Liquefaction apparatus

Abstract

A liquefaction apparatus that automatically adjusts the load on the liquefaction apparatus correspondingly with an upper limit value of contracted power in different time slots, and which is capable of maximizing the amount of liquefied product produced and of achieving optimum operating efficiency is provided. In certain embodiments, the liquefaction apparatus can include: a production amount calculation unit 91 for obtaining an actual production amount of a liquefied product; a predicted power calculation unit 92 for obtaining a predicted power amount after a predetermined time has elapsed, on the basis of an integrated power value obtained by integrating a usage power; and a power demand control unit 93 for comparing the predicted power amount and a moving average of instantaneous power, and controlling a discharge flow rate of a compressor 3 in such a way as to come infinitely close to a target value, without exceeding the target value, and while using the larger value of the predicted power amount and the moving average of instantaneous power as a value being controlled.

Claims

1. A liquefaction apparatus for liquefying a product gas, said liquefaction apparatus comprising: a compressor configured to compress the product gas, said compressor having a variable discharge flow rate; a heat exchanger configured to cool and liquefy the product gas exiting the compressor to form a liquid product; a distributed control device comprising: one or more processors; and memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors collectively to perform operations comprising: obtaining a predicted amount of power used by the compressor after a predetermined time has elapsed, on the basis of an integrated power value obtained by integrating a usage power of the compressor; comparing the predicted amount of power used by the compressor and a moving average of an amount of power used by the compressor, and controlling the discharge flow rate of the compressor in such a way as to reduce the difference of the moving average of the amount of power used by the compressor and a target value of power used by the compressor, without exceeding the target value, and while using the larger value of the predicted amount of power and the moving average of the amount of power used by the compressor as a value being controlled, and wherein the liquefaction apparatus comprises: an expansion valve; and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to collectively to perform an operation of controlling a temperature difference of an inlet and an outlet of the expansion valve.

2. An air separation apparatus comprising a liquefaction apparatus according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further developments, advantages and possible applications of the invention can also be taken from the following description of the drawing and the exemplary embodiments. All features described and/or illustrated form the subject-matter of the invention per se or in any combination, independent of their inclusion in the claims or their back-references.

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a liquefaction apparatus and an air separation apparatus according to Mode of Embodiment 1.

(3) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of power demand control in Mode of Embodiment 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Several modes of embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The modes of embodiment described below are given as an example of the present invention.

(5) The present invention is in no way limited by the following modes of embodiment, and also includes a number of variant modes which are implemented within a scope that does not alter the essential point of the present invention.

(6) It should be noted that the constituent elements described below are not all necessarily essential to the present invention.

(7) A liquefaction apparatus 1 and an air separation apparatus 2 according to Mode of Embodiment 1 will be described with the aid of FIG. 1.

(8) The liquefaction apparatus 1 comprises: a nitrogen gas introduction pipe L1 running from the air separation apparatus 2; a compressor 3 for compressing the nitrogen gas; a heat exchanger 6 for cooling and liquefying compressed nitrogen gas compressed by the compressor 3 by using cold of an LNG cold source 7; a pipe L4 which branches and leads out a portion of the compressed nitrogen gas cooled to an intermediate temperature by the heat exchanger 6; an expansion turbine 4 which is provided in the pipe L4 and generates cold by expanding the compressed nitrogen gas; a pipe L5 which introduces the nitrogen gas expanded by the expansion turbine 4 into the heat exchanger 6 as a nitrogen gas cold source, and causes said nitrogen gas to merge on an intake side of the compressor 3 after the temperature thereof has been raised; a gas-liquid separator 13; a drawing line L8 for drawing out a liquefied product extracted from the gas-liquid separator 13; and a distributed control device 9.

(9) The expansion turbine 4 supplies cold. Specifically, operation of the expansion turbine 4 is as follows.

(10) Compressed nitrogen gas which has been compressed to a high pressure passes through a turbine casing and is subjected to adiabatic expansion up to an intermediate pressure in an expansion turbine inlet nozzle (not depicted), and then enters a turbine rotor as high-speed gas.

(11) The nitrogen gas performs expansion work in the turbine rotor while undergoing further adiabatic expansion up to an outlet pressure, and the temperature of the nitrogen gas decreases.

(12) The gas which has thus been reduced in temperature in comparison with turbine inlet gas exits the turbine and is fed to the heat exchanger 6 where cold is supplied thereto.

(13) Motive power generated by the turbine rotor is transmitted to a brake fan directly linked to another end of a main shaft, and the temperature and pressure of a brake gas are raised, whereby motive power obtained by the turbine is extracted to outside the system.

(14) In this mode of embodiment, the expansion turbine inlet nozzle controls the inlet pressure of the expansion turbine 4 to a constant level and maintains the expansion ratio at a maximum value.

(15) The compressed nitrogen gas which has been compressed to a high pressure by the compressor 3 is fed to the heat exchanger 6 through the pipe L2.

(16) The compressed nitrogen gas which has been cooled by the heat exchanger 6 is expanded by the expansion valve 5, after which it is introduced into the gas-liquid separator 13.

(17) Liquid nitrogen inside the gas-liquid separator 13 is drawn out from the pipe L8 and fed to a liquid nitrogen storage tank (not depicted), or the like.

