Floating natural gas processing station

A floating natural gas processing station for receiving dry gas, forming liquefied natural gas, and offloading the liquefied natural gas safely, the floating natural gas processing station comprising:

• a. a station hull with a station variable draft;
• b. a plurality of mooring lines, connecting the station hull to a seabed;
• c. a dry gas inlet conduit for receiving a dry gas from a pretreatment source;
• d. a station heat exchanger for cooling the dry gas;
• e. a liquefaction train supported by the station hull for cooling the station heat exchanger, wherein the station heat exchanger forms a liquefied natural gas;
• f. an offload flexible outlet conduit for flowing the liquefied natural gas from the station heat exchanger;
• g. a vapor return flexible conduit for communicating hydrocarbon vapor formed during offloading from a transport vessel to the floating natural gas processing station, wherein the vapor return flexible conduit communicates with the station heat exchanger;
• h. a primary quick connect/disconnect connector and a secondary emergency disconnect connector and a tertiary emergency disconnect connector to allow quick connect/disconnect or emergency disconnect of the floating natural gas processing station from the transport vessel;
• i. a station controller for monitoring the dry gas inlet conduit, the station heat exchanger, and the offload flexible outlet conduit, and for actuating the primary quick connect/disconnect connector, the secondary emergency disconnect connector, and the tertiary emergency disconnect connector;
• and
• j. at least two telescoping soft yoke mooring arms connected to the station hull, wherein each telescoping soft yoke mooring arm comprises:
• (i) an upper connecting mount for connecting the upper connecting mount to the floating natural gas processing station;
• (ii) a lower connecting mount for connecting the upper connecting mount to the floating natural gas processing station;
• (iii) a turn table connected to the lower connecting mount;
• (iv) a king post engaged with the turn table and the upper connecting mount;
• (v) a boom connected to the turn table and to at least one luffing wire, wherein each luffing wire engages a turn down sheave mounted to the king post;
• (vi) a tensioner for each luffing wire;
• (vii) a jib telescopically and slidably contained within the boom connected to at least one centralizing cylinder for controlling a position of the jib within the boom as the floating natural gas processing station and the transport vessel are affected by wave motion, current motion, wind motion, transport ship dynamics, floating natural gas processing station dynamics, or combinations thereof, wherein the jib assists in maintaining a nominal standoff position by holding the transport vessel at a predefined distance from the floating natural gas processing station, and wherein the boom and the jib form a gangway for moving personnel between the transport vessel and the floating natural gas processing station;
• (viii) a yoke offload flexible conduit for flowing the liquefied natural gas from the offload flexible outlet conduit of the floating natural gas processing station to the transport vessel;
• and
• (ix) a yoke vapor return flexible conduit for flowing the vapor from the transport vessel to the vapor return flexible conduit of the floating natural gas processing station.