A method for liquefying a feed gas stream. A refrigerant stream is cooled and expanded to produce an expanded, cooled refrigerant stream. Part or all of the expanded, cooled refrigerant stream is mixed with a make-up refrigerant stream in a separator, thereby condensing heavy hydrocarbon components from the make-up refrigerant stream and forming a gaseous expanded, cooled refrigerant stream. The gaseous expanded, cooled refrigerant stream passes through a heat exchanger zone to form a warm refrigerant stream. The feed gas stream is passed through the heat exchanger zone to cool at least part of the feed gas stream by indirect heat exchange with the expanded, cooled refrigerant stream, thereby forming a liquefied gas stream. The warm refrigerant stream is compressed to produce the compressed refrigerant stream.

A method for the liquefaction of hydrogen is provided. The can include the steps of: precooling a hydrogen feed stream in a precooling cold box having a heat exchanger disposed therein to form a cooled hydrogen stream, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool down the feed stream within the precooling cold box by indirect heat exchange between the hydrogen feed stream and a precooling refrigerant; and withdrawing the cooled hydrogen stream from the precooling cold box; introducing the cooled hydrogen stream to a plurality of liquefaction cold boxes, wherein the cooled hydrogen stream liquefies within the plurality of liquefaction cold boxes by indirect heat exchange against a liquefaction refrigerant to form a product hydrogen stream in each of the plurality of liquefaction cold boxes, wherein the product hydrogen stream is in liquid form or pseudo-liquid form wherein there are M total precooling cold boxes and N total liquefaction cold boxes, wherein M is less than N.

A technology liquefies natural gas. The natural gas liquefaction method pre-cools treated natural gas by ethane evaporation, sub-cools liquefied gas using cooled nitrogen as a refrigerant, reduces liquefied gas pressure, separates non-liquefied gas and diverts liquefied natural gas. Before pre-cooling the natural gas is compressed, ethane is evaporated during the multi-stage pre-cooling of liquefied gas with simultaneous evaporation of ethane using cooled ethane as a refrigerant. Ethane generated by evaporation is compressed, condensed and used as a refrigerant during the cooling of liquefied gas and nitrogen, with nitrogen being compressed, cooled, expanded and fed to the natural gas sub-cooling stage. The natural gas liquefaction unit contains a natural gas liquefaction circuit, an ethane circuit and a nitrogen circuit. The natural gas liquefaction circuit includes a natural gas compressor, a cooler unit, ethane vaporizers, a closed-end subcooling heat exchanger, and a separator, connected in series.

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 system and method for liquefying a hydrogen gas feed stream uses a pre-cooling refrigerant for pre-cooling the feed stream, where the pre-cooling refrigerant is compressed, cooled and then separated to provide high pressure mixed refrigerant vapor and liquid streams. The high pressure vapor stream is cooled and directed to a cold vapor separator where cold separator liquid and vapor streams are formed. The cold separator vapor stream is cooled and expanded to provide a pre-cool refrigeration stream in a heat exchanger system. The high pressure pre-cooling refrigerant liquid and cold separator liquid streams are cooled and expanded and directed to the pre-cool refrigeration stream. A high pressure primary refrigerant steam, after compression and cooling, is further cooled in the heat exchanger system and then expanded using warm and cold expanders, with the resulting expanded primary refrigerant streams used to liquefy the pre-cooled hydrogen feed stream via heat exchange in the heat exchanger system.

A method for liquefying a feed gas stream. A compressed first refrigerant stream is cooled and expanded to produce an expanded first refrigerant stream. The feed gas stream is cooled to within a first temperature range by exchanging heat only with the expanded first refrigerant stream to form a liquefied feed gas stream and a warmed first refrigerant stream. A compressed second refrigerant stream is provided is cooled to produce a cooled second refrigerant stream. At least a portion of the cooled second refrigerant stream is further cooled by exchanging heat with the expanded first refrigerant stream, and then is expanded to form an expanded second refrigerant stream. The liquefied feed gas stream is cooled to within a second temperature range by exchanging heat with the expanded second refrigerant stream to form a sub-cooled LNG stream and a first warmed, second refrigerant stream.

Herein pipeline pressure, temperature and NGL constituents are manipulated for the transportation and optional storage in a pipeline system of natural gas mixtures or rich mixtures for delivery of chilled Products for downstream applications. Pressure reduction from a last compression section delivers internally chilled Products for reduced capital and operating costs. A high lift compressor station before the pipeline terminus provides pressure differential for Joule-Thompson chilling of the pipeline contents. The chilling step can be retrofitted to existing pipeline systems, and the chilling steep can include a turbo expander or the like for recovery of pipeline pressure energy for power generation. For like throughout, with this higher pressure operation, the effects of enhanced NGL content results in a reduction in diameter of the pipeline by at least one standard size. Substantial overall reduction in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions is thereby achieved through integrated pipeline/processing applications.

A method is disclosed for start-up of a system for liquefying a feed gas stream comprising natural gas. The system has a feed gas compression and expansion loop, and a refrigerant system comprising a primary cooling loop and a sub-cooling loop. The feed gas compression and expansion loop is started up. The refrigerant system is pressurized. Circulation in the primary cooling loop is started and established. Circulation in the sub-cooling loop is started and established. A flow rate of the feed gas stream and circulation rates of the primary cooling loop and the sub-cooling loop are ramped up.

Facility and method for hydrogen refrigeration, comprising a hydrogen circuit to be cooled, comprising:—a first and a second set of heat exchanger(s) arranged in series for exchanging heat with the hydrogen circuit to be cooled;—a first cooling device for exchanging heat with the first set of heat exchanger(s) comprising a refrigerator that operates a refrigeration cycle of a first cycle gas;—a second cooling device for exchanging heat with the second set of heat exchanger(s) comprising a refrigerator that operates a refrigeration cycle of a second cycle gas having a molar mass of less than 3 g/mol, the refrigerator of the second cooling device comprising, arranged in series in a cycle circuit: at least one centrifugal compressor, a cooling member, an expansion member and a member for reheating the second expanded cycle gas;—a system for mixing at least one additional component having a molar mass greater than 50 g/mol with the second cycle gas before it enters the at least one centrifugal compressor and a member for purifying the mixture at the outlet of the at least one compressor configured to remove the at least one additional component up to a determined residual content and located upstream of the first set of heat exchanger(s).