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Method for recovery of natural gas liquids for liquefied natural gas

  • US 20060130520A1
  • Filed: 12/15/2005
  • Published: 06/22/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. A process for separating a liquefied natural gas (LNG) stream containing methane and lighter components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a more volatile fraction containing a substantial amount of the methane and lighter components and a less volatile fraction containing a large portion of the heavy hydrocarbon components, the process comprising the steps of:

  • (a) splitting the LNG stream into a first feed stream and a second feed stream defining a second feed stream enthalpy;

    (b) preheating at least a portion of the first feed stream to provide first tower feed stream defining a first tower feed stream enthalpy;

    (c) supplying the first tower feed stream to a fractionation tower to produce a tower overhead stream including the more volatile fraction containing the substantial amount of the methane and lighter components and a tower bottoms stream including the less volatile fraction containing the heavy hydrocarbon components;

    (d) supplying second feed stream to the fractionation tower such that the first feed stream and the second tower feed stream have a substantially common composition and the first tower feed stream enthalpy differs from the second feed stream enthalpy;

    (e) compressing the tower overhead stream to produce a compressed overhead stream;

    (f) cooling the compressed overhead stream such that the compressed overhead stream is substantially condensed thereby producing a lean LNG stream; and

    (g) pumping the lean LNG stream to a high pressure lean LNG stream.

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