Systems and methods for producing and storing pressurized liquefied natural gas
AssigneeExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
InventorsRonald R. Bowen, Moses Minta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for producing and storing pressurized liquefied natural gas (PLNG) are provided, wherein the systems and methods include (a) a natural gas processing plant suitable for producing PLNG; and (b) at least one container suitable for storing the PLNG, the at least one container comprising (i) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material and (ii) a substantially non-load-bearing liner in contact with the vessel, said liner providing a substantially impermeable barrier to the PLNG. The systems and methods also preferably include (c) means for transporting the at least one container containing PLNG to an import terminal.
Claims29
A container suitable for storing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.), said container comprising:
- (a) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material, said vessel being suitable for withstanding pressures of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and temperatures of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.);
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- (b) a substantially non-load-bearing liner in contact with said vessel, said liner providing a substantially impermeable barrier to said pressurized liquefied natural gas.
A container suitable for storing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.), said container comprising:
- (a) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material, said vessel being suitable for withstanding pressures of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and temperatures of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.);
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- (b) a substantially non-load-bearing metal liner in contact with said vessel, said metal liner having a thickness of up to about 1 mm (0.04 in) and providing a substantially impermeable barrier to said pressurized liquefied natural gas.
A container comprising a substantially non-load-bearing, substantially impermeable liner, and a load-bearing, composite over-wrap, said container being suitable for storing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.).
A method of constructing a container suitable for storing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.), said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) creating a computer-implementable design for said container by finite element analyses performed with a goal toward optimizing strength of said container;
- (b) forming a liner from a substantially impermeable material;
- (c) placing said liner on a mandrel;
- (d) impregnating with a resin a plurality fibers of materials having a specific tensile modulus greater than about 6×105 centimeters and a specific tensile strength greater than about 6×106 centimeters, where values are normalized by fiber density;
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- (e) wrapping said plurality of fibers around said liner via a computer-run winding machine that is implementing said computer-implementable design to form a load-bearing vessel.
A method of storing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.), said method comprising the step of containing said pressurized liquefied natural gas in at least one container, said at least one container comprising (i) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material;
- and (ii) a substantially non-load-bearing liner in contact with said vessel, said liner providing a substantially impermeable barrier to said pressurized liquefied natural gas.
A system for producing and storing pressurized liquefied natural gas comprising:
- (a) a natural gas processing plant suitable for producing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.);
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- (b) at least one container suitable for storing said pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.), said at least one container comprising (i) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material;
- and (ii) a substantially non-load-bearing liner in contact with said vessel, said liner providing a substantially impermeable barrier to said pressurized liquefied natural gas.
A method of producing and storing pressurized liquefied natural gas, comprising the steps of:
- (a) constructing a natural gas processing plant suitable for producing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.);
- (b) producing pressurized liquefied natural gas at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.), by processing natural gas using said natural gas processing plant;
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- (c) delivering said pressurized liquefied natural gas to at least one container, wherein said at least one container is suitable for storing a liquid at a pressure of about 1035 kPa (150 psia) to about 7590 kPa (1100 psia) and at a temperature of about −123° C. (−190° F.) to about −62° C. (−80° F.) and comprises (i) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material;
- and (ii) a substantially non-load-bearing liner in contact with said vessel, said liner providing a substantially impermeable barrier to said pressurized liquefied natural gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.