relying upon the turbine. Under these circumstances, electric power to actuate the motor 20 could come from the generator 18 or from any other source, as desired.
- turbo alone might be used to reduce the pressure of the gas
- the work done by the turbine representing in its entirety the pressure drop from oil well pressure to gas main pressure or the expansion coil alone might be used, in which case the work done by the pressure drop from oil well pressure to gas main pressure will be represented entirely by ice formed or if the refrigerator coils instead of being in an ice machine were disposed in a refrigerator, then the work done would represent the refrigeration efiect.
- the method of using natural gas which consists in supplying the gas at well pressure and temperature to a prime mover where it expands and generates power with resultant decrease in pressure and temperature, expanding the gas discharged from the prime mover in an expansion zone with resultant further decrease in pressure and temperature, associating an eutectic, in heat exchange relationship and outof contact with the gas, in the expansion zone whereby the eutectic supplies heat to the gas and is cooled thereby, using the power generated by the prime mover to circulate the eutectic, in closed circuit, about the expansion zone and through a refrigeration zone and discharging the gas from the expansion zone for use at reduced pressure.
Description
July 10, 1956 w o so 2,753,700
METHOD FOR USING NATURAL GAS Filed March 27, 1952 United States Patent Office 2,753,700 Patented J uly 10, 1956 assignments, to Constock Liquid Methane Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, 1952, Serial No. 278,986
'1 Claim. (Cl. 62-170) My invention relates to an improvement in method and apparatus for using natural gas.
One object of my invention is to use gas discharged under natural high pressure from the well to do work whereby the pressure of the gas is reduced to a level appropriate for use as a fuel.
Another object of my invention is to use the gas well pressure to provide refrigeration or power or both while in no wise reducing the usefulness of the gas as a combustible fuel.
Natural gas is normally discharged from the well at pressures in the order of two or three thousand pounds per square inch gauge and at temperatures in the order of the temperature of the ambient air. Such pressure is so high that heretofore special means have been used in the nature of reducing valves and the like to bring the pressures down to a point at which the gas can safely be burned. This has resulted in loss of the power value in the high pressure gas and has required special provisions to avoid icing or excessive cooling in connection with such pressure reduction.
It is well known that when gas at high pressure, for instance from a pressure container, is allowed to escape and is discharged at atmospheric pressure, the reducing valve or passage through which the discharge takes place is reduced in temperature as a result of the expansion of the gas down to the lower temperature, and it is common in the oil fields to see the so-called Christmas tree the oil mans name for the valve into which the gas is discharged from the well, covered with ice because the ambient air lacks suificient heat-absorbing characteristics to overcome the chilling effect of expansion.
I propose to cause the high pressure gas to pass through a series of expanding coils where the gas will expand with resultant reduction in temperature. I propose to use such expansion coil as a cooling coil to cool a eutectic such as brine and the like, which eutectic will be circulated about the coils for cooling and then will be passed to a freezing apparatus wherein ice is formed, the expansion coils being in this case substituted for the usual expansion coil in a refrigerating machine.
The result of this arrangement is that the gas will expand under controlled conditions down to a point at which it may safely be supplied to a gas main or to a burner to be consumed and the gas so expanded and so cooled will at the same time cool a eutectic which can be used to provide refrigeration or to freeze ice.
In carrying on such an operation, a certain amount of power is required and I propose, therefore, to interpose between the source of gas under pressure and the expansion coils a gas turbine wherein the high pressure warm gas will be allowed to do enough work in driving the turbine wheel to generate the power needed.
The work done by the gas in the turbine and the expansion of the gas as it does this work will, of course, cool the gas and it is possible to provide a turbine which will discharge the exhaust gas at pressure low enough to admit it to the gas main. Preferably, however, the turbine will be so arranged that only a part of the pressure drop takes place in the turbine and the remainder of the pressure drop will take place in the expansion coil.
By this arrangement it is possible either to use the gas pressure solely for the purpose of refrigeration in which case the turbine will not be used at all ,or to use the gas entirely for the generation of power, in which the expansion coil will not be used at all, or to use the gas both to generate power and to give efrigeration.
