Enhanced gas storage and sendout resiliency with co-located LNG and underground gas storage facilities
AssigneeThe Lisbon Group, LLC
InventorsMichael A. Barclay, M. Josue Zapata, John A. Barclay
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, plants, and methods are presented that make use of natural gas compression capability and various other components of an existing underground natural gas storage (UGS) facility by co-locating a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and storage facility to increase natural gas storage of the UGS as LNG. Especially contemplated facilities include natural gas storage facilities with gas one or more compressor systems that have excess or redundant compression capacity.
Claims14
A method of enhanced intermittent and on-demand natural gas storage for resilient supply of pipeline natural gas, comprising:
- receiving from a pipeline a pipeline natural gas feed stream at a natural gas storage facility, wherein the natural gas storage facility comprises an underground compressed gas storage reservoir and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefier;
- using an injection compressor fluidly coupled to the underground compressed gas storage reservoir to compress a first portion of the pipeline natural gas feed stream from a lower pressure to a natural gas injection pressure, wherein the compressed first portion is then fed at the natural gas injection pressure into the underground compressed gas storage reservoir;
- using the injection compressor to compress a second portion of the pipeline natural gas feed stream to a pressure above the lower pressure, and feeding the second portion of the pipeline natural gas feed stream at the pressure above the lower pressure into a liquefier of the LNG liquefier to thereby produce LNG;
- feeding the LNG into an LNG storage tank of the LNG liquefier;
- and
- upon peak demand from a pipeline natural gas user:
- (a) withdrawing natural gas from the underground compressed gas storage reservoir and re-injecting the withdrawn natural gas into the pipeline;
- and concurrently or sequentially
- (b) withdrawing, compressing, and vaporizing the stored LNG from the LNG storage tank, and re-injecting the compressed and vaporized LNG into the pipeline.
A method of enhanced intermittent and on-demand storage of pipeline natural gas, comprising:
- receiving from a pipeline a pipeline natural gas feed stream at a natural gas storage facility wherein the natural gas storage facility comprises an underground compressed gas storage reservoir and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production unit;
- using an injection compressor to compress a first portion of the natural gas feed stream from a lower pressure to a natural gas injection pressure, and feeding the first portion of the natural gas at the natural gas injection pressure into the underground compressed gas storage reservoir;
- using the injection gas compressor to compress a second portion of the natural gas feed stream to a pressure above the lower pressure or to the natural gas injection pressure, and feeding the second portion of the natural gas feed stream at the pressure above the lower pressure or at the natural gas injection pressure into the LNG production unit to thereby produce LNG;
- feeding the LNG into an LNG storage tank;
- and
- (a) withdrawing natural gas from the underground compressed gas storage reservoir and feeding the withdrawn natural gas to the pipeline;
- and concurrently or sequentially
- (b) vaporizing the LNG and feeding the vaporized LNG to the pipeline and/or the underground compressed gas storage reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.