Hydrogen liquefaction with stored hydrogen refrigeration source

A system for liquefying a hydrogen gas feed stream comprising:

• a. a cold box feed line configured to receive a cold box feed stream having a cold box feed stream pressure where the cold box feed stream includes at least the hydrogen gas feed stream;
• b. a heat exchanger system having a liquefier cooling passage in fluid communication with the cold box feed line and configured to receive and cool a liquefier feed stream so that a product stream is formed;
• c. a product expansion device in fluid communication with an outlet of the liquefier cooling passage and configured to receive the product stream so that an expanded product stream is formed;
• d. said heat exchanger system including a first refrigerant cooling passage configured to receive a refrigerant feed stream so that a cooled refrigerant feed stream is formed;
• e. a first refrigerant expansion device in fluid communication with the first refrigerant cooling passage of the heat exchanger system so that a first expanded refrigerant stream is formed, said heat exchanger system further including:
• i. second liquefier cooling passage in fluid communication with the liquefier cooling passage and the product expansion device;
• ii. a second refrigerant cooling passage in fluid communication with the first refrigerant cooling passage and the first refrigerant expansion device;
• iii. a second refrigerant warming passage;
• f. said heat exchanger system including a first refrigerant warming passage in fluid communication with an outlet of the first refrigerant expansion device so that cooling is provided in the heat exchanger system;
• g. said heat exchanger system including a first hydrogen high-pressure refrigerant cooling passage configured to receive and cool a high-pressure hydrogen supplemental refrigerant feed stream from a stored hydrogen source that is external to the system so that a cooled hydrogen supplemental refrigerant stream is formed;
• h. a supplemental refrigerant expansion device having an inlet in fluid communication with the first hydrogen high-pressure refrigerant cooling passage so that an expanded hydrogen supplemental refrigerant stream is produced having a pressure not lower than the cold box feed stream pressure;
• and
• i. said heat exchanger system including a high-pressure hydrogen refrigerant warming passage in fluid communication with an outlet of the supplemental refrigerant expansion device and configured to receive the expanded hydrogen supplemental refrigerant stream so that cooling is provided in the heat exchanger system and a high-pressure hydrogen product stream is formed that is at a pressure higher than the cold box feed stream pressure;
• j. a product separator having a product separator vapor outlet and a product separator liquid outlet, said product separator configured to receive the mixed-phase expanded product stream from the product expansion device and produce a liquid hydrogen product stream that exits the product separator through the product separator liquid outlet and a hydrogen vapor stream that exits the product separator through the product separator vapor outlet;
• k. said heat exchanger system including a first product separator vapor recycle passage in fluid communication with the product separator vapor outlet so that cooling is provided in the heat exchanger system and a first recycle stream is formed;
• l. a first recycle compressor having an inlet configured to receive the first recycle stream so that a compressed first recycle stream is formed;
• wherein the cold box feed stream includes at least the compressed first recycle stream and the hydrogen gas feed stream;
• m. a second refrigerant expansion device configured to receive a first portion of the cooled refrigerant stream exiting the first refrigerant cooling passage so that a second expanded refrigerant stream is formed;
• n. said second refrigerant cooling passage configured to receive and cool a second portion of the cooled refrigerant stream;
• o. said second refrigerant warming passage in fluid communication with an outlet of the second refrigerant expansion device so that cooling is provided in the heat exchanger system;
• p. a second recycle compressor having an inlet configured to receive the hydrogen gas feed stream downstream from the first recycle compressor and in fluid communication with the second refrigerant warming passage and an outlet of the first recycle compressor so that a compressed second recycle stream is formed, said second recycle compressor having an outlet in fluid communication with the cold box feed line and wherein the inlet or the outlet of the second recycle compressor is configured to receive the hydrogen gas feed stream so that the second recycle compressor receives the hydrogen gas feed stream or the cold box feed stream contains the hydrogen gas feed stream;
• q. a split in fluid communication with the cold box feed line and configured to divide the cold box feed stream into the liquefier feed stream and the refrigerant feed stream;
• r. said first refrigerant expansion device configured so that the expanded refrigerant stream is mixed-phase and further comprising a refrigerant separator configured to receive and separate the expanded refrigerant stream into a vapor refrigerant stream and a liquid refrigerant stream, said refrigerant separator having a refrigerant separator vapor outlet and a refrigerant separator liquid outlet and wherein the refrigerant separator vapor outlet is in fluid communication with the inlet of the first recycle compressor;
• s. said heat exchanger system further including a product heat exchanger including a product liquefier cooling passage in fluid communication with the liquefier cooling passage and the product expansion device and a product vapor warming passage configured to receive and warm the hydrogen vapor stream from the product separator vapor outlet of the product separator, said product vapor warming passage having an outlet in fluid communication with an outlet of the refrigerant separator vapor outlet.