While I have referred to a turbine, any expansion engine, be it rotary or reciprocating, can be used to generate power from the pressure of the gas and to reduce the pressure of the gas. In every case, work is done by the expanding gas, either in the turbine or in the expanding coil and such work is represented either by power generated, by manufacture of ice, or by refrigeration.
I propose, therefore, to convert a gas well pressure which is furnished by nature into a salable commodity, refrigeration, ice, or power. In any event, the use of the gas in a prime mover or in an expander in no way decreases the B. t. u. value of the gas as fuel and merely substitutes for wasteful methods of reducing the oil well pressure heretofore used.
My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing.
Like parts are indicated by like charatcers throughout the specification and drawing.
1 is a gas well, gas being discharged therefrom through pipe 2 controlled by valve 3. Gas then passes through a pipe 4 to the intake side of a gas turbine 6, rotating the runner 7, after which the gas passes at lower pressure through a pipe 8 to the expansion coil 9 in a heat exchange tank 10, thence the gas is discharged to a gas main 11 leading to a burner or burners not here illustrated.
The turbine shaft 12 rotates with the runner 7 and drives a pump 13. Pump 13 circulates the eutectic, preferably brine, through a pipe 14 into the heat exchange tank 10, where the eutectic is cooled by heat exchange with the gas passing through the expansion coil 9. The cool eutectic then passes through the pipe 15 to the iceforming tank 16, details of which are not shown as they form no part of my invention. The eutectic after giving up its heat in the tank 16 for the formation of ice returns through the pipe 17 to the low pressure side of the pump 13.
If desired, the shaft 12 may also drive an electric generator 18 to generate electric power for any desired purpose. Under some circumstances, for example, the clutch 19 on the shaft 12 between the runner 7 and the pump 13 may be disengaged so that the turbine 6 furnishes power only to the generator 18. Under these circumstances the turbine would be so operated that substantially all the pressure drop would take place at the turbine and gas at usable combustion pressure would merely pass through the expansion coil 9 to the main. When it is desired to make ice again the electric load might be entirely cut off or at least reduced, and clutch 19 be connected and the eutectic would again be circulated. Under these circumstances, only a small pressure drop would take place in the turbine. 20 illustrates an electric motor which can also drive the pump 13 if it is desired to operate it to circulate the eutectic without relying upon the turbine. Under these circumstances, electric power to actuate the motor 20 could come from the generator 18 or from any other source, as desired.
I have shown just one diagrammatic arrangement which can carry out my invention. The turbo alone might be used to reduce the pressure of the gas, the work done by the turbine representing in its entirety the pressure drop from oil well pressure to gas main pressure or the expansion coil alone might be used, in which case the work done by the pressure drop from oil well pressure to gas main pressure will be represented entirely by ice formed or if the refrigerator coils instead of being in an ice machine were disposed in a refrigerator, then the work done would represent the refrigeration efiect.
