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US 12,680,755 B2Granted
Solvent injection for solids prevention in an LNG plant
AssigneeConocoPhillips Company
InventorsDale Embry, Wesley R. Qualls
Life of this patent
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AssigneeConocoPhillips Company
InventorsDale Embry, Wesley R. Qualls
Estimating the term…
A solvent is dispersed into a natural gas feed at a solvent injection point to produce a mixed feed. The mixed feed contains heavy components with a potentially fouling portion that can cause obstructions in a heat exchanger. A fluid injection system can inject the solvent intermittently, for instance, based on an amount of accumulation or expected accumulation of heavy component solids in the heat exchanger. The solvent prevents the potentially fouling portion of the heavy components from freezing, melts or dissolves the accumulation, and reduces the obstructions in the heat exchanger. The fluid injection system includes a solvent supply, an optional atomizer, an injection controller, optionally one or more sensors, and/or optionally a heater. The solvent injection system can disperse the solvent onto a flow surface for the natural gas feed and/or mixed feed to form a solvent film which further reduces heavy component solids.
A method for reducing hydrocarbon fouling, the method comprising:
A method for reducing hydrocarbon fouling, the method comprising:
A system for reducing hydrocarbon fouling, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.