Method for recovering the energy of gas expansion and a recovery device for carrying out said method

• US 20030172661A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vladimir Yaroslavovich Vasiljev
• Original Assignee: Vladimir Yaroslavovich Vasiljev
• Inventors: Yaroslavovich, Vladimir, Kiselev, Oleg Mikhaliovich
• Granted Patent: US 7,578,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/87
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/02 the working fluid being an unheated pressurised gas
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/02 Plural gas-turbine plants having a common power output
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/04 Gas-turbine plants providing heated or pressurised working fluid for other apparatus, e.g. without mechanical power output F02C6/18 takes precedence ; for a fluidised-bed combustor F02C3/205
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 11/02 as expanders F25B9/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]

Abstract

The proposed method and the installation are intended for application in systems of reduction of natural gas from high—e.g. in a borehole or in a main pipeline down to the pressure value required for the consumer.

The essence of the proposed method is that in the known method of utilization of natural gas energy in the process of gas pressure drop from increased, e.g. in a gas main pipeline down to the required value by conversion of natural gas expansion energy to mechanical energy with the aid of the gas cooled down in the process of pressure drop as a cooling agent, the innovation is multi-stage gas pressure drop and multi-stage take-off of generated cold.

The essence of the proposed method is that a utilization power installation the inlet of which is connected to high pressure gas borehole or main pipeline (3) and the outlet—to low pressure natural gas pipeline or to low pressure natural gas consumer (7, 9), comprises a gas expansion machine (e.g. expansion gas turbine) consisting of two or more components (1, 2), arranged in the direction of pressure drop, converter (4) of mechanical energy, e.g. an with the gas expansion machineoM, and two or more heat exchangers (6, 8).

Claims

1. Method of utilization of the natural gas expansion energy during the process of reduction of gas pressure from high to the required one by conversion of natural gas expansion energy to mechanical energy with the aid of the gas cooled down in the process of pressure reduction as a cooling agent for generation of cold is characterized that natural gas pressure is reduced in two or more successive stages simultaneously with conversion of natural gas expansion energy to mechanical energy at each stage at least a part of natural gas being used as a cooling agent for generation of cold after the first and/or each successive stage of natural gas pressure drop or the total amount of natural gas used as a cooling agent is used for the subsequent stage of conversion of natural gas expansion energy to mechanical energy.

2. The utilization power installation containing a gas expansion machine, e.g. an expansion turbine the inlet of which is connected to high pressure natural gas borehole or main pipeline (3) cinematically connected with the gas expansion machine, converter (4) of mechanical energy, e.g. electric generator, and at least one heat exchanger-refrigerator (8), the inlet branch pipe of which from the cooling agent side is connected to the outlet of the gas expansion machine, e.g. to the outlet of the expansion turbine and the a outlet branch pipe—

to the low pressure gas main pipeline or to gas consumer (9), is characterized that the gas expansion machine, e.g. the expansion turbine consists of two or more components (1, 2), arranged in the direction of natural gas pressure drop the number of heat exchangers-refrigerators (6, 8) being not less than the number of components of the gas expansion machine, and the inlet branch pipe from the cooling agent side of the relevant heat exchanger-refrigerator is connected to the outlet of the appropriate gas expansion machine component (1, 2), e.g. the expansion turbine.

3. The installation as, in p. 2 is characterized that the outlet of preceding component (10, 11) of the gas expansion machine is connected both to the inlet of next component (11, 12) of the gas expansion machine and to the inlet branch pipe from the cooling agent side of relevant heat exchanger-refrigerator (16, 18), and the outlet branch pipe from the cooling agent side of one or more heat exchangers-refrigerators (16, 18) is connected to the low pressure natural gas pipeline or natural gas consumer (17, 19).

4. The installation as in p. 2 is characterized that the outlet of preceding component (22, 27) of the gas expansion machine is connected only to the inlet branch pipe from the cooling agent side of heat exchanger-refrigerator (26, 30), and the outlet branch pipe from the cooling agent side of one or more heat exchangers-refrigerators (26, 30) is connected to the inlet of the working medium of next component (27, 31) of the gas expansion machine, e.g. the expansion turbine.