I claim:
The method of using natural gas which consists in supplying the gas at well pressure and temperature to a prime mover where it expands and generates power with resultant decrease in pressure and temperature, expanding the gas discharged from the prime mover in an expansion zone with resultant further decrease in pressure and temperature, associating an eutectic, in heat exchange relationship and outof contact with the gas, in the expansion zone whereby the eutectic supplies heat to the gas and is cooled thereby, using the power generated by the prime mover to circulate the eutectic, in closed circuit, about the expansion zone and through a refrigeration zone and discharging the gas from the expansion zone for use at reduced pressure.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,084,424 Booth et al June 22, 1937 2,313,681 Steedman Mar. 9, 1943 2,316,744 Mellet et a1 Apr. 13, 1943
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US278986A US2753700A (en) | 1952-03-27 | 1952-03-27 | Method for using natural gas |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US278986A US2753700A (en) | 1952-03-27 | 1952-03-27 | Method for using natural gas |
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US2753700A true US2753700A (en) | 1956-07-10 |
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US278986A Expired - Lifetime US2753700A (en) | 1952-03-27 | 1952-03-27 | Method for using natural gas |
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Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3002362A (en) * | 1959-09-24 | 1961-10-03 | Liquifreeze Company Inc | Natural gas expansion refrigeration system |
US3018634A (en) * | 1958-04-11 | 1962-01-30 | Phillips Petroleum Co | Method and apparatus for vaporizing liquefied gases and obtaining power |
US3735601A (en) * | 1971-07-16 | 1973-05-29 | J Stannard | Low temperature refrigeration system |
US3882937A (en) * | 1973-09-04 | 1975-05-13 | Union Oil Co | Method and apparatus for refrigerating wells by gas expansion |
DE3210813A1 (en) * | 1981-02-27 | 1982-12-16 | Elektro-Mechanik Gmbh, 5963 Wenden | Hydro-pneumatic supply unit with a power-producing motor |
DE102004063841A1 (en) * | 2004-12-23 | 2006-07-13 | Rutger Dr.-Ing. Kretschmer | A method for combining a natural gas expansion system with an air conditioning cooler has pre- and post-heating of the gas and a control system for the output temperature |
US20120169049A1 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2012-07-05 | Electra Therm | Gas Pressure Reduction Generator |
US20140284930A1 (en) * | 2010-01-15 | 2014-09-25 | Richard Langson | One and two-stage direct gas and steam screw expander generator system (dsg) |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2084424A (en) * | 1935-11-06 | 1937-06-22 | John J Bauman | Refrigerating apparatus |
US2313681A (en) * | 1940-08-09 | 1943-03-09 | Edwin H Steedman | Recovery of liquid hydrocarbons from well fluids |
US2316744A (en) * | 1941-09-04 | 1943-04-13 | Socony Vacuum Oil Co Inc | Method of gas utilization |
-
1952
- 1952-03-27 US US278986A patent/US2753700A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2084424A (en) * | 1935-11-06 | 1937-06-22 | John J Bauman | Refrigerating apparatus |
US2313681A (en) * | 1940-08-09 | 1943-03-09 | Edwin H Steedman | Recovery of liquid hydrocarbons from well fluids |
US2316744A (en) * | 1941-09-04 | 1943-04-13 | Socony Vacuum Oil Co Inc | Method of gas utilization |
Cited By (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3018634A (en) * | 1958-04-11 | 1962-01-30 | Phillips Petroleum Co | Method and apparatus for vaporizing liquefied gases and obtaining power |
US3002362A (en) * | 1959-09-24 | 1961-10-03 | Liquifreeze Company Inc | Natural gas expansion refrigeration system |
US3735601A (en) * | 1971-07-16 | 1973-05-29 | J Stannard | Low temperature refrigeration system |
US3882937A (en) * | 1973-09-04 | 1975-05-13 | Union Oil Co | Method and apparatus for refrigerating wells by gas expansion |
DE3210813A1 (en) * | 1981-02-27 | 1982-12-16 | Elektro-Mechanik Gmbh, 5963 Wenden | Hydro-pneumatic supply unit with a power-producing motor |
DE102004063841B4 (en) * | 2004-12-23 | 2006-12-14 | Rutger Dr.-Ing. Kretschmer | Apparatus for combined gas relaxation and air conditioning |
DE102004063841A1 (en) * | 2004-12-23 | 2006-07-13 | Rutger Dr.-Ing. Kretschmer | A method for combining a natural gas expansion system with an air conditioning cooler has pre- and post-heating of the gas and a control system for the output temperature |
US20140284930A1 (en) * | 2010-01-15 | 2014-09-25 | Richard Langson | One and two-stage direct gas and steam screw expander generator system (dsg) |
US20120169049A1 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2012-07-05 | Electra Therm | Gas Pressure Reduction Generator |
WO2012092483A2 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2012-07-05 | Electratherm, Inc. | Gas pressure reduction generator |
WO2012092483A3 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2012-10-11 | Electratherm, Inc. | Gas pressure reduction generator |
US8857170B2 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2014-10-14 | Electratherm, Inc. | Gas pressure reduction generator |
US20150016952A1 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2015-01-15 | Electratherm, Inc. | Gas pressure reduction generator |
US9243498B2 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2016-01-26 | Electratherm, Inc. | Gas pressure reduction generator |
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