The present invention discloses a hydrogen or helium throttling liquefaction system using direct current (DC) flow from the cold and hot ends of the regenerative cryocoolers, which belongs to the technical field of refrigeration and cryogenics. It includes a regenerative cryocooler module, a hot-end DC flow module, a cold-end DC flow module, a throttling liquefaction module, and a gas-phase circulation module. The modules are interconnected to form a closed loop for the flow of hydrogen or helium working fluid. DC flow is introduced from the cold and hot ends of the regenerative cryocooler through the DC flow pipelines and DC flow valves. The hot-end DC flow exchanges heat with the reflowing low-temperature working fluid and is cooled down. After that, it mixes with the cold-end DC flow and enters the throttling liquefaction module to generate liquid phase through throttling and liquefaction. After the liquid phase has output cooling capacity, it flows through the gas-phase circulation module and then enters the back-pressure chamber of the compressor to complete the cycle. Compared with the existing small-scale hydrogen and helium liquefaction technology using regenerative cryocoolers, the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, easy installation, high heat transfer efficiency and liquefaction efficiency of the system.

A method of liquefying a contaminated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream includes cooling the stream in a first heat exchanger and cooling the cooled stream in an expander to obtain a partially liquefied stream. The method further includes separating the partially liquefied stream in a separator to obtain a gaseous stream and a liquid stream. The liquid stream is expanded to obtain a multiphase stream containing at least a vapour phase, a liquid phase and a solid phase. The multiphase stream is separated in a separator to obtain a gaseous stream and a slurry stream. The slurry stream is separated in a solid/liquid separator to obtain a liquid hydrocarbon stream and a concentrated slurry stream. The gaseous stream is passed through the first heat exchanger to obtain a heated gaseous stream. The heated gaseous stream is compressed and combined with the contaminated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream.

The present invention provides a method of liquefying a contaminated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream: (a) providing a CO2 contaminated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream (20); (b) cooling the contaminated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream to obtain a partially liquefied stream (70); (c) separating the partially liquefied stream obtaining a liquid stream (90); (d) cooling the liquid stream (90) in a direct contact heat exchanger (200) obtaining a multiphase stream (201) containing at least a liquid phase and a solid CO2 phase; (e) separating the multiphase stream in a solid-liquid separator (202) obtaining a CO2 depleted liquid stream (141); (f) passing the CO2 depleted liquid stream (141) to a further cooling, pressure reduction and separation stage to generate a further CO2 enriched slurry stream (206); (g) passing at least part of the further CO2 enriched slurry stream (206) to the direct contact heat exchanger (200) to provide cooling duty to and mix with the liquid stream (90).

Cryogenic energy storage systems, and particularly methods for capturing cold energy and re-using that captured cold energy, are disclosed. The systems allow cold thermal energy from the power recovery process of a cryogenic energy storage system to be captured effectively, to be stored, and to be effectively utilised. The captured cold energy could be reused in any co-located process, for example to enhance the efficiency of production of the cryogen, to enhance the efficiency of production of liquid natural gas, and/or to provide refrigeration. The systems are such that the cold energy can be stored at very low pressures, cold energy can be recovered from various components of the system, and/or cold energy can be stored in more than one thermal store.

A liquefier device which may be a retrofit to an air separation plant or utilized as part of a new design. The flow needed for the liquefier comes from an air separation plant running in a maxim oxygen state, in a stable mode. The three gas flows are low pressure oxygen, low pressure nitrogen, and higher pressure nitrogen. All of the flows are found on the side of the main heat exchanger with a temperature of about 37 degrees Fahrenheit. All of the gasses put into the liquefier come out as a subcooled liquid, for storage or return to the air separation plant. This new liquefier does not include a front end electrical compressor, and will take a self produced liquid nitrogen, pump it up to a runnable 420 psig pressure, and with the use of turbines, condensers, flash pots, and multi pass heat exchangers. The liquefier will make liquid from a planned amount of any pure gas oxygen or nitrogen an air separation plant can produce.

A gas processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention controls inflow fuel pressure of a low pressure demand source according to an operation or a non-operation of a high pressure demand source and the low pressure demand source.

A method of liquid air energy storage is provided. This method includes liquefying and storing air to form a stored liquid air during a first period of time; during a second period of time, introducing a compressed air stream into a cryogenic system, wherein the cryogenic system comprises at least one cold compressor, and at least one heat exchanger. The method includes producing a first exhaust stream and a second exhaust stream. The method also includes vaporizing at least part of the stored liquid air stream in the heat exchanger, thereby producing a first high pressure compressed air stream, then combining the first high pressure compressed air stream, the first exhaust stream and the second exhaust stream to form a combined exhaust stream, heating the combined exhaust stream, then expanding the heated combined exhaust stream in an expansion turbine to produce power.

Liquefier includes first compression section which is driven by a superconducting motor and which compresses a substance in a gaseous state. Cooling circuit includes: second compression section which is driven by the motor when first compression section is being driven by the motor and which compresses a refrigerant; first heat exchange section which cools the refrigerant by causing heat exchange between a substance in a tank and the compressed refrigerant; second expansion section which brings the refrigerant down to or below a critical temperature of a superconducting material by expanding the cooled refrigerant; and second heat exchange section which imparts cold heat of the refrigerant to the substance by causing heat exchange between the substance in the tank and the refrigerant after cooling a superconducting magnet, and supplies the refrigerant brought down to or below the critical temperature by second expansion section to the motor and cools the superconducting magnet.

An apparatus for separation of a flow containing at least 95 mol % of carbon dioxide and also at least one impurity lighter than carbon dioxide by distillation comprises a heat exchanger (20), a distillation column (30), expansion means (V3), means for sending the flow to be cooled in the heat exchanger, means for sending the cooled flow to be separated in the distillation column, means for withdrawing at the bottom of the column a liquid flow containing at least 99 mol % of carbon dioxide, means for sending at least a portion (12) of the liquid flow to be cooled in the heat exchanger to form a subcooled liquid (3), means for sending at least a portion of the subcooled liquid to the expansion means to produce a two-phase flow, a phase separator (40) for separating the two-phase flow to form a gas and a liquid, means for sending at least a portion (14) of the liquid from the phase separator to be vaporized in the heat exchanger and means for taking a portion (4) of the liquid from the phase separator.

A device for recovering variable low-temperature gas includes a low temperature stabilizing system, a compression system, an expansion refrigeration system, and a heat exchange system, which are connected to each other by pipelines, where the low temperature stabilizing system is composed of a liquid storage unit, a liquid delivery unit, a liquid jet gasification mixing unit, and a control unit, for regulating the temperature of low-temperature gas; a liquid outlet channel of the liquid storage unit is connected to a liquid inlet channel of the liquid delivery unit, a liquid outlet channel of the liquid delivery unit is connected to a liquid inlet channel of the liquid jet gasification mixing unit, and the compression system is composed of a raw material compressor and a circulating compressor; and a gas outlet channel of the raw material compressor is connected to a gas inlet channel of the circulating compressor.