Methods and apparatus are disclosed for efficient cooling within air liquefaction processes with integrated use of cold recycle from a thermal energy store.

A liquefied natural gas compression system includes: a first gas turbine that drives a rotary machine; a first steam boiler including a first heat recovery steam generator that recovers heat from exhaust gas from the first gas turbine; a first steam turbine that drives a first refrigerant compressor; a common header steam line through which steam from the first steam boiler flows to an inlet of the first steam turbine; an auxiliary steam line; and a letdown valve that connects the common header steam line to the auxiliary steam line and that opens in response to pressure of the common header steam line exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

Systems and methods are provided for increasing the efficiency of liquefied natural gas production and heavy hydrocarbon distillation. Air within an LNG production facility can be utilized as a heat source to provide heat to HHC liquid for distillation in a HHC distillation system. The mechanism of heat transfer from the air can be natural convection. Heat provided by natural gas, or compressed natural gas, can be also used for HHC distillation. Various other liquids can further be used to transfer heat to HHC liquid for distillation.

A system and method for liquefaction of natural gas using two distinct refrigeration circuits having compositionally different working fluids and operating at different temperature levels is provided. The turbomachinery associated with the liquefaction system are driven by a single three-pinion or four-pinion integral gear machine with customized pairing arrangements. The system and method of natural gas liquefaction further includes the conditioning of a lower pressure natural gas containing feed stream to produce a purified, compressed natural gas containing stream at a pressure equal to or above the critical pressure of natural gas and substantially free of heavy hydrocarbons to be liquefied.

The present invention provides a high efficiency prime mover with phase change energy storage for distributed generation and motor vehicle application. Phase change storage minimizes energy required for refrigerant liquefaction while reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

A system for liquefying natural gas that includes a process and apparatus for enhancing the performance of one or more gas turbines. Gas turbine power output can be stabilized or even enhanced using the interstage cooling system configured according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, partially compressed air from a lower compression stage of a gas turbine is cooled via indirect heat exchange with a primary coolant before being returned to a higher compression stage of the same gas turbine. Optionally, the interstage cooling system can employ one or more secondary coolants to remove the rejected heat from the primary coolant system.

A refrigerant circuit includes a first compression stage for compressing a mixed refrigerant gas, the first compression stage including at least a first compressor body and a second parallel compressor body, each compressor body including a suction inlet and an outlet, a first distribution means for splitting the flow of refrigerant gas to the first stage of compression across the at least two parallel compressor bodies, such that a first stream of refrigerant gas is fed to the suction inlet of the first compressor body and a second stream of refrigerant gas is fed to the suction inlet of the second compressor body, a second compression stage for compressing the mixed refrigerant gas, and a first merging means for recombining the first stream of refrigerant gas with the second stream of refrigerant gas downstream of the first compression stage for delivery to the second compression stage.

A liquefied natural gas compression system includes: a first gas turbine that drives a rotary machine; a first steam boiler including a first heat recovery steam generator that recovers heat from exhaust gas from the first gas turbine; a first steam turbine that drives a first refrigerant compressor; a common header steam line through which steam from the first steam boiler flows to an inlet of the first steam turbine; an auxiliary steam line; and a letdown valve that connects the common header steam line to the auxiliary steam line and that opens in response to pressure of the common header steam line exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

The present invention relates to a gas storage apparatus and method, and more specifically to liquid air energy storage and its use to facilitate both Demand Side Reduction (DSR) and the use of reduced-cost electricity by industrial compressed-air users. A related electricity generating apparatus and method is also disclosed. The apparatus and method use a first sensible heat coolth store and second latent heat coolth store to first reduce the gas in temperature and then to change it into a liquid phase. Coolth top up devices are also disclosed.

A natural gas liquefaction process combined with a synthesis gas production process. At least one part of the heat source required in the synthesis gas production process is provided by at least a portion of the regeneration stream utilized to pretreat the natural gas to be liquefied.