A heat exchanger having a first and second mixing devices having at least one lateral channel configured in order for a first phase of the first fluid to flow from at least one first inlet; a series of longitudinal channels extending in the longitudinal direction and each configured in order for a second phase of the first fluid to flow from a second inlet to a second outlet, the longitudinal channels succeeding each other in a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; and at least one opening fluidly connecting the at least one lateral channel to at least one longitudinal channel such that the first and second mixing devices are configured to distribute a mixture of the first phase and the second phase via the second outlets of their respective longitudinal channels.

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

Various systems and methods for suppling cryogenic refrigeration to supercomputing applications such as quantum computing operations are provided. The disclosed systems and methods are flexible, efficient and scaleable to meet the cryogenic refrigeration requirements of many supercomputing applications. The disclosed systems and methods include: (i) a liquid nitrogen based integrated refrigeration system that integrates a nitrogen refrigerator with a refrigeration load circuit; (ii) a closed loop liquid nitrogen based refrigerator that provides cooling to the refrigeration load circuit via indirect heat exchange between liquid nitrogen in a nitrogen refrigerator and a separate refrigerant in a closed-loop refrigeration load circuit; and (iii) a liquid air based integrated refrigeration system that integrates an air intake system with a refrigerator and a refrigeration load circuit.

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.

While operating a compressor system equipped with compression train(s), condensate is collected from within stages of the compression train(s), and directed to a blowdown system. Gas from a later stage of the compression train is routed to the blowdown system and used to drive the condensate to a condensate destination at a pressure that avoids flashing of the condensate until it reaches the condensate destination. Inside the blowdown system the condensate is stored in a tank and directed to parallel piped vessels. Operation of the vessels includes (1) receiving the condensate, (2) pressurization with gas from a later stage of compression, (3) flowing the pressurized condensate from the vessel to the condensation destination, (4) depressurizing the vessel, and (5) repeating steps (1)-(4). A flow of condensate from the blowdown system is continuous by staggering the phases of operation between the two vessels.

One aspect of the invention relates to a hydrocarbons fluid liquefaction system, having a first heat-exchange module having a pre-cooling exchanger having a pre-cooling circuit and a plurality of pre-cooling refrigerant circuits for pre-cooling the feed stream through the circulation of an expanded first mixed-refrigerant stream, and a second heat-exchange module having a liquefaction exchanger having a liquefaction circuit and a liquefaction refrigerant circuit for liquefying the feed stream through the circulation of an expanded second mixed-refrigerant stream, wherein each heat-exchange module has thermally insulating walls and a framework that allows the module to be transported and secured, and allows the first heat-exchange module to be stacked on top of the second heat-exchange module.

Provided is a method of constructing a natural gas liquefaction plant, which can shorten a construction time period by minimizing effect of a lead time for the refrigerant compressor thereon, the method including: transporting a refrigerant compression module body 175 to an installation area 85, wherein the refrigerant compression module body is provided with a frame 120 configured to allow refrigerant compressor 150 for compressing a refrigerant for cooling natural gas to be mounted therein; installing the refrigerant compression module body 175 to the installation area 85; and mounting the refrigerant compressor 150 into a mounting space 130 predefined in the frame 120 of the installed refrigerant compression module body.

The disclosure provides a method and system for optimizing production of a natural gas liquefaction process, the method comprising the steps of: selecting at least one manipulated variable (MV) for controlling the liquefaction process; selecting at least one control variable (CV), the at least one control variable at least comprising liquefied natural gas (LNG) throughput; providing at least one model, each model providing a dependency of the at least one control variable (CV) on the at least one manipulated variable (MV); using the at least one model to estimate LNG throughput for at least one of the manipulated variables (MV); obtaining process data from the liquefaction process, the process data at least including observed values of LNG throughput; creating a gain matrix based on said interdependencies; and using the gain matrix to optimize a process control system of the liquefaction process.

A process for liquefying a natural gas feed stream including cooling a feed gas stream to obtain a liquefied natural gas stream; introducing the liquefied natural gas stream into a deazotization column to produce a liquefied natural gas stream and a nitrogen-enriched vapor stream; at least partially condensing at least part of the nitrogen-enriched vapor stream to produce a two-phase stream; introducing the two-phase stream into a phase-separating vessel to produce a first liquid stream and a first nitrogen-enriched gas stream; introducing at least part of the nitrogen-enriched gas stream into a distillation column thereby producing a second nitrogen-enriched stream containing less than 1 mol % of methane and a second liquid stream containing less than 10 mol % of nitrogen; wherein at least part of the liquefied natural gas stream is used to cool the at least part of the nitrogen-enriched vapor stream in said heat exchanger.

A main heat exchanger receives and partially condenses an effluent fluid stream so that a mixed phase effluent stream is formed. A primary separation device receives and separates the mixed phase effluent stream into a primary vapor stream including hydrogen and a primary liquid stream including an olefinic hydrocarbon. The main heat exchanger receives and warms at least a portion of the primary vapor stream to provide refrigeration for partially condensing the effluent fluid stream. The main heat exchanger also receives, warms and partially vaporizes the primary liquid stream. A mixed refrigerant compression system also provides refrigeration in the main heat exchanger.