Hydrocarbon Stream Cooling with Asymmetric Parallel Process Trains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrocarbon liquefaction plants lack flexibility and efficiency due to rigid unit configurations, leading to high energy requirements and costs, as well as limitations in handling impurities and varying production capacities.
Innovation Solution
An asymmetric configuration of gas treatment, NGL extraction, and cooling stages with more NGL extraction units than cooling systems, allowing for increased production capacity and flexibility, with independent operation of units to maintain plant availability and balance energy requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If complete replication of all units is used to increase capacity, then production capacity increases, but device complexity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The liquefaction plant is divided into modular trains, where each train consists of standardized units (gas treatment, cooling, NGL extraction, LNG storage). This segmentation allows capacity expansion by adding complete modular trains rather than replicating individual complex units, reducing overall system complexity while increasing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal standardized train modules that can perform multiple functions within a consistent architecture. These standardized trains can be replicated and configured in different numbers to meet various production requirements, providing flexibility without requiring custom design for each capacity level.
2Adaptability or versatility
If rigid unit configuration is used, then manufacturing and operation are simplified, but adaptability to different production capacities and market demands decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The plant configuration is made dynamic through the ability to operate different numbers of trains based on market demand and gas availability. The standardized modular design allows flexible activation or deactivation of specific trains, enabling the system to adapt to varying production requirements without redesigning the entire plant.
3Reliability
If complete replication of units is avoided to reduce complexity, then device complexity decreases, but reliability and availability decrease when units need maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the plant into independent modular trains, maintenance can be performed on one train while others continue operating. This segmentation provides built-in redundancy and maintains plant availability without requiring complete system shutdown, achieving reliability without excessive complexity.
4Productivity
If asymmetric configuration with more NGL extraction units than cooling systems is used, then production capacity and flexibility increase, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric configuration within the standardized trains, specifically having more NGL extraction units than cooling systems. This asymmetric design optimizes the balance between different process functions to maximize production capacity and flexibility while maintaining the overall modular architecture that controls complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances plant flexibility, reduces energy consumption, and allows for continued operation even if individual units are offline, while effectively reducing impurity levels and increasing production capacity without the need for complete replication of units.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling stage comprises one or more cooling systems and is adapted to receive the combined treated stream and cool the combined treated stream
Implementation Method 2
cooling a hydrocarbon stream such as natural gas to a temperature and pressure at which the hydrocarbon stream is liquefied
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of cooling a hydrocarbon stream such as natural gas, the method at least comprising the steps of: (a) providing a feed stream (10); (b) passing the feed stream (10) through a gas treatment stage (2) comprising one or more (number: X) parallel gas treatment units (14a, 14b), the feed stream (10) being divided into two or more part-feed streams (20a, 20b) if there is more than one gas treatment unit, to provide one or more first treated streams (30a, 30b); (c) passing the first treated stream or streams (30a, 30b) of step (b) through an NGL extraction stage (4) comprising one or more (number: Y) parallel NGL extraction units (16a, 16b), the first treated stream or streams (30a, 30b) being shared to match the number of NGL extraction units (16a, 16b), to provide one or more second treated streams (40a, 40b); and (d) passing the second treated stream or streams (40a, 40b) of step (c) through a cooling stage (6) comprising one or more (number: Z) parallel cooling systems (22), the second treated stream or streams (40a, 40b) being shared to match the number of cooling systems (22), to provide a cooled hydrocarbon stream or streams.