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US 2026/0036362 A1Published application
System and method for precooling a hydrogen feed stream with concurrent nitrogen liquefaction
OwnerBrian R. Kromer, Jeremiah J. Rauchinventors
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Abstract
A system and process for precooling of a hydrogen feed stream with concurrent nitrogen liquefaction is disclosed. The disclosed hydrogen precooling refrigeration system and associated methods employ two centrifugal hydrogen compressors, including a centrifugal hydrogen cold compressor and a centrifugal hydrogen low pressure compressor.
Claims20
A refrigeration system for precooling of one or more hydrogen feed streams in a hydrogen liquefaction system, the refrigeration system comprising:
- one or more centrifugal compressors to compress at least one of the one or more hydrogen feed streams to a pressure in a range of 40 bar (a) and 70 bar (a);
- a first heat exchanger or a set of first heat exchange cores configured to precool the one or more hydrogen feed streams, and cool a high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream;
- a warm turbine/expander configured to receive a first diverted portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream and expand the first diverted portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream to yield a warm exhaust stream;
- a cold turbine/expander configured to receive a second diverted portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream and expand the second diverted portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream to yield a cold exhaust stream;
- an expansion valve disposed in the refrigeration circuit configured for expanding a third portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream to yield a two-phase nitrogen stream;
- a phase separator disposed in fluid communication with the expansion valve and configured to receive the two-phase nitrogen stream and separate the two-phase nitrogen stream into a nitrogen liquid and a gaseous nitrogen stream;
- a second heat exchanger or a set of second heat exchange cores configured to receive the cooled hydrogen feed stream from the first heat exchanger or the set of first heat exchange cores and further precool the one or more hydrogen feed streams to a temperature of about 80 Kelvin or lower via indirect heat exchange with all or a portion of the liquid nitrogen stream received from the phase separator;
- wherein the hydrogen feed stream is precooled in the first heat exchanger or a set of first heat exchange cores via indirect heat exchange with the warm exhaust stream, the cold exhaust stream, and the gaseous nitrogen stream from the phase separator;
- wherein at least one of the one or more centrifugal compressors is a hydrogen cold compressor configured to compress a hydrogen stream taken from the first heat exchanger or the set of first heat exchange cores.
6 more elements
A method of precooling one or more hydrogen feed streams in a hydrogen liquefaction system comprising the steps of:
- (a) compressing at least one of the one or more hydrogen feed streams in one or more centrifugal compressors to a pressure in a range of 40 bar (a) and 70 bar (a);
- (b) cooling a high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream and the one or more hydrogen feed streams in a first heat exchanger or a first set of heat exchanger cores;
- (c) diverting a first portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream from within the first heat exchanger or the first set of heat exchanger cores to yield a first diverted stream;
- (d) expanding the first diverted stream in a warm turbine/expander to yield a warm exhaust stream;
- (e) diverting a second portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream from within the first heat exchanger or the first set of heat exchanger cores to yield a second diverted stream, wherein the second diverted stream is at a temperature colder than the first diverted stream;
- (f) expanding the second diverted stream in a cold turbine/expander to yield a cold exhaust stream;
- (g) expanding a third portion of the high pressure nitrogen refrigerant stream in an expansion valve to yield a two-phase nitrogen stream;
- (h) separating the two-phase nitrogen stream in a phase separator to yield a liquid nitrogen stream and a gaseous nitrogen stream;
- and
- (i) further precooling the one or more hydrogen feed streams in a second heat exchanger or a set of second heat exchanger cores via indirect heat exchange with all or a portion of the liquid nitrogen stream to yield one or more precooled hydrogen feed streams at a temperature of less than or equal to 80 Kelvin;
- wherein the one or more hydrogen feed streams are precooled in the first heat exchanger or a set of first heat exchange cores via indirect heat exchange with the warm exhaust stream, the cold exhaust stream, and the gaseous nitrogen stream from the phase separator;
- wherein at least one of the one or more centrifugal compressors is a hydrogen cold compressor configured to compress a hydrogen stream taken from the first heat exchanger or the set of first heat exchange cores.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.