Liquefaction process
First Claim
1. A natural gas liquefaction process comprising passing natural gas through a series of heat exchangers in countercurrent relationship with a gaseous refrigerant circulated through a work expansion cycle, said work expansion cycle comprising compressing the refrigerant, dividing and cooling the refrigerant to produce at least first and second cooled refrigerant streams, substantially isentropically expanding the first refrigerant stream to a coolest refrigerant temperature, substantially isentropically expanding the second refrigerant stream to an intermediate refrigerant temperature warmer than said coolest refrigerant temperature, and delivering the refrigerant in the first and second refrigerant streams to a respective heat exchanger for cooling the natural gas through corresponding temperature ranges, wherein the refrigerant of the first stream is isentropically expanded to a pressure at least 10 times greater than the total pressure drop of the refrigerant of the first refrigerant stream across said series of heat exchangers, said pressure being in the range 1.2 to 2.5 MPa.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A natural gas liquefaction process comprises passing natural gas through a series of heat exchangers in countercurrent relationship with a gaseous refrigerant circulated through a work expansion cycle. The work expansion cycle comprises compressing the refrigerant, dividing and cooling the refrigerant to produce at least first and second cooled refrigerant streams, substantially isentropically expanding the first refrigerant stream to a coolest refrigerant temperature, substantially isentropically expanding the second refrigerant stream to an intermediate refrigerant temperature warmer than said coolest refrigerant temperature, and delivering the refrigerant in the first and second refrigerant streams to a respective heat exchanger for cooling the natural gas through corresponding temperature ranges. The refrigerant in the first stream is isentropically expanded to a pressure at least 10 times greater than the total pressure drop of the first refrigerant stream across said series of heat exchangers, said pressure being in the range of 1.2 to 2.5 MPa.
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Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A natural gas liquefaction process comprising passing natural gas through a series of heat exchangers in countercurrent relationship with a gaseous refrigerant circulated through a work expansion cycle, said work expansion cycle comprising compressing the refrigerant, dividing and cooling the refrigerant to produce at least first and second cooled refrigerant streams, substantially isentropically expanding the first refrigerant stream to a coolest refrigerant temperature, substantially isentropically expanding the second refrigerant stream to an intermediate refrigerant temperature warmer than said coolest refrigerant temperature, and delivering the refrigerant in the first and second refrigerant streams to a respective heat exchanger for cooling the natural gas through corresponding temperature ranges, wherein the refrigerant of the first stream is isentropically expanded to a pressure at least 10 times greater than the total pressure drop of the refrigerant of the first refrigerant stream across said series of heat exchangers, said pressure being in the range 1.2 to 2.5 MPa.
Specification