Praxair Technology, Inc.

University of Minnesota

Nick Joseph Degenstein

Henry Edward Howard

Lee Jonathan Rosen

Ahmed F Abdelwahab

Carl L Schwarz

Reh-Lin Chen

Minish Mahendra Shah

Bernard Thomas Neu

Maulik R Shelat

James R Dray

Hanfei Tuo

Richard M Kelly

James R Handley

Lanny D Schmidt

Vijayaraghavan Srinivasan Chakravarthy

Paul J Dauenhauer

Mohammad Abdul-Aziz Rashad

Ravi Kumar

Bradon J Dreyer

Joshua L Colby

The present invention relates to a method and system for producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a stream of pressurized natural gas which involves a combination of mechanical refrigeration.

Liquid natural gas liquefier utilizing mechanical and liquid nitrogen refrigeration

A method for compression of an incoming feed air stream using at least two variable speed compressor drive assemblies controlled in tandem is provided. The first variable speed drive assembly drives at least one compression stage in the lower pressure compressor unit driven while the second variable speed drive assembly drives higher pressure compression stage disposed either in the common air compression train or the split functional compression train of the air separation plant. The first and second variable speed drive assemblies are preferably high speed, variable speed electric motor assemblies each having a motor body, a motor housing, and a motor shaft with one or more impellers directly and rigidly coupled to the motor shaft via a sacrificial rigid shaft coupling.

Method for compressing an incoming feed air stream in a cryogenic air separation plant

A system and method for neon recovery in a double column or triple column air separation unit is provided. The neon recovery system comprises a non-condensable stripping column configured to produce a liquid nitrogen-rich liquid column bottoms and a non-condensable gas containing overhead and one or more condensing units arranged to produce a crude neon vapor stream that contains greater than about 50% mole fraction of neon with the overall neon recovery exceeding 95%. In addition, there is minimal liquid nitrogen consumption and since much of the liquid nitrogen is recycled back to the lower pressure column of the air separation unit, there is minimal impact on the recovery of other products from the air separation unit.

System and method for recovery of neon and helium from an air separation unit

A method for controlling production of high pressure gaseous oxygen in a cryogenic air separation unit that uses a high pressure gaseous oxygen bypass together with adjustments to the split of the incoming compressed and purified air between the boiler air circuit and the turbine air circuit such that the volumetric ratio of the boiler air stream to the turbine air stream is reduced to between about 0.15:1 and 0.35:1.

Method for controlling production of high pressure gaseous oxygen in an air separation unit

A system and method for recovery of rare gases such as neon, helium, xenon, and krypton in an air separation unit is provided. The rare gas recovery system comprises a non-condensable stripping column linked in a heat transfer relationship with a xenon-krypton column via an auxiliary condenser-reboiler. The non-condensable stripping column produces a rare gas containing overhead that is directed to the auxiliary condenser-reboiler where most of the neon is captured in a non-condensable vent stream that is further processed to produce a crude neon vapor stream that contains greater than about 50% mole fraction of neon with the overall neon recovery exceeding 95%. The xenon-krypton column further receives two streams of liquid oxygen from the lower pressure column and the rare gas containing overhead from the non-condensable stripping column and produces a crude xenon and krypton liquid stream and an oxygen-rich overhead.

System and method for recovery of non-condensable gases such as neon, helium, xenon, and krypton from an air separation unit

A method, system, and apparatus required for creating a mixture of dry proppant and liquid carbon dioxide (LCO) for fracturing oil and gas formations is presented. The operation includes making a mixture of dry proppant and liquid carbon dioxide (LCO) for use in a fracturing operation by supplying dry proppant that is pressurized to between 75 and 600 psia with a gas; further supplying a stream of sub-cooled LCOhaving a pressure substantially equal to that of the pressurized dry proppant; and adding dry, pressurized proppant to the stream of sub-cooled LCO, thereby forming a mixed LCOand proppant fracturing slurry.

System and apparatus for creating a liquid carbon dioxide fracturing fluid

A method comprising contacting a carbon and hydrogen-containing solid fuel and a metal-based catalyst in the presence of oxygen to produce hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide gas, wherein the contacting occurs at a temperature sufficiently high to prevent char formation in an amount capable of stopping production of the hydrogen gas and the carbon monoxide gas is provided. In one embodiment, the metal-based catalyst comprises a rhodium-cerium catalyst. Embodiments further include a system for producing syngas. The systems and methods described herein provide shorter residence time and high selectivity for hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Solid fuel volatilization to produce synthesis gas

Carbon dioxide-containing feed stream such as flue gas is treated to produce a high-purity carbon dioxide stream by a series of steps including removing SOx and NOx with activated carbon, carrying out subambient-temperature processing to produce a product stream and a vent stream, and treating the vent stream by pressure swing adsorption or by physical or chemical absorption to produce a product stream which is recycled to the feed stream.

Purifying carbon dioxide using activated carbon

Carbon dioxide is purified by processes employing NOx-rich sulfuric acid that can be formed by removal of SOfrom the carbon dioxide.

Growing community of inventors

East Amherst, NY, United States of America

Nick Joseph Degenstein