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US 2010/0011663 A1Published application
Method for Liquefaction of Natural Gas
AssigneeKellogg Brown & Root LLC
InventorDavid A. Coyle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of altering the heating value of a liquefied natural gas by adding higher heating value components is disclosed. A portion of the liquefied natural gas is used to cool the higher heating value component stream prior to combining the higher heating value components with the liquefied natural gas to obtain a combined stream having a heating value greater than the liquefied natural gas.
Claims20
1) A method of altering the heating value of a liquefied natural gas stream comprising:
- providing a first liquefied hydrocarbon composed of at least 90 wt % methane, having a temperature of about −150 C or less and having a first heating value, in a first storage vessel;
- providing a second liquefied hydrocarbon composed primarily of one or more of ethane, propane, and butane, or mixtures thereof;
- providing a first stream of the first liquefied hydrocarbon from the first storage vessel;
- diverting a portion of the first stream and compressing it to form a second stream having a pressure higher than the first stream;
- passing the second stream through the cold side of a first heat exchanger to obtain a third stream of first liquefied hydrocarbon with a higher temperature than the second stream;
- decompressing the third stream in a first liquid expander to obtain a fourth stream;
- returning the first liquefied hydrocarbon of the fourth stream back to the first liquefied hydrocarbon storage vessel;
- providing a fifth stream of the second liquefied hydrocarbon;
- compressing the fifth stream to obtain a sixth stream having a higher pressure than the fifth stream;
- passing the sixth stream through the warm side of the first heat exchanger to cool the sixth stream and obtain a seventh stream of second liquefied hydrocarbon with a lower temperature than the sixth stream;
- combining a first portion of the seventh stream with the first stream to obtain an eighth stream having a second heating value greater than the first heating value of the first liquefied hydrocarbon.
8 more elements
17) A method of modifying the heating value of a liquefied natural gas stream comprising:
- providing a first liquefied hydrocarbon (LNG) composed of at least 90 wt % methane, and having a first heating value;
- providing a second liquefied hydrocarbon (LPG) composed primarily of one or more of ethane, propane, and butane, or mixtures thereof;
- passing a first stream of the LNG through a first heat exchanger to provide cooling energy;
- passing a second stream of the LPG through the first heat exchanger to obtain a third stream of LPG with reduced temperature;
- providing a fourth stream of LNG;
- blending a first portion of the LPG of the third stream with the LNG of the fourth stream to obtain a fifth stream of LNG containing increased content of LPG and thus having a heating value greater than the first heating value of the first liquefied hydrocarbon.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.