NATURAL GAS LIQUEFACTION WITH FEED WATER REMOVAL

• Main Authors: BROSTOW ADAM ADRIAN, KINARD GLENN EUGENE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.10.2013
• Subjects: ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; FIRELIGHTERS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; HEATING; LIGHTING; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES; LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT; NATURAL GAS; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; WEAPONS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for drying and liquefying a natural gas stream.SOLUTION: There is provided a method in which: (a) a water-containing natural gas feed stream is cooled; (b) the cooled natural gas feed stream is dried and further cooled; (c) the dried cooled natural gas stream is heated; (d) the dried rewarmed natural gas stream is cooled and liquefied and at least one compressed refrigerant feed stream is cooled by counter-current indirect heat exchange with an expanded cold refrigerant; and (e) the compressed cold refrigerant stream or streams are expanded, and thereby further cooled, to provide the expanded cold refrigerant; wherein the cooling of the natural gas feed stream in step (a) and heating of the dried cooled natural gas stream in step (c) is by indirect heat exchange between the two streams.