The invention relates to an integrated process and apparatus for liquefaction of natural gas and recovery of natural gas liquids. In particular, the improved process and apparatus reduces the energy consumption of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) unit by using a portion of the already cooled overhead vapor from a fractionation column from an NGL (natural gas liquefaction) unit to, depending upon composition, provide, for example, reflux for fractionation in the NGL unit and/or a cold feed for the LNG unit, or by cooling, within the NGL unit, a residue gas originating from a fractionation column of the NGL unit and using the resultant cooled residue gas to, depending upon composition, provide, for example, reflux/feed for fractionation in the NGL and/or a cold feed for the LNG unit, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the LNG unit and rendering the process more energy-efficient.

A process of liquefying a natural gas stream in a liquefied natural gas facility is provided. The process includes cooling the natural gas stream in a first refrigeration cycle to produce a cooled natural gas stream. The process also includes cooling the cooled natural gas stream in a first chiller of a second refrigeration cycle, the cooled natural gas stream exiting the first chiller at a first pressure. The process further includes cooling the cooled natural gas stream in a first core of a second chiller of the second refrigeration cycle. The process yet further includes cooling a refrigerant of a refrigerant recycle stream separate from the cooled natural gas stream in a second core of the second chiller of the second refrigeration cycle, wherein the refrigerant recycle stream enters the second chiller at a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure of the cooled natural gas stream.

Systems and methods for improving the efficiency of open-cycle cascade-based liquified natural gas systems by utilizing one or more ejectors to reduce and/or eliminate compression stages. The systems and methods may thus, be used to improve the efficiency of new and preexisting open-cycle cascade-based liquified natural gas systems to reduce in the flow rate through each compressor, which reduces the energy consumption of the overall process.

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for processing liquefied natural gas (LNG). In one implementation, a solvent is injected into a feed of natural gas at a solvent injection point. A mixed feed is produced from a dispersal of the solvent into the feed of natural gas. The mixed feed contains heavy components. A chilled feed is produced by chilling the mixed feed. The chilled feed includes a vapor and a condensed liquid. The condensed liquid contains a fouling portion of the heavy components condensed by the solvent during chilling. The liquid containing the fouling portion of the heavy components is separated from the vapor. The vapor is directed into a feed chiller heat exchanger following separation of the liquid containing the fouling portion of the heavy components from the vapor, such that the vapor being directed into feed chiller heat exchanger is free of freezing components.

A method for improving the efficiency of liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction including receiving a gas feed stream at an LNG facility, condensing the gas feed stream into an LNG product stream, removing nitrogen from the LNG product stream via a nitrogen rejection unit coupled with the LNG facility to produce a final LNG product stream, analyzing one or more process samples taken throughout the liquefaction and nitrogen removal processes via mass spectrometry, and adjusting one or more aspects of the LNG processing system based on the analysis.

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to a facility for refrigerating a fluid to a cryogenic temperature, comprising a circuit for the fluid to be refrigerated, comprising an upstream end connected to a source and a downstream end connected to a refrigerated and/or liquefied fluid collection member, the facility comprising at least one exchanger for precooling the fluid leaving the upstream end, the precooling exchanger exchanging heat with a precooling circuit composed of a flow of vaporization gas from a user, the facility further comprising a heat exchanger assembly for cooling by heat exchange with the circuit of fluid to be cooled downstream of the precooling exchanger, the facility comprising a device for cooling by heat exchange with at least a part of the cooling heat exchanger assembly, said cooling device comprising a first refrigerator with a refrigeration cycle of a cycle gas in a working circuit, the cycle gas preferably comprising hydrogen and/or helium, the working circuit of the first refrigerator comprising a member for compressing the cycle gas, a member for cooling the cycle gas, a member for expanding the cycle gas and a member for heating the cycle gas, the precooling exchanger being composed of at least one of the following materials: stainless steel or grades of stainless steel, Inconel, nickel, titanium or plastic material compatible with use at cryogenic temperatures.

A core-in-shell heat exchanger, a method of fabricating the core-in-shell heat exchanger, and a method of exchanging heat in a core-in-shell heat exchanger disposed on a slosh-inducing moving platform are described. The method of exchanging heat includes introducing a shell-side fluid into a shell of the core-in-shell heat exchanger and introducing a fluid to be cooled into each of one or more cores of the core-in-shell heat exchanger, the one or more cores being arranged along an axial length of the shell with a plurality of baffles disposed on either side of the one or more cores along the axial length of the shell to reduce slosh of the shell-side fluid. The method also includes draining excess shell-side fluid using a plurality of drains, at least two of the plurality of drains being disposed on opposite sides of one of the plurality of baffles.

A quench system for a refrigeration cycle of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility includes at least one compressor for compressing a refrigerant that cools a natural gas stream. Also included is a quench fluid supply structure containing a quench fluid. Further included is a cooler vessel and a quench fluid line extending from the quench fluid supply structure and through the cooler vessel for cooling therein, the quench fluid maintained in a liquid state through the entirety of the quench fluid line. Yet further included is a quench control valve disposed downstream of the cooler vessel to control a flow rate of the quench fluid routed therein. Also included is a refrigerant suction drum located downstream of the quench control valve and configured to receive the quench fluid from the quench fluid line, the refrigerant suction drum in fluid communication with at least one component for cooling.

A method of constructing a plate fin heat exchanger includes joining a first side bar formed from a nickel-iron alloy to a first end of a fin element formed from a nickel-iron alloy through a first nickel-iron alloy bond, and joining a second side bar formed from a nickel-iron alloy to a second end of the fin element through a second nickel-iron alloy bond to create a first layer of the plate fin heat exchanger. The fin element defines a fluid passage.

Systems and methods for liquefying a gaseous hydrogen that include a first refrigeration stage and a second refrigeration stage. The first refrigeration stage includes a first heat exchanger configured to flow a first refrigerant to pre-cool the gaseous hydrogen. The second refrigeration stage includes a second heat exchanger configured to flow a second refrigerant to liquefy and sub-cool the hydrogen. The second refrigerant is split into two streams that flow through two compressor-expanders and multiple passes through the second heat exchanger before being recombined to repeat the second refrigeration stage circuit.