(18) The nitrogen gas inside the gas-liquid separator 13 merges in the pipe L5 and is introduced into the heat exchanger 6, forming a portion of a cooling source for the compressed nitrogen gas, and after the temperature thereof has been raised, said nitrogen gas merges in the nitrogen gas introduction pipe L1 on the intake side of the compressor 3.

(19) A temperature sensor for measuring an inlet and an outlet temperature of the expansion valve 5 is furthermore provided.

(20) The distributed control device 9 comprises: a production amount calculation unit 91; a predicted power calculation unit 92; a power demand control unit 93; a temperature control unit 94; a memory 95 for storing various types of data; and an acquisition unit 96 for acquiring, from a power meter, a usage power (instantaneous power) used by the compressor 3 in real time.

(21) The production amount calculation unit 91 obtains an actual production amount of liquid nitrogen.

(22) The predicted power calculation unit 92 obtains a predicted power amount used by the compressor 3 after a predetermined time has elapsed, on the basis of an integrated power value obtained by integrating the usage power.

(23) The integrated power value is the total usage power amount within a set predetermined time (e.g., within a set time of between 20 minutes and 60 minutes immediately before calculation, etc.).

(24) The integrated power value= usage power value (a cumulative value within a predetermined time).

(25) In this mode of embodiment, the predicted power calculation unit 92 calculates, in real time, the predicted power amount after 30 minutes have elapsed.

(26) The method for calculating the predicted power amount (kW/h) may involve obtaining a mean value by dividing the abovementioned integrated power value by the predetermined time and using this as the predicted power amount, or obtaining an amount of change (tendency) of the integrated power value per unit time, and calculating the predicted power amount correspondingly with this amount of change.

(27) The power demand control unit 93 compares the predicted power amount with a moving average (e.g., 1 minute) of instantaneous power used by the compressor 3, and variably controls a discharge flow rate of the compressor 3 in such a way as to come infinitely close to a target value, without exceeding the target value, and while using the larger value of the predicted power amount and the moving average of instantaneous power as a value being controlled.

(28) The temperature control unit 94 controls a temperature difference of the inlet and the outlet of the expansion valve 5.

(29) The distributed control device 9 and the constituent components thereof may comprise at least: one or more processors, and a memory for storing a program defining a processing procedure, and may be configured by an on-premises server device, a cloud server device, dedicated circuitry, or firmware, etc.

(30) FIG. 2 is a two-axis graph where the right-hand vertical axis shows a production amount, the left hand vertical axis shows a power amount, and the horizontal axis shows time.

(31) The predicted power value is depicted by a solid bent line, a demand control value (target value) is depicted by a broken line, and the production amount therebelow is depicted by an area line.

(32) According to this mode of embodiment, it was possible to maximize usage of contracted power and the production amount of liquid nitrogen could be increased by between 3 and 5% in comparison with the prior art, with liquefaction efficiency also being improved by 2%.

(33) Furthermore, an alarm was no longer generated when the contracted power was approached, it was also possible to reduce the number of times that operation of the liquefaction apparatus 1 was changed, and this also contributed to automating operation of the air separation apparatus 2 and the liquefaction apparatus 1. (1) Although not especially depicted, control valves, pressure regulating devices and flow rate control devices, etc. may be installed in the pipes in order to regulate valve opening/closing, regulate pressure, or regulate flow rate. (2) The expansion turbine 4 may be either an axial flow turbine or a radial turbine.

(34) The liquefaction apparatus 1 is not limited to a configuration comprising a single expansion turbine, and a plurality of expansion turbines may be arranged in series or in parallel. (3) The compressor 3 may be constructed as a single element, or a plurality of compressors may be arranged in series in multiple stages to construct a compressor unit. (4) The liquefaction apparatus 1 is not limited to a configuration comprising a single heat exchanger 6, and a plurality of heat exchangers may be arranged in parallel, and a piping course to a warm end and a cold end and an intermediate end of the heat exchanger may be constructed in conjunction with the multi-stage configuration of the compressor unit. (5) The heat exchanger 6 uses cold of the LNG cold source 7, but this is not limiting, and it may equally use cold supplied from a refrigerator, or may use cold from a plurality of expansion turbines.

(35) While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. The present invention may suitably comprise, consist or consist essentially of the elements disclosed and may be practiced in the absence of an element not disclosed. Furthermore, if there is language referring to order, such as first and second, it should be understood in an exemplary sense and not in a limiting sense. For example, it can be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain steps can be combined into a single step.

(36) The singular forms a, an and the include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

(37) Comprising in a claim is an open transitional term which means the subsequently identified claim elements are a nonexclusive listing (i.e., anything else may be additionally included and remain within the scope of comprising). Comprising as used herein may be replaced by the more limited transitional terms consisting essentially of and consisting of unless otherwise indicated herein.

(38) Providing in a claim is defined to mean furnishing, supplying, making available, or preparing something. The step may be performed by any actor in the absence of express language in the claim to the contrary.

(39) Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstances may or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not occur.

(40) Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.

(41) All references identified herein are each hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entireties, as well as for the specific information for which each is cited.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(42) 1 . . . Liquefaction apparatus 2 . . . Air separation apparatus 3 . . . Compressor 4 . . . Expansion turbine 5 . . . Expansion valve 6 . . . Heat exchanger 9 . . . Distributed control device 13 . . . Gas-liquid separator