A simple and efficient single mixed refrigerant process for cooling and liquefying a hydrocarbon feed stream, such as natural gas. The process employs a closed-loop single mixed refrigerant process for refrigeration duty. The refrigerant compressed to a high pressure using at least three stages of compression and two intercoolers (both producing liquid). A hydraulic turbine is used to expand the high pressure refrigerant before it flows into the main heat exchanger.

The present invention relates to a refrigerant composition. According to the invention it is envisioned that the composition comprises comprising an inert gas selected from nitrogen, argon, neon and a mixture thereof, and a mixture of at least two C.sub.1-C.sub.5 hydrocarbons. The present invention further relates to the use of the refrigerant composition in a method for liquefying a gaseous substance, particularly hydrogen or helium.

This specification relates to operating industrial facilities, for example, crude oil refining facilities or other industrial facilities that include operating plants that process natural gas or recover natural gas liquids.

Embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for pre-cooling a natural gas stream to a liquefaction plant. A system may include a compressor configured to receive a first natural gas stream at a first pressure and produce a second natural gas stream at a second pressure; an exchanger, wherein the exchanger is configured to receive the second natural gas stream as the second pressure and cool the second natural gas stream to produce a cooled natural gas stream; and an expander, wherein the expander is configured to receive the cooled natural gas stream and expand the cooled natural gas stream to produce a chilled natural gas stream from the second pressure to a third pressure.

An LNG liquefaction plant system, wherein the refrigeration content of the external or internal refrigerant is used to liquefy and sub-cool a natural gas stream to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a cold box or cryogenic exchanger. The refrigerant may be an external gas (N.sub.2) or an internal (CH.sub.4—BOG) refrigerant working fluid expanded and compressed in a twin compander arrangement and compressed by a refrigerant compressor, or an external single mixed refrigerant (SMR) working fluid compressed by a refrigerant compressor and expanded thru a JT valve.

This specification relates to operating industrial facilities, for example, crude oil refining facilities or other industrial facilities that include operating plants that process natural gas or recover natural gas liquids.

Provided are mixed refrigerant systems and methods and, more particularly, to a mixed refrigerant system and methods that provides greater efficiency and reduced power consumption via control of a liquid level in a cold vapor separator device.

A cooling system includes a compressor configured to pressurize carbon dioxide to form pressurized carbon dioxide, a mixer configured to generate mixed refrigerant in which the pressurized carbon dioxide and solvent in a liquid state, a depressurization apparatus provided downstream from the mixer and configured to depressurize the mixed refrigerant, a separator configured to separate carbon dioxide in a gas state from the mixed refrigerant, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the mixed refrigerant cooled through depressurization and a fluid to be cooled, and a second heat exchanger configured to cool the carbon dioxide or the mixed refrigerant using vaporized carbon dioxide or the mixed refrigerant.

The present disclosure provides a heat exchanger system and a method of using the heat exchanger system for heating, cooling or condensing a gaseous multiple component process stream comprising at least one hydrocarbon. The heat exchanger system comprises: —a shell having at least one first inlet and at least one first outlet defining a flow path for a first process fluid, and at least one second inlet and at least one second outlet defining a flow path for a second process fluid; —a number of parallel tubes arranged in the shell between the first inlet and the first outlet, each tube having an outer surface being provided with a multitude of plate fins extending radially outward from the outer surface; the first flow path extending along the outer surface of the tubes, and the second flow path extending through the tubes. The multiple component process stream may comprise two or more components selected from the group of methane, ethane, propane, and nitrogen. The heat exchanger may be used to cool or condense a mixed refrigerant, comprising one or more hydrocarbons, in a process for the liquefaction of natural gas.

A system and method for cooling a gas using a mixed refrigerant includes a compressor system and a heat exchange system, where the compressor system may include an interstage separation device or drum with no liquid outlet, a liquid outlet in fluid communication with a pump that pumps liquid forward to a high pressure separation device or a liquid outlet through which liquid flows to the heat exchanger to be subcooled. In the last situation, the subcooled liquid is expanded and combined with an expanded cold temperature stream, which is a cooled and expanded stream from the vapor side of a cold vapor separation device, and subcooled and expanded streams from liquid sides of the high pressure separation device and the cold vapor separation device, or combined with a stream formed from the subcooled streams from the liquid sides of the high pressure separation device and the cold vapor separation device after mixing and expansion, to form a primary refrigeration stream.

A system for the regeneration of nitrogen energy within a closed loop cryogenic system is described. A liquid nitrogen storage is provided in fluid communication with a first flow line. A pump pumps liquid nitrogen from the liquid nitrogen storage to the first flow line. At least one cryogenic cooling loop is provided in fluid communication with the first flow line. The cryogenic cooling loop has an nitrogen intake and a nitrogen outlet with the nitrogen outlet being positioned downstream of the nitrogen intake. The cryogenic cooling loop has a heat exchanger between the nitrogen intake and the nitrogen outlet. A turbo expander used for re-cooling the nitrogen flowing through the first flow line and the at least one cryogenic cooling loop has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is provided in fluid communication with the first flow line. The turbo expander is connected to a power source. A second flow line connects the outlet of the turbo expander to the liquid nitrogen storage.