A hybrid process of air separation and gas liquefaction, including dividing a compressed multicomponent refrigerant stream into a first portion and a second portion, introducing the first portion into a gas liquefaction system, thereby producing a first multicomponent refrigerant return stream, and introducing the second portion into an air separation system, thereby producing a second multicomponent refrigerant return stream. Wherein the first multicomponent refrigerant return stream and the second multicomponent refrigerant return are recompressed in a common compression system, thereby producing the compressed multicomponent refrigerant stream.

The present application pertains in some embodiments to a thermal storage system. The system may include, for example, a warm thermal storage region; a cold thermal storage region; and a physical divider. The warm thermal storage region may include at least two liquid phases. The cold thermal storage region may include at least one liquid phase. The physical divider substantially separates the warm thermal storage region from the cold thermal storage region.

One object of the present invention is to provide a natural gas liquefaction device which uses noncombustible gas as a refrigerant, and can reduce the power consumption a range of relatively low refrigerant pressure, and the present invention provides a natural gas liquefaction device including a compressor which is configured to compress a refrigerant containing noncombustible gas by a plurality of compression stages; a heat exchanger which is configured to cool and liquefy a natural gas to be a liquefied natural gas; a natural gas liquefaction line which is configured to introduce the natural gas into the heat exchanger and supply the liquefied natural gas to an outside; a first refrigerant line which is configured to introduce a refrigerant-1 passed through the compressor into the heat exchanger, and then further introduce the refrigerant-1 into a decompressor; a second refrigerant line which is configured to introduce the refrigerant-2 decompressed by the decompressor into the heat exchanger, and further introduce the refrigerant-2 into any one of a second compression stage and subsequent stages of the compressor; a third refrigerant line which is configured to be branched from the first refrigerant line and introduce at least a part of the refrigerant-1 into an expansion turbine; and a fourth refrigerant line which is configured to introduce the refrigerant-3 expanded by the expansion turbine into the heat exchanger, and further introduce the refrigerant-3 into a first compression stage of the plurality of compression stages provided in the compressor.

An integrated industrial unit is provided, which can include: a nitrogen source comprising an air separation unit that is configured to provide pressurized gaseous nitrogen and liquid nitrogen; a hydrogen source; a hydrogen liquefaction unit, wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit comprises a precooling system, and a liquefaction system; and a liquid hydrogen storage tank, wherein the precooling system is configured to receive the gaseous hydrogen from the hydrogen source and cool the gaseous hydrogen to a temperature between 70K and 100K, wherein the precooling system comprises a primary refrigeration system and a secondary refrigeration system, wherein the liquefaction system is in fluid communication with the precooling system and is configured to liquefy the gaseous hydrogen received from the precooling system to produce liquid hydrogen, wherein the liquid hydrogen storage tank is in fluid communication with the liquefaction system and is configured to store the liquid hydrogen received from the liquefaction system.

A blast furnace facility includes a process for capturing and sequestering CO2 generated from the facility process, producing hydrogen from the hot blast furnace gas, and using blast furnace gas as methanol feed. The CO2 rich streams from the facility may be sent to sequestration of some form via a sequestration compressor, thereby reducing the overall emissions from the facility. The other products generated by the facility are used as methanol feedstock and to produce hydrogen.

A blast furnace facility includes a process for capturing and sequestering CO2 generated from the facility process, generating hydrogen from hot blast furnace gas, and using blast furnace gas as methanol feed. The CO2 rich streams from the facility are sent to sequestration of some form via a sequestration compressor, thereby reducing the overall emissions from the facility. The other products generated by the facility are used as methanol feedstock and to produce hydrogen.

A natural gas pretreatment system includes a heat exchanger having a first inlet, a second inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet. The first inlet receives a first pressurized gas stream having a first input temperature, and the second inlet receives a second pressurized gas stream having a second temperature. The second temperature is higher than the first temperature. The first outlet outputs the first gas stream; upon exiting the heat exchanger, the first gas stream has a first output temperature higher than the first input temperature. The second outlet outputs the second gas stream; upon exiting the heat exchanger, the second gas stream has a second output temperature lower than the second input temperature. The system further includes a pipeline network operable to receive the first pressurized gas stream.

A system of interlocks for controlling flow of low temperature process streams in a manufacturing process through a cold box to equipment or piping not specified for such temperatures by opening and closing valves and starting and stopping pumps. At least one interlock affects streams heated in the cold box. At least one interlock affects the streams cooled in the cold box. The interlocks are activated by temperatures of process lines to prevent exposure of equipment and piping to low temperatures while preventing the shutdown of the cold box. An override controller including a predictive failure capability is also provided.

A method and apparatus for producing liquefied natural gas. A pretreated natural gas stream is compressed in at least two serially arranged compressors to a pressure of at least 1,500 psia and cooled. The resultant cooled compressed natural gas stream is expanded in at least one work producing natural gas expander to a pressure less than 2,000 psia and no greater than the pressure to which natural gas stream has been compressed, thereby forming a chilled natural gas stream that is separated into a refrigerant stream and a non-refrigerant stream. The refrigerant stream is warmed in a heat exchanger through heat exchange with one or more process streams associated with pretreating the natural gas stream, thereby generating a warmed refrigerant stream. The warmed refrigerant stream and the non-refrigerant stream are then liquefied.

Various systems and methods for suppling cryogenic refrigeration to supercomputing applications such as quantum computing operations are provided. The disclosed systems and methods are flexible, efficient and scaleable to meet the cryogenic refrigeration requirements of many supercomputing applications. The disclosed systems and methods include: (i) a liquid nitrogen based integrated refrigeration system that integrates a nitrogen refrigerator with a refrigeration load circuit; (ii) a closed loop liquid nitrogen based refrigerator that provides cooling to the refrigeration load circuit via indirect heat exchange between liquid nitrogen in a nitrogen refrigerator and a separate refrigerant in a closed-loop refrigeration load circuit; and (iii) a liquid air based integrated refrigeration system that integrates an air intake system with a refrigerator and a refrigeration load circuit.