Natural Gas Liquefaction Layout for Compact Refrigerant Piping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing natural gas liquefaction systems face challenges in minimizing the cost of refrigerant-related facilities while maintaining the degree of freedom of installation and efficiency of space use, particularly due to the large area requirements for air-cooled heat exchangers and the increased length and width of piping racks.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a piping rack with a widened section to strategically locate pre-cooling heat exchangers and refrigerant compressors, allowing for the collectionary arrangement of air-cooled heat exchangers and reducing the length of refrigerant transporting pipes, thereby minimizing the cost of refrigerant-related facilities and maintaining installation flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air-cooled heat exchangers are disposed on the top portion of the piping rack, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the piping rack width increases and space efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves air-cooled heat exchangers from the top portion (vertical arrangement) to the ground level on both sides of the piping rack (horizontal arrangement). This dimensional change allows cooling functionality to be maintained while eliminating the need to increase piping rack width, thus preserving space efficiency and installation flexibility.
2Quantity of substance
If the piping rack width is increased to accommodate air-cooled heat exchangers, then cooling capacity is improved, but installation flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a vertical arrangement (top portion) to a horizontal arrangement (ground level on both sides), enabling the system to maintain or enhance cooling capacity through increased heat exchanger quantity while preserving installation flexibility by avoiding width expansion of the piping rack.
3Quantity of substance
If the piping rack length and width are increased, then more air-cooled heat exchangers can be installed, but the length of branch pipes and connecting pipes increases, resulting in higher costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention positions air-cooled heat exchangers on both sides of the piping rack, strategically locating them near facilities that require refrigerant supply. This merging of cooling resources with consumption points reduces the length of branch pipes and connecting pipes, thereby lowering material costs while maintaining or increasing the number of heat exchangers.
Solution Approach 2:
By arranging heat exchangers horizontally on both sides rather than vertically on top, the invention creates a more distributed and facility-proximity-based layout, reducing the need for long connecting pipes and minimizing refrigerant transport distance.
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 reduces the cost associated with refrigerant-related facilities and minimizes the decrease in space efficiency and installation flexibility, optimizing the use of space and reducing the overall installation area.
Implementation Method 1
a pre-cooling heat exchanger for pre-cooling the raw material gas with a first refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of first air-cooled heat exchangers disposed on a top of the piping rack for cooling the first refrigerant compressed by the first refrigerant compressor
Implementation Method 3
a first refrigerant compressor for compressing the first refrigerant
Implementation Method 4
liquefying the raw material gas comprised primarily of methane... Cooled to around −162 degrees Celsius, the liquid natural gas
Data Source
AI summary
A natural gas liquefaction system includes a piping rack for supporting a raw material gas transporting pipe for transporting the raw material gas; a pre-cooling heat exchanger for pre-cooling the raw material gas with a first refrigerant; a first refrigerant compressor for compressing the first refrigerant; a plurality of first air-cooled heat exchangers disposed on a top of the piping; a liquefier for liquefying the raw material gas which has been cooled by the pre-cooling heat exchanger, wherein the piping rack has a widened section along a part of a length of the piping rack, wherein the pre-cooling heat exchanger and the first refrigerant compressor are disposed on either side of the widened section of the piping rack, and are connected to each other via a first refrigerant transporting pipe extending in a direction intersecting a lengthwise direction of the piping rack for transporting the first refrigerant.