Shell Oil Comapny

Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij, B.v.

Mark Antonius Kevenaar

Chun Kit Poh

Johan Jan Barend Pek

Sander Kaart

A hydrocarbon stream, such as natural gas, is commonly cooled together with a first refrigerant stream, against an evaporating refrigerant in a series of one or more consecutively arranged common heat exchangers. The series comprises of one or more consecutively arranged common heat exchangers comprise a first common heat exchanger, upstream of which first common heat exchanger the hydrocarbon stream and the first refrigerant stream are not commonly cooled. The hydrocarbon stream to be cooled is fed into the first common heat exchanger at a hydrocarbon feeding temperature, while the first refrigerant stream is fed into the first common heat exchanger at a refrigerant feeding temperature. The temperature difference between the hydrocarbon feeding temperature and the refrigerant feeding temperature is lower than 60&#xb0; C.

Method and apparatus for cooling a hydrocarbon stream

The present invention relates to a method of liquefying a hydrocarbon stream such as a natural gas stream, the method at least comprising the steps of: supplying a partly condensed hydrocarbon feed stream () to a first gas/liquid separator (); separating the feed stream () in the first gas/liquid separator () into a gaseous stream () and a liquid stream (); expanding the gaseous stream () thereby obtaining an expanded stream () and feeding it () into a second gas/liquid separator (); feeding the liquid stream () into the second gas/liquid separator (); removing from the bottom of the second gas/liquid separator a liquid stream () and feeding it into a fractionation column (); removing from the top of the second gas/liquid separator () a gaseous stream () and passing it to a compressor () thereby obtaining a compressed stream (); cooling the compressed stream () thereby obtaining a cooled compressed stream (); heat exchanging the cooled compressed stream () against a stream being downstream of the first gas/liquid separator () and upstream of the fractionation column ().

Method and apparatus for liquefying a natural gas stream

A hydrocarbon stream (), such as natural gas, is commonly cooled together with a first refrigerant stream (), against an evaporating refrigerant () in a series of one or more consecutively arranged common heat exchangers (), which comprises a first common heat exchanger, upstream of which first common heat exchanger the hydrocarbon stream () and the first refrigerant stream () are not commonly cooled (). The hydrocarbon stream to be cooled is fed into the first common heat exchanger at a hydrocarbon feeding temperature, while the first refrigerant stream is fed into the first common heat exchanger at a refrigerant feeding temperature. The temperature difference between the hydrocarbon feeding temperature and the refrigerant feeding temperature is lower than 60 C.

Method of cooling a hydrocarbon stream () such as natural gas, the method at least comprising the steps of (a) heat exchanging the hydrocarbon stream () against a first refrigerant stream () to provide a cooled hydrocarbon stream () and an at least partly evaporated refrigerant stream (); (b) compressing the at least partly evaporated refrigerant stream () using one or more compressors () to provide a compressed refrigerant stream (); (c) cooling the compressed refrigerant stream () after one or more of the compressors against ambient to provide a cooled compressed refrigerant stream (); (d) dynamically expanding the cooled compressed gaseous refrigerant stream () to provide an expanded refrigerant stream (); and (e) further cooling the expanded refrigerant stream () to provide an at least partially condensed refrigerant stream.

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The Hague, Netherlands

Mark Antonius Kevenaar