The World of Energy

Chapter 30 LNG Technology - Processes

30.2. Liquefaction Processes Fundamentals

Ch. 30 - 9
LNG Technology Trend

Ch. 30 - 10
 LNG Block Flow Diagram
Acid Gas
Treatment

Acid Gas Dehydration

Gas Reception Mercury
Removal Liquefaction LNG
Wells
Removal

Natural Gas

Condensate
Fractionation
Stabilisation

Condensate
LPG

Storage
and Utilities
Loading

Ch. 30 - 11
 Typical Natural Gas /
Refrigerant Cooling Curves

Pure Natural gas Cooling

Refrigerant Curve

Temperature

Refrigerant Mixed
Cooling Curve Refrigerant

Mixed
Refrigerant

Heat

Ch. 30 - 12
LNG Liquefaction in a Nutshell

Ch. 30 - 13
Design Trend of
LNG Liquefaction Technology
Air Cooled
Avoid sea water cooling and
therefore more environmentally
friendly
Gas Turbine Driver
Increasing Gas Turbines
efficiency, plus waste heat
utilization
Eliminate Steam Generation

Ch. 30 - 14
Technolgy overview Baseload plants

Three main processes:

Cascade cycle:
Separate refrigerant cycles with propane,
ethylene and methane (Phillips, Atlantic
LNG, Trinidad)
Mixed refrigerant cycle:
Single mixed refrigerant (SMR) (PRICO)
Propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant (C3/MR)
(APCI)
Dual mixed process (DMR) (Shell, Sakhalin),
(Liquefin )
Mixed Fluid Cascade Process (MFCP)
(Statoil/Linde)
Expander cycle

Ch. 30 - 15
LNG Process Systems
Common LNG Process Systems
Phillips Cascade Process
Three Pure Components
Propane
Ethylene
Methane
APCI (Air Products)
Two Components
Propane
Mixed Component Refrigerant
New Emerging LNG Process Systems
Linde Process
Three Mixed Refrigerants
Axens Liquefin Process
Dual Mixed Refrigerant
Shell Process
Dual Mixed Refrigerant

Dr Sib Akhtar - MSE (Consultants) Ltd, 2004

Ch. 30 - 16
LNG Liquefaction Technology
LNG liquefaction technologies in commercial use:
Air Products & Chemicals Propane Pre-Cooled Mixed
Refrigerant. (APCI), Dual Cycle Refrigeration
Phillips Optimized Cascade (POC), Triple Cycle
Refrigeration
Shell DMR, Similar to APCI, Dual Cycle, both MR
Linde MFCP (Multi Fluid Cycle Process)
Black & Veatch Pritchard, Poly Refrigerant Integral Cycle
Operation II (PRICO II), Single Cycle Refrigeration
Other LNG Liquefaction Processes
BHP/Linde (Nitrogen, Single Cycle Refrigeration)
TEALARC, Similar to PRICO, Single Cycle MR
TEALARC Conventional Cascade
IFP/CII-1 SMR, Similar to PRICO, Single Cycle MR
IFP/CII-2 DMR, Similar to Shell DMR, Dual Cycles MR
IFP/CII is now Axen Liquefin

Ch. 30 - 17
Classification of LNG Liquefaction Technology

Single Cycle Refrigeration Dual Cycle Refrigeration

(SCR)
SCR Pure Component
BHP/Linde (Nitrogen
Cycle)
SCR Mixed Components
TEAL (Skikda Unit 10,
20, 30, Algeria)
PRICO (Skikda Unit 40,
50, 60, Algeria)
APCI (Marsa El-Brega,
Lybia)
CII/BP (proposed
concept)
Triple Cycle Refrigeration
(DCR)
Propane/MR Cycles
(APCI)
Brunei, Algeria Arzew,
Das-Island, Badak,
Arun, Malaysia-1/2/3,
Australia NWS 1/2/3,
QatarGas, RasGas,
Oman
Dual MR
Australia NWS-4,
Russia Sakhalin (being
built or designed)
Propylene/Ethylene/Meth
ane
Algeria CAMEL, Kenai
(Alaska), Trinidad

