BRAYTON CYCLE REGASIFICATION OF LIQUIEFIED NATURAL GAS

• US 20110289941A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Belloni, Clarissa Sara Katharina, Eckstein, Johannes, Finkenrath, Matthias, Gonzalez Salazar, Miguel Angel
• Application Number:
  US12/790,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289941A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/50.2
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/00 General layout or general methods of operation of complete plants
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/10 with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle F01K17/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/00 Plants or engines characterised by use of special working fluids, not otherwise provided for; Plants operating in closed cycles and not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A power plant including an apparatus for regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is provided. The apparatus includes a compressor configured to pressurize a working fluid and a heat recovery system configured to provide heat to a working fluid. A turbine is configured to generate work utilizing the heated working fluid. One or more heat exchangers are configured to transfer heat from the working fluid to a first stage liquefied natural gas at a first pressure and at least one of a second stage liquefied natural gas at a second pressure, and a compressed working fluid.

Claims

1. A power plant including an apparatus for regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG), comprising:

a compressor configured to pressurize a working fluid;

a heat recovery system configured to provide heat to the working fluid;

a turbine configured to generate work utilizing the working fluid; and

one or more heat exchangers configured to transfer heat from the working fluid to a first stage liquefied natural gas at a first pressure, and at least one of a second stage liquefied natural gas at a second pressure and a compressed working fluid.

2. The power plant of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one of a first stage LNG pump to provide the first stage liquefied natural gas at the first pressure, and a second stage LNG pump to provide the second stage liquefied natural gas at the second pressure.

3. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the working fluid comprises at least one of argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

4. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the heat recovery system is configured to heat the working fluid to a temperature between about 300°

C. and about 700°

C.

5. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to receive a first stage liquefied natural gas at a temperature between about −

160°

C. and about −

140°

C. and a pressure of from about 1 bar to about 50 bar.

6. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to provide a heated first stage liquefied natural gas at a temperature between about −

140°

C. and about −

110°

C.

7. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to receive the second stage liquefied natural gas at a temperature between about −

130°

C. and about −

100°

C. and a pressure between about 50 bar and about 700 bar.

8. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to provide a heated second stage liquefied natural gas at a temperature between about 0°

C. and about 40°

C.

9. The power plant of claim 1, comprising a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to provide a heated first stage liquefied natural gas, and the second heat exchanger is configured to provide a heated second stage liquefied natural gas.

10. The power plant of claim 1, comprising a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat to the second stage liquefied natural gas and the compressed working fluid.

11. The power plant of claim 10, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to receive the compressed working fluid at a temperature between about −

30°

C. and about 50°

C. and a pressure between about 100 bar and about 200 bar.

12. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the heat recovery system is configured to extract heat from an external thermal cycle.

13. The power plant of claim 13, wherein the external thermal cycle is a topping cycle of a LNG power generation plant.

14. A method for regasification of liquefied natural gas in a LNG power generation plant, the method comprising:

recovering heat from a topping cycle of the power generation plant and heating a working fluid of a bottoming cycle of the power generation plant to provide a heated working fluid;

releasing at least a portion of the energy contained in the heated working fluid to generate work; and

transferring heat from the working fluid after generating work to a first stage liquefied natural gas at a first pressure, and at least one of a second stage liquefied natural gas at a second pressure and a compressed working fluid.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the working fluid comprises at least one of argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the heated working fluid has a temperature between about 300°

C. and about 700°

C.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first stage liquefied natural gas has a temperature between about −

160°

C. and about −

140°

C. and a pressure of from about 1 bar to about 50 bar.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein transferring heat between the working fluid and the first stage liquefied natural gas is conducted in a heat exchanger and provides a heated first stage liquefied natural gas having a temperature between about −

140°

C. and about −

110°

C.

19. The method according to claim 14 further comprising introducing the second stage liquefied natural gas into a heat exchanger at a temperature between about −

130°

C. and about −

100°

C. and a pressure between about 50 bar and about 700 bar to provide a heated second stage liquefied natural gas at a temperature between about 0°

C. and about 40°

C.

20. The method according to claim 14, comprising transferring heat from the working fluid to the first stage liquefied natural gas in a first heat exchanger, and transferring heat from the working fluid to the second stage liquefied natural gas in a second heat exchanger.

21. The method according to claim 14, comprising transferring heat from the working fluid to the first stage liquefied natural gas and to the second stage liquefied natural gas, said transferring being conducted in a first heat exchanger, to provide a heated first stage liquefied natural gas and a heated second stage liquefied natural gas.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat to the compressed working fluid.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the compressed working fluid is introduced into the heat exchanger at a temperature between about −

30°

C. and about 50°

C. and a pressure between about 100 bar and about 200 bar.

24. A method for retrofitting an apparatus for regasification of liquefied natural gas in a LNG power generation plant, the method comprising:

providing one or more heat exchangers configured to transfer heat from a working fluid to a first stage liquefied natural gas at a first pressure and at least one of a second stage liquefied natural gas at a second pressure and a compressed working fluid;

providing at least one of a first stage LNG pump configured to provide the first stage liquefied natural gas at the first pressure; and

providing at least one second stage LNG pump for configured to provide the second stage liquefied natural gas at the second pressure;

wherein the one or more heat exchangers, the first stage LNG pump, and the second stage LNG pump form a part of a modified bottoming Brayton cycle of the LNG power generation plant.