Process of liquefying a gaseous, methane-rich feed to obtain liquefied natural gas
US6272882A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 6, 2000 |
| Grant date | Aug 14, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 6, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF25J2245/02
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention relates to a process of liquefying a gaseous, methane-rich feed to obtain a liquefied product by supplying the gaseous, methane-rich feed at elevated pressure to a first tube side of a main heat exchanger at its warm end, cooling, liquefying and sub-cooling the gaseous, methane-rich feed against evaporating refrigerant to get a liquefied stream, removing the liquefied stream from the main heat exchanger at its cold end and passing the liquefied stream to storage as liquefied product, removing evaporated refrigerant from the shell side of the main heat exchanger at its warm end, compressing in at least one refrigerant compressor the evaporated refrigerant to get high-pressure refrigerant, partly condensing the high-pressure refrigerant and separating the partly-condensed refrigerant into a liquid heavy refrigerant fraction and a gaseous light refrigerant fraction, sub-cooling the heavy refrigerant fraction in a second tube side of the main heat exchanger to get a sub-cooled heavy refrigerant stream, introducing the heavy refrigerant stream at reduced pressure into the shell side of the main heat exchanger at its mid-point, and allowing the heavy refrigerant str…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.