Method To Produce Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) At Midstream Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) Recovery Plants
Assignees1304338 Alberta Ltd., 1304342 Alberta Ltd.
InventorsJose Lourenco, MacKenzie Millar
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Abstract
A method to recover natural gas liquids (NGLs) from natural gas streams at NGL recovery plants. The present disclosure relates to methods using liquid natural gas (LNG) as an external source of stored cold energy to reduce the energy and improve the operation of NGL distillation columns. More particularly, the present disclosure provides methods to efficiently and economically achieve higher recoveries of natural gas liquids at NGL recovery plants.
Claims10
A method for production of liquid natural gas (LNG) at natural gas liquids (NGLs) recovery plants and improvements to recovery of natural gas liquids from natural gas using cold of LNG, comprising:
- producing LNG;
- and
- using the produced LNG as an external cooling source to control operation of a de-methanizer column.
A method for recovery of natural gas liquids (NGLs) from a natural gas, comprising the steps of:
- using a portion of produced liquid natural gas (LNG) at an NGL recovery plant facility that has at least one de-methanizer column for recovering NGLs;
- adding LNG from an LNG overhead receiver by direct mixing to control the temperature profile in an NGL de-methanizer column, the temperature in an overhead product of the de-methanizer column being controlled by controlling addition of LNG as a reflux stream, the temperature in an expanded feed gas to the de-methanizer column being controlled by controlling addition of LNG as a tempering gas, stripping of carbon dioxide from an NGL product stream being controlled by controlling the addition of LNG as stripping gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.