Ch. 30 - 18
LNG Liquefaction Technology

Ch. 30 - 19
LNG Liquefaction Technologies

Ch. 30 - 20
LNG Liquefaction Processes

Michael Barclay and Noel Denton, Foster Wheeler Energy Limited, UK

Ch. 30 - 21
 Conventional Single Refrigeration Cycles

COLD BOXES

FEED GAS LNG

JT VALVE
CONDENSER
REFRIGERANT:
C1, C2, C3, C4
COMPRESSOR

Applied by APCI (Marsa El Brega Libya), TEALARC (Skikda 1,2,3 Algeria)

& PRICO (Skikda 4,5,6 Algeria), but no longer commercially offered
Ch. 30 - 22
 Optimized Single Refrigeration Cycle
(Optimized SMR, PRICO II)

FEED GAS LNG

COLD BOXES
REFRIGERANT:
C1, C2, C5

JT VALVE

Offered by PRICO for the design of Mobil Floating LNG, Tangguh

LNG & Venezuela Enron LNG.

Ch. 30 - 23
 Optimized Single Refrigeration Cycle
(Optimized SMR, IFP/CII-1)

FEED COLD BOXES

GAS LNG

JT
VALVE

Ch. 30 - 24
 Conventional Two Refrigeration Cycles
(C3/MR Cycles)
DRY
SWEET LNG
GAS

Propane Cycle MR Cycle

REFRIGERANT REFRIGERANT
: PROPANE : N2, C1,C2,
C3, C4

(Brunei, Das Island, Badak, Arun, Arzew, MLNG 1/2, Australia NWS 1/2/3,
Nigeria, QatarGas, RasGas, Oman)

Ch. 30 - 25
Generic C3/MR LNG Process

Ch. 30 - 26
LNG Plant Overall Schematic

Ch. 30 - 27
Optimized Two Refrigeration Cycles
Shell DMR Dual MR Cycles

LNG

LP MIXED HP MIXED
REFRIGERANT REFRIGERANT
GE F-7 GE F-7

Ch. 30 - 28
Split MR
Optimized Two Refrigeration Cycles (APCI)

LNG

PROPANE & HP LP/MP MIXED

MIXED REFRIGERANT
REFRIGERANT

Applied by APCI for the design of Yemen and Tangguh LNG

Ch. 30 - 29
 Conventional Three Refrigeration Cycles
(Conventional Cascade)

DRY
LNG
SWEE
T GAS

REFRIGERANT: REFRIGERANT: REFRIGERANT:

PROPYLENE ETHYLENE METHANE

Applied by TEAL (Camel LNG Algeria) & Phillips (Kenai LNG

Alaska), but no longer commercially offered
Ch. 30 - 30
 Optimized Three Refrigeration Cycles
(Phillips Optimized Cascade)

DRY
SWEET
GAS LNG

REFRIGERANT: REFRIGERANT: REFRIGERANT:

PROPYLENE ETHYLENE METHANE/LNG

Applied by Phillips for Atlantic LNG (Trinidad) and the design of

RasGas Expansion, Darwin LNG, Angola LNG and Tangguh LNG
Ch. 30 - 31
C3/MR Process Simplified Scheme

Ch. 30 - 32
Cascade Process

Ch. 30 - 33
APX Process Simplified Scheme

Ch. 30 - 34
Shell DMR Process Simplified Scheme

Ch. 30 - 35
LINDE Process Simplified Scheme

Ch. 30 - 36
Liquefin Process Simplified Scheme

Ch. 30 - 37
Mach number vs flow coefficient for the
first stage compressor (propane or MR)

Ch. 30 - 38
Effect on LNG production
on end flash quantity

Ch. 30 - 39