Systems and methods for vaporization of liquefied natural gas

A method for vaporizing a liquefied natural gas having an initial GHV to obtain a natural gas product having a final GHV compatible with pipeline or commercial requirements, the method comprising:

• providing a condenser vessel having a contact area therein;
• directing a condensable gas into the condenser vessel;
• directing a portion of the liquefied natural gas into the condenser vessel in an amount sufficient to condense at least a portion of the condensable gas upon contact and mixing therewith under cryogenic conditions;
• contacting the portion of the liquefied natural gas and the condensable gas in the contact area of the condenser vessel under cryogenic conditions to condense the condensable gas into the liquefied natural gas and thereby obtain a blended condensate;
• and
• vaporizing the blended condensate to produce the natural gas product.

A system for adjusting the GHV of a liquefied natural gas comprising:

• a mixing device having an inlet for a first stream of the liquefied natural gas, an inlet for a condensable gas, and an outlet, the mixing device adapted to blend the condensable gas with the first stream of the liquefied natural gas to produce a cooled blended stream;
• a condenser vessel comprising an inlet for a second stream of the liquefied natural gas, an inlet for the cooled blended stream, an internal structural member providing a surface area for contact of the second liquefied natural gas stream with the blended stream such that the blended stream condenses on contact and mixing with the second liquefied natural gas stream under cryogenic conditions to form a condensate product, and an outlet for the condensate product;
• and
• a conduit for conveying the blended stream from the outlet of the mixing device to the inlet of the condenser vessel for the blended stream.

A system for vaporizing a liquefied natural gas comprising:

• a mixing device having an inlet for a first stream of the liquefied natural gas, an inlet for a condensable gas, and an outlet, the mixing device adapted to blend the condensable gas with the first stream of the liquefied natural gas to produce a cooled blended stream;
• a condenser vessel comprising an inlet for a second stream of the liquefied natural gas, an inlet for the cooled blended stream, an internal structural member providing a surface area for contact of the second liquefied natural gas stream with the blended stream such that the blended stream condenses on contact and mixing with the second liquefied natural gas stream under cryogenic conditions to form a blended condensate product, and an outlet for the blended condensate product;
• a conduit for conveying the blended stream from the outlet of the mixing device to the inlet of the condenser vessel for the blended stream;
• a pump having an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the condenser vessel, and an outlet;
• and
• at least one vaporizer for vaporization of the condensate product into a natural gas product, the at least one vaporizer having an inlet for the blended condensate product in fluid communication with the outlet of the pump;
• an inlet for a heat transfer fluid;
• an outlet for the heat transfer fluid;
• and an outlet for the natural gas product which is in fluid communication with an inlet of a natural gas transportation pipeline.

A method for vaporizing a liquefied natural gas having an initial GHV to obtain a natural gas product having a final GHV within a commercial specification or suitable for transport in a pipeline, the method comprising:

• providing a condenser vessel having a contact area therein;
• mixing nitrogen gas with an initial portion of the liquefied natural gas to cool the nitrogen gas;
• directing the cooled nitrogen gas into the condenser vessel;
• directing a vapor stream to the condenser vessel, the vapor stream obtained by boil off of the liquefied natural gas from a storage tank designed to store the liquefied natural gas prior to vaporization and delivery into a pipeline;
• directing a second portion of the liquefied natural gas to the condenser vessel in an amount sufficient to condense at least a portion of the nitrogen gas and the vapor stream upon contact and mixing therewith under cryogenic conditions to obtain a blended condensate;
• and
• vaporizing the blended condensate to produce the natural gas product.

A method for vaporizing a liquefied natural gas having an initial GHV to obtain a natural gas product having a final GHV within a commercial specification or suitable for transport in a pipeline, the method comprising:

• providing a condenser vessel having a contact area therein;
• providing an air separation plant to obtain nitrogen gas by separation of air;
• mixing the nitrogen gas with an initial portion of the liquefied natural gas to cool the nitrogen gas;
• directing the cooled nitrogen gas into the condenser vessel;
• directing a vapor stream to the condenser vessel, the vapor stream obtained by boil off of the liquefied natural gas from a storage tank designed to store the liquefied natural gas prior to vaporization and delivery into a pipeline;
• directing a second portion of the liquefied natural gas to the condenser vessel in an amount sufficient to condense at least a portion of the nitrogen gas and the vapor stream upon contact and mixing therewith to obtain a blended condensate;
• mixing a third portion of the liquefied natural gas with the blended condensate to obtain a liquefied natural gas mixture;
• increasing the pressure of the liquefied natural gas mixture to a desired pressure;
• vaporizing the liquefied natural gas mixture to produce the natural gas product in a vaporizer which employs a heat transfer fluid to vaporize the liquefied natural gas mixture;
• and
• directing the heat transfer fluid into the air separation plant for purposes of heat exchange with one or more process streams of the air separation plant.

A method for vaporizing a liquefied natural gas having an initial GHV to obtain a natural gas product having a final GHV that meets commercial specifications or is otherwise suitable for transport in a pipeline, the method comprising:

• providing a condenser vessel having a contact area therein;
• mixing a condensable gas with an initial portion of the liquefied natural gas to cool the condensable gas;
• directing the cooled condensable gas into the condenser vessel;
• directing a vapor stream to the condenser vessel, the vapor stream obtained by boil off of the liquefied natural gas from a storage tank designed to store the liquefied natural gas prior to vaporization and delivery into a pipeline;
• directing a second portion of the liquefied natural gas to the condenser vessel in an amount sufficient to condense at least a portion of the condensable gas and the vapor stream upon contact and mixing with the second portion of the liquefied natural gas and thereby obtain a blended condensate;
• mixing a third portion of the liquefied natural gas with the blended condensate to obtain a liquefied natural gas mixture;
• increasing the pressure of the liquefied natural gas mixture to a desired pressure;
• and
• vaporizing the liquefied natural gas mixture to produce the natural gas product.

A system for vaporizing a liquefied natural gas comprising:

• a static, in-line mixing device having an inlet for a first stream of the liquefied natural gas, an inlet for a condensable gas comprised of nitrogen gas obtained by separation of the nitrogen gas from oxygen in an air separation plant, and an outlet, the mixing device adapted to blend the condensable gas with the first stream of the liquefied natural gas to produce a cooled blended stream;
• a condenser vessel comprising an inlet for a second stream of the liquefied natural gas, an inlet for the cooled blended stream, an internal structural member providing a surface area for contact of the second liquefied natural gas stream with the blended stream such that the blended stream condenses on contact and mixing with the second liquefied natural gas stream to form a blended condensate product, and an outlet for the blended condensate product;
• a conduit for conveying the blended stream from the outlet of the mixing device to the inlet of the condenser vessel for the blended stream;
• a pump having an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the condenser vessel, and an outlet;
• and
• at least one vaporizer for vaporization of the condensate product into a natural gas product, the at least one vaporizer having an inlet for the blended condensate product in fluid communication with the outlet of the pump;
• an inlet for a heat transfer fluid;
• an outlet for the heat transfer fluid;
• and an outlet for the natural gas product which is in fluid communication with an inlet of a natural gas transportation pipeline.