Method and plant for hydrogen liquefaction

A hydrogen liquefaction plant comprising, at least:

• a hydrogen feed circuit,
• a first refrigerant circuit containing a first refrigerant,
• a second refrigerant circuit containing a second refrigerant,
• a first heat exchanger assembly passed through by the hydrogen feed circuit and by the first refrigerant circuit,
• a second heat exchanger assembly passed through by the second refrigerant circuit and by the hydrogen feed circuit downstream of the first heat exchanger assembly, and
• an expansion valve, for example an adiabatic expansion valve, passed through by the hydrogen feed circuit downstream of the second heat exchanger assembly,
• wherein the first refrigerant circuit includes one or more compressors and one or more expansion valves, and the second refrigerant circuit comprises at least three compressors and a cooling device comprising a plurality of intermediate exchangers interposed between said at least three compressors of the second refrigerant circuit so as to carry out at least three compressions of the second refrigerant without exceeding a temperature of 150 K, optionally 113 K, and one or more expansion valves, the cooling device being configured to cool the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit with a liquid phase of the first refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit, in particular in a tank of the first refrigerant circuit.