Apparatus for the production of liquefied natural gas

Abstract

A transportable apparatus for production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) having include a housing, a natural gas feed inlet, a heat exchanger, a phase separator, a liquid outlet disposed on the cold end of the heat exchanger, an LNG product outlet disposed on the cold end of the heat exchanger, a first refrigeration supply, a second refrigeration supply, and wherein the heat exchanger, the phase separator, the first expansion valve, the first refrigeration supply, and the second refrigeration supply are all disposed within the housing. The first refrigeration supply includes expansion of a portion of the LNG product, and the second refrigeration supply can include expansion of another portion of the LNG product or expansion and heat exchange with a supply of liquid nitrogen. The production of LNG is achieved without the external supply of electricity.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62 / 201,947, filed on Aug. 6, 2015, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 305,381, filed on Mar. 8, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62 / 370,953 filed on Aug. 4, 2016, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a packaged unit without any rotating machinery.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]There are numerous reasons for the liquefaction of gases, including naturally occurring gases such as methane. Perhaps the chief reason is that liquefaction greatly reduces the volume of a gas, making it feasible to store and transport the liquefied gas in containers of improved economy and design. Liquid gases can be stored in suitably designed cryogenic containers and dispensed into vehicle tanks using tech...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention offers a more cost-effective and flexible way to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) using a transportable device. It does not require the use of electricity or rotating machinery. The invention utilizes a natural gas letdown process to produce LNG in a packaged unit. Its lower cost and efficiency can make it a more viable option for producing LNG in remote locations.

Problems solved by technology

However, producing liquid from methane may not be achieved with high pressure alone.

Unfortunately, the cost and maintenance of such plants is expensive because of the cost of constructing, operating and maintaining one or more external, single or mixed refrigerant, closed-loop cooling circuits.

Such circuits typically require the use and storage of multiple highly explosive refrigerants that can present safety concerns.

Refrigerants such as propane, ethylene and propylene are explosive, while propane and propylene, in particular, are heavier than air, further complicating dispersion of these gases in the event of a leak or other equipment failure.

The equipment used to liquefy cryogenic gases in high volumes is large, complex and very expensive.

Materials required in conventional liquefaction plants also contribute greatly to the plants' cost.

Another distinguishing feature of a conventional liquefaction plant in the prior art is that as a result of its complexity and size, the plant, by necessity, is typically a fixed installation that cannot be easily relocated.

Even if a conventional plant can be physically relocated, such a move is very costly and requires the plant to be out of service for many months while plant systems, components and structures are disassembled, moved and then reassembled on a newly prepared site.

While the Engel process produces LNG without the use of external refrigerants, the process yields a small volume of LNG compared to the amount of work required for its production, thus limiting the economic viability of the process.

Images