Method and apparatus for liquefying a hydrocarbon stream
First Claim
1. A method of liquefying a hydrocarbon stream, comprising at least the steps of:
- (a) providing a liquefaction system comprising at least an NGL recovery system, a main refrigerant circuit and a first refrigerant circuit and a pressure reducing device followed by an end gas/liquid separator, the main refrigerant circuit comprising at least one or more main refrigerant compressors, and the first refrigerant circuit comprising one or more first refrigerant compressors;
(b) passing a hydrocarbon feed stream through the NGL recovery system to produce a methane-enriched overhead stream from the hydrocarbon feed stream;
(c) passing the methane-enriched overhead stream through at least a first compressor to provide a methane-compressed stream;
(d) cooling the methane-compressed stream against a first refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit and subsequently liquefying the methane-compressed stream against a main refrigerant in the main refrigerant circuit, to provide a first liquefied stream;
(e) reducing the pressure of the first liquefied stream to provide a mixed-phase stream;
(f) passing the mixed-phase stream through the end gas/liquid separator to provide an end gaseous stream and a liquefied hydrocarbon product stream;
(g) feeding at least a recycle fraction of the end gaseous stream into the methane-enriched overhead stream or the methane-compressed stream upstream of at least a part of said cooling against the first refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit;
(h) maximizing the loading power of the one or more main refrigerant compressors and the one or more first refrigerant compressors to a predetermined maximum load by adjusting the temperature (Tx) of the first liquefied stream to change the amount of the end gaseous stream from the end gas/liquid separator and controlling the amount in the recycle fraction of the end gaseous stream being fed in step (g).
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for liquefying a hydrocarbon stream. A liquefaction system comprises at least an NGL recovery system 12, a main refrigerant circuit 42 and a first refrigerant circuit 100, a pressure reduction device 52 followed by an end gas/liquid separator 62. The main refrigerant circuit 42 comprises at least one or more main refrigerant compressors 45, 45a, 45b, and the first refrigerant circuit comprises one or more first refrigerant compressors 101. A hydrocarbon feed stream 10 is passed through the NGL recovery system 12 to produce a methane-enriched overhead stream 20, which is subsequently cooled and liquefied by the first and second refrigerant circuits. The pressure of the liquefied stream is reduced and the resulting mixed-phase stream 60 is passed through the end gas/liquid separator 62 to provide an end gaseous stream 70 and a liquefied hydrocarbon product stream 80. The loading power of the one or more main refrigerant compressors and the one or more first refrigerant compressors is maximized to their maximum load by adjusting temperature of the liquefied stream to change the amount of end gaseous stream and by controlling an amount of the end gaseous stream being fed into the methane-enriched overhead stream 20 in a recycle stream 90b.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of liquefying a hydrocarbon stream, comprising at least the steps of:
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(a) providing a liquefaction system comprising at least an NGL recovery system, a main refrigerant circuit and a first refrigerant circuit and a pressure reducing device followed by an end gas/liquid separator, the main refrigerant circuit comprising at least one or more main refrigerant compressors, and the first refrigerant circuit comprising one or more first refrigerant compressors; (b) passing a hydrocarbon feed stream through the NGL recovery system to produce a methane-enriched overhead stream from the hydrocarbon feed stream; (c) passing the methane-enriched overhead stream through at least a first compressor to provide a methane-compressed stream; (d) cooling the methane-compressed stream against a first refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit and subsequently liquefying the methane-compressed stream against a main refrigerant in the main refrigerant circuit, to provide a first liquefied stream; (e) reducing the pressure of the first liquefied stream to provide a mixed-phase stream; (f) passing the mixed-phase stream through the end gas/liquid separator to provide an end gaseous stream and a liquefied hydrocarbon product stream; (g) feeding at least a recycle fraction of the end gaseous stream into the methane-enriched overhead stream or the methane-compressed stream upstream of at least a part of said cooling against the first refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit; (h) maximizing the loading power of the one or more main refrigerant compressors and the one or more first refrigerant compressors to a predetermined maximum load by adjusting the temperature (Tx) of the first liquefied stream to change the amount of the end gaseous stream from the end gas/liquid separator and controlling the amount in the recycle fraction of the end gaseous stream being fed in step (g). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20)
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13. Apparatus for liquefying a hydrocarbon stream, the apparatus at least comprising:
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an NGL recovery system to extract a C2+stream from a hydrocarbon feed stream to provide at least a methane-enriched overhead stream and a C2+enriched bottom stream; at least a first compressor to provide a methane-compressed stream from the methane-enriched overhead stream; a first cooling stage to cool the methane-compressed stream to provide a cooled methane-compressed stream, followed by a main cooling stage to liquefy the cooled methane-compressed stream to provide a first liquefied stream, wherein the first cooling stage comprises a first refrigerant circuit comprising one or more first refrigerant compressors and wherein the main cooling stage comprises a main refrigerant circuit comprising one or more main refrigerant compressors; a pressure reducing device to reduce the pressure of the first liquefied stream to provide a mixed-phase stream; an end gas/liquid separator to separate the mixed-phase stream into an end gaseous stream and a liquefied hydrocarbon product stream; a recycle fraction line to feed at least a recycle fraction of the end gaseous stream into the methane-enriched overhead stream or the methane-compressed stream upstream of at least part of the first cooling stage; and a control system arranged to maximize the loading power of the one or more main refrigerant compressors and the one or more first refrigerant compressors at their maximum load, by adjusting the temperature (Tx) of the first liquefied stream to change the amount of the end gaseous stream from the end gas/liquid separator, and to control the amount in the recycle fraction of the end-compressed stream in the recycle fraction line. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 19)
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Specification