Method and apparatus for producing high-purity methane

JP7692718B2Active Publication Date: 2025-06-16AIR WATER INC
7 Cites -1 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021060520
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-03-31
Publication Date
2025-06-16
Estimated Expiration
2041-03-31

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing methods for producing high-purity methane from liquefied natural gas face challenges such as high energy consumption due to the need for heating and cooling in distillation processes, and potential impurity contamination from fluctuations in natural gas composition.

Method used

A method and apparatus that utilize an adsorption container filled with an adsorbent, where liquefied natural gas is cooled and introduced to adsorb impurities in the liquid phase, followed by a regeneration step using a regeneration gas at a higher temperature than the liquefaction temperature, eliminating the need for distillation equipment and reducing energy consumption.

Benefits of technology

This approach enables the production of high-purity methane with reduced energy consumption, as it avoids the use of condensers and evaporators and is less susceptible to impurity contamination from natural gas composition fluctuations.

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Abstract

To provide a method for producing high-purity methane while lessening energy consumption.SOLUTION: A method for producing high-purity methane using a liquefied natural gas as a raw material is disclosed. The method includes carrying out the following processes repeatedly in turn: a cooling process of cooling an adsorption container filled with an adsorbent to the liquefaction temperature of the natural gas; an adsorption process of obtaining a high-purity liquefied methane by introducing a liquefied natural gas to the cooled adsorption container to make the impurities in the liquefied natural gas adsorbed into the adsorbent in a liquid phase; and a regeneration process of introducing a regeneration gas having a higher temperature than the liquefied one to the adsorption container after the adsorption process, and making the impurities depart from the adsorbent into the gas phase to regenerate the adsorbent. According to this method, a condenser and an evaporator are unnecessary because a repeating operation is not a distillation but adsorption and thus, there is no energy consumption resulting from those. Further, since the impurities are adsorbed in the liquid phase, and regeneration of the adsorbent is performed using the regeneration gas having a temperature higher than that of liquefaction, heating by a heater or steam for regeneration of the adsorbent is unnecessary.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Citation Information

Patent Citations

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