Shell Oil Comapny

Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij, B.v.

Marco Dick Jager

Francois Chantant

Wouter Jan Meiring

Frederick Jan Van Dijk

Alexandra Teodora Anghel

Irina Tanaeva

François Chantant

Suyog Kalyanji Kotecha

A method and apparatus for cooling a hydrocarbon stream such as natural gas. An initial hydrocarbon stream is passed through a first separator to provide an initial overhead stream and a mixed hydrocarbon feed stream. The initial overhead stream is cooled to provide a cooled hydrocarbon stream such as LNG, and at least a C1 overhead stream and one or more C2, C3 and C4 overhead streams are separated from the mixed hydrocarbon feed stream. At least a fraction of at least one of the group comprising: the C2 overhead stream, the C3 overhead stream and the C4 overhead stream is cooled with the C1 overhead stream to provide a cooled stream, which is further cooled against at least a fraction of the cooled, preferably liquefied, hydrocarbon stream to provide an at least partly liquefied cooled stream.

Method and apparatus for cooling a hydrocarbon stream

A mixed refrigerant stream () comprising a first mixed refrigerant is passed through one or more heat exchangers () to provide a cooled mixed refrigerant stream (). At least a fraction of a cooling stream () comprising a second mixed refrigerant is expanded () to provide one or more expanded cooling streams (), at least one of which may be passed through one or more of the heat exchangers (), to cool the mixed refrigerant stream () thereby providing the cooled mixed refrigerant stream () which is used to cool () a hydrocarbon stream (). The temperature (T) and the flow (F) of at least part of the cooled mixed refrigerant stream () is monitored, and the flow (F) of the cooling stream () is controlled using the flow Fand the temperature T

Method of liquefying a hydrocarbon stream from a feed stream including (a) passing the feed stream through a first cooling stage having at least two heat exchangers and against a component refrigerant in a first refrigerant circuit, to provide a cooled hydrocarbon stream; (b) passing the cooled hydrocarbon stream through a second cooling stage against a second refrigerant in a second refrigerant circuit, to provide a liquefied hydrocarbon stream; (c) passing the second refrigerant through one of the heat exchangers of the first cooling stage. The heat exchangers of the first cooling stage are shell and tube heat exchangers having two or more tube circuits. The first refrigerant circuit includes a refrigerant compressor and the second refrigerant circuit includes a refrigerant compressor. The refrigerant compressor of the first refrigerant circuit and the refrigerant compressor of the second refrigerant circuit are interconnected and are arranged to be driven by a common driver.

Method and apparatus for liquefying a hydrocarbon stream

A method of liquefying a hydrocarbon stream such as natural gas from a feed stream, the method at least comprising the steps of: (a) providing a feed stream (); (b) dividing the feed stream () of step (a) to provide at least a first feed stream () comprising at least 90 mass % of the initial feed stream (), and a second feed stream (); (c) liquefying the first feed stream () of step (b) at a pressure between 20-100 bar to provide a first liquefied natural gas (LNG) stream (); (d) cooling the second feed stream () of step (b) to provide a cooled feed stream (); (e) combining the first LNG stream () of step (c) with the cooled feed stream () of step (d) to provide a combined LNG stream (); (f) reducing the pressure of the combined LNG stream () of step (e); and (g) passing the combined LNG stream () of step (f) through a flash vessel () to provide a product LNG stream () and a gaseous stream ().

Method and apparatus for cooling a stream in a heat exchanger against a refrigerant fluid being cycled in a refrigerant circuit. The cycling of the refrigerant fluid includes feeding a first refrigerant fluid into an axial compressor and compressing it to obtain a compressed first refrigerant fluid. The compressed first refrigerant fluid is then fed into a centrifugal compressor, with a second refrigerant fluid. The compressed first refrigerant fluid and the second refrigerant fluid are compressed in the centrifugal compressor, thereby obtaining a compressed refrigerant fluid mixture. The compressed refrigerant fluid mixture is cooled in a heat exchanger and subsequently separated into at least two streams. The at least two streams are evaporated at different pressure levels of a heat exchanger in heat exchanging contact with the stream to be cooled, and from the at least two evaporated streams the first and second refrigerant fluids are retrieved.

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The Hague, Netherlands

Marco Dick Jager