Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Joseph Gerard Wehrman

Paul Higginbotham

Vincent White

Gowri Krishnamurthy

Rakesh Agrawal

Mark Julian Roberts

Christopher Michael Ott

Annemarie Ott Weist

Charles F Watson

Bruce Kyle Dawson

Paul Anthony Webley

Jonathan James Berg

Vincent Coakley

Stephen J King

Kulwant S Birdi

Charles Franklin Watson

Stephen John King

Kulwant Singh Birdi

A process for producing compressed hydrogen gas, said process comprising electrolysing water to produce hydrogen gas and compressing said hydrogen gas in a multistage compression system to produce compressed hydrogen gas. The multistage compression system comprises at least one centrifugal compression stage, and the hydrogen gas is fed to the centrifugal compression stage at a pre-determined feed temperature and pressure and having a pre-determined relative humidity. The process further comprises adding water and heat to the hydrogen gas upstream of the centrifugal compression stage, as required, to humidify the hydrogen gas to the pre-determined relative humidity.

Process and apparatus for compressing hydrogen gas in a centrifugal compressor

A process for producing compressed hydrogen gas including: electrolysing water to produce hydrogen gas, and compressing the hydrogen gas in a multistage compression system including: a centrifugal compression stage and a recycle system for recycling a portion of the hydrogen gas from a product end to a feed end of the centrifugal compression stage; wherein hydrogen gas feed is fed to the feed end at a pre-determined feed temperature and pressure and mole fraction of water; wherein a portion of the hydrogen gas is removed from the product end, reduced in pressure in the recycle system to the pre-determined feed pressure and is then recycled to form at least part of the hydrogen gas feed to the centrifugal compression stage; and further including cooling hydrogen gas comprising the reduced pressure hydrogen gas such that the water mole fraction in the hydrogen gas feed is at the pre-determined water mole fraction.

A method for supplying hydrogen gas for consumption in at least one downstream process, the method comprising: electrolysing water to provide hydrogen gas; compressing the hydrogen gas in a multistage compression system to provide compressed hydrogen gas; and feeding at least a portion of the compressed hydrogen gas to the downstream process(es); wherein the multistage compression system comprises at least one centrifugal compression stage; wherein the hydrogen gas is dosed with nitrogen gas upstream of the centrifugal compression stage(s); and wherein the nitrogen gas is present in the compressed hydrogen gas when fed to the downstream process(es).

Method and apparatus for dosing hydrogen in a centrifugal compression system

A split mixed refrigerant ('MR') natural gas liquefication system, where low-pressure ('LP') and medium pressure (&#x201c;MP&#x201d;) MR compressors are driven by a first gas turbine and a propane compressor and a high-pressure (&#x201c;HP&#x201d;) MR compressor is driven by a second gas turbine, is disclosed. The split MR liquefication system is configured to adjust the characteristics of the HP MR compressor to require less power when less power is available and more power when more power is available compared to the system's design point. Such adjustments allow for shifting the balance of power between the propane compressor and the HP MR compressor to improve LNG production efficiency.

Balancing power in split mixed refrigerant liquefaction system

A system and method is provided for increasing the capacity and efficiency of natural gas liquefaction processes by debottlenecking the refrigerant compression system. A secondary compression circuit comprising at least one double flow compressor is provided in parallel fluid flow communication with at least a portion of a primary compression circuit.

Parallel compression in LNG plants using a double flow compressor

A system and method for increasing the capacity and efficiency of natural gas liquefaction processes by debottlenecking the refrigerant compression system. A secondary compression circuit comprising at least one positive displacement compressor is provided in parallel fluid flow communication with at least a portion of a primary compression circuit comprising at least one dynamic compressor.

Parallel compression in LNG plants using a positive displacement compressor

A combined main air/O enriched product compressor for use with an air separation unit that produces O enriched product is provided that includes a prime mover that drives a bull gear. The bull gear drives at least two pinion gears, and the pinion gears drive several compression stages where at least one compression stage compresses feed air for the air separation unit and at least one compressor stage compresses O enriched product from the air separation unit. The combined main air/O enriched product compressor satisfies all air separation unit feed air requirements and at least some compression for the oxygen product from the air separation unit. A method is also provided.

Combined service main air/product compressor

A vacuum swing adsorption process for separating a feed gas mixture into a more strongly adsorbable component and a less strongly adsorbable component in a process employing two vacuum pumps and three adsorbent beds containing an adsorbent selective for the more strongly adsorbable component using countercurrent depressurization and cocurrent ambient feed repressurization simultaneous with product end to product end pressure equalization and a common-shaft machinery arrangement which allows the expansion energy contained in the countercurrent depressurization and cocurrent ambient feed repressurization streams to be recovered and utilized to reduce overall process power consumption. Addition of three valves and an expander element will also allow expansion energy in the product purge and pressure equalization streams to be recovered. Oxygen product can be recovered from air at low cost using the process.

VSA adsorption process with energy recovery

Method and apparatus for using a centrifugal compressor during the exhaust portion of the cycle in a pressure vessel used to separate components from a gaseous mixture by pressure swing or vacuum swing adsorption. Energy input to the motor of an electrically driven motor-compressor is minimized at a time when the exhaust portion of the cycle is initiated allowing rotation of the compressor wheel to decelerate by contact with the absorbed gaseous components until the speed of rotation of the compressor wheel matches the efficient compression ratio for the compressor and then reenergizing the motor to increase the speed of rotation of the compressor wheel according to the best efficiency curve for said compressor until a full outlet to inlet pressure ratio across said compressor is achieved.

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Macungie, PA, United States of America

Joseph Gerard Wehrman