Natural gas vapor recondenser system
AssigneeDarron Granger
InventorDarron Granger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for re-liquefying boil-off gas produced by liquid natural gas is described. The apparatus is made up of a collector, wherein the collector contains liquid natural gas, at least one first pump, wherein the first pump is in or adjacent to the liquid natural gas collector, a compressor, wherein the compressor communicates with the liquid natural gas (LNG) collector by a first conduit, at least one mixing device, wherein the mixing device communicates with the compressor by a second conduit, and wherein the mixing device communicates with the first pump by a third conduit, at least one separating device, wherein the separating device communicates with the mixing device by a fourth conduit, and wherein the separating device also communicates with the liquid natural gas (LNG) collector by a fifth conduit.
Claims31
An apparatus for re-liquefying boil-off gas produced by liquid natural gas comprising:
- a. a collector, wherein the collector contains at least some liquid natural gas;
- b. a first pump, wherein the first pump is in or adjacent to the liquid natural gas collector;
- c. a compressor, wherein the compressor communicates with the liquid natural gas (LNG) collector by a first conduit;
- d. a mixing device, wherein the mixing device communicates with the compressor by a second conduit, and wherein the mixing device communicates with the first pump by a third conduit;
- e. a separating device, wherein the separating device communicates with the mixing device by a fourth conduit, and wherein the separating device also communicates with the liquid natural gas (LNG) collector by a fifth conduit;
- and
- f. a second pump wherein the second pump communicates with the separating device by a sixth conduit.
An apparatus for re-liquefying boil-off gas (bop) produced by liquid natural gas comprising:
- a. a collector, wherein the collector contains at least some liquid natural gas;
- b. a first pump, wherein the first pump is in or adjacent to the liquid natural gas collector;
- c. a compressor, wherein the compressor communicates with the liquid natural gas (LNG) collector by a first conduit;
- d. a mixing device, wherein the mixing device communicates with the compressor by a second conduit, and wherein the mixing device communicates with the first pump by a third conduit;
- e. a separating device, wherein the separating device communicates with the mixing device by a fourth conduit, and wherein the separating device also communicates with the liquid natural gas (LNG) collector by a fifth conduit;
- f. a second pump, wherein the second pump communicates with the separating device by a sixth conduit;
- g. a first restrictor, wherein the first restrictor is contained within the fifth conduit, and a second restrictor, wherein the second restrictor is contained within the second conduit;
- and
- h. a receiver, wherein the receiver communicates with the second pump.
A process for re-liquefying boil-off gas produced by liquid natural gas comprising the steps of:
- a. containing liquid natural gas in a collector, wherein the liquid natural gas produces boil-off gas;
- b. compressing and cooling the boil-off gas, to form a higher pressure vapor stream;
- c. boosting the pressure of the liquid natural gas to form pressurized liquid natural gas;
- d. combining the cooled vapor stream with the pressurized natural gas in a mixing device, to form a substantially liquid gas stream;
- e. separating in a separating device any vapor, if vapor exists, from the substantially liquid gas stream to form a vaporless liquid gas stream;
- f. returning any vapor from the separating device to the collector;
- and
- g. repeating steps (a)-(f).
A process for re-liquefying boil-off gas produced by liquid natural gas comprising the steps of:
- a. containing liquid natural gas in a collector, wherein the liquid natural gas produces boil-off gas,
- b. compressing and cooling the boil-off gas, to form a higher pressure vapor stream,
- c. boosting the pressure of the liquid natural gas to form pressurized liquid natural gas,
- d. combining the cooled vapor stream with the pressurized natural gas in a mixing device, to form a substantially liquid gas stream,
- e. separating in a separating device any vapor, if vapor exists, from the substantially liquid gas stream to form a vaporless liquid gas stream,
- f. returning any vapor from the separating device to the collector,
- g. repeating steps (a)-(f), and
- h. wherein the combining step comprises passing the cooled vapor stream through a conduit containing a first restrictor, before the cooled vapor stream is combined with the pressurized liquid natural gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.