A system and method for the production and supply of a densified, liquid oxidant to a space vehicle launch facility with one or more launch platforms is provided. In one embodiment, a low pressure gaseous oxygen stream is piped from a nearby air separation unit to the space vehicle launch facility where it is then liquefied and densified in a two-stage, integrated liquefaction/densification system. In an alternate embodiment, a liquid oxygen stream produced at an air separation unit is densified in a two-stage, integrated densification system at or near the air separation unit with the resulting densified liquid oxygen product transported via truck/trailer to a nearby space vehicle launch facility.

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.

The invention relates to a control system which comprises: a plurality of flow valves on channels of reaction fluid, which are i) in a closed position or ii) in an open position; a plurality of control pipes connected to a source of control fluid and to a respective control pipe, all or part of the flow valves switching to the closed position when the pressure of the control fluid in the control pipe drops below a predetermined threshold; a discharge pipe connected to the control pipes, in order to discharge the control fluid from the control pipes; a safety device connected i) to each control pipe and ii) to the discharge pipe and configured to have, selectively: i) a service configuration, wherein the control fluid flows to each control pipe, thus opening each flow valve, and ii) a safety configuration, wherein the control fluid is discharged through the discharge pipe, thus closing each flow valve.

A liquefactor for a gas includes a framework (O) containing at one end at least one plate-and-fin heat exchanger (E), each plate having a length and a width, and the plates being arranged with their length parallel to the length of the framework and at the other end a turbine (M) to provide cold to the at least one heat exchanger, the framework being orientated such that the turbine is positioned beneath the at least one exchanger.

Apparatus, systems, and methods store energy by liquefying a gas such as air, for example, and then recover the energy by regasifying the liquid and combusting or otherwise reacting the gas with a fuel to drive a heat engine. The process of liquefying the gas may be powered with electric power from the grid, for example, and the heat engine may be used to generate electricity. Hence, in effect these apparatus, systems, and methods may provide for storing electric power from the grid and then subsequently delivering it back to the grid.

A method for the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) using a cold fluid provided from a cryogenic unit, such as an air separation unit or nitrogen liquefier, is provided. The method may include the steps of: withdrawing a nitrogen stream from a cryogenic unit, wherein the nitrogen stream is at a temperature between about 155 C. to about 193 C.; and liquefying a natural gas stream in a natural gas liquefaction unit using the nitrogen stream from the cryogenic unit.

The method for producing liquid hydrogen can include the steps of: introducing pressurized natural gas from a high pressure natural gas pipeline to a gas processing unit under conditions effective for producing a purified hydrogen stream; and introducing the purified hydrogen stream to a hydrogen liquefaction unit under conditions effective to produce a liquid hydrogen stream, wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit provides a warm temperature cooling and a cold temperature cooling to the purified hydrogen stream, wherein the warm temperature cooling is provided by utilizing letdown energy of a pressurized stream selected from the group consisting of a nitrogen stream sourced from a nitrogen pipeline, a natural gas stream sourced from the high pressure natural gas pipeline, an air gas sourced from an air separation unit, and combinations thereof, wherein the cold temperature is provided by utilizing letdown energy of the purified hydrogen stream.

A method for the liquefaction of an industrial gas by integration of a methanol plant and an air separation unit (ASU) is provided. The method can include the steps of: (a) providing a pressurized natural gas stream, a pressurized purge gas stream originating from a methanol plant, and a pressurized air gas stream comprising an air gas originating from the ASU; (b) expanding three different pressurized gases to produce three cooled streams, wherein the three different pressurized gases are the pressurized natural gas stream, the pressurized purge gas stream, and the pressurized air gas stream; and (c) liquefying the industrial gas in a liquefaction unit against the three cooled streams to produce a liquefied industrial gas stream. The industrial gas to be liquefied is selected from the group consisting of a first portion of the pressurized natural gas stream, a nitrogen gas stream, hydrogen and combinations thereof.

A method for the liquefaction of an industrial gas by integration of a methanol plant and an air separation unit (ASU) is provided. The method can include the steps of: (a) providing a pressurized natural gas stream, a pressurized purge gas stream composed predominately of hydrogen and originating from a methanol plant, and a pressurized air gas stream comprising an air gas from the ASU; (b) expanding three different pressurized gases to produce three cooled streams, wherein the three different pressurized gases consist of the pressurized natural gas stream, the pressurized purge gas stream, and the pressurized air gas stream; and (c) liquefying the industrial gas in a liquefaction unit against the three cooled streams to produce a liquefied industrial gas stream, wherein the industrial gas to be liquefied is selected from the group consisting of a first portion of the pressurized natural gas stream, a nitrogen gas stream, hydrogen and combinations thereof

It is proposed to integrate a gas processing unit with a liquefaction unit. The industrial gas stream may be but is not limited to air gases of oxygen, nitrogen argon, hydrocarbon, LNG, syngas or its components, CO.sub.2, or any other molecule or combination of molecules. It is proposed to integrate the underutilized process inefficiencies of a gas processing unit into the liquefaction unit to produce a liquid at a reduced operating cost. The gas processing unit may be any system or apparatus which alters the composition of a feed gas. Examples could be, but are not limited to, a methanol plant, steam methane reformer, cogeneration plant, and partial oxidation unit.