Method for the production of liquefied natural gas

A method for producing liquefied natural gas, comprising:

• compressing a process stream containing natural gas from a natural gas source in a compression assembly fluidly coupled with the natural gas source to product a compressed process stream;
• removing one or more non-hydrocarbons from the compressed process stream in a separator fluidly coupled with the compression assembly;
• cooling the compressed process stream with a cooling assembly fluidly coupled with the compression assembly, thereby producing a cooled, compressed process stream containing the natural gas in a supercritical state;
• expanding a first portion of the natural gas in the cooled, compressed process stream in a first expansion element to generate a first refrigeration stream;
• expanding a second portion of the natural gas in the cooled, compressed process stream in a second expansion element to generate a second refrigeration stream;
• cooling at least a portion of the natural gas in the cooled, compressed process stream to a subcritical state with the first refrigeration stream and the second stream, thereby producing the liquefied natural gas;
• feeding the first refrigeration stream to the compression assembly as a first recycle stream;
• and
• combining the compressed first recycle stream with the compressed process stream downstream from the separator;
• feeding the second refrigeration stream to the compression assembly as a second recycle stream;
• and
• combining the compressed second recycle stream with the process stream upstream of the separator.