US 11,927,391 B2
Liquefaction of production gas
Robert D. Kaminsky, Houston, TX (US); and Marcel Staedter, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed by ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed on Jan. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/647,540.
Application 17/647,540 is a division of application No. 16/984,458, filed on Aug. 4, 2020, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/893,422, filed on Aug. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0128299 A1, Apr. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. F25J 1/00 (2006.01); F25J 1/02 (2006.01); F25J 3/02 (2006.01)
CPC F25J 1/0022 (2013.01) [F25J 1/0032 (2013.01); F25J 1/005 (2013.01); F25J 1/007 (2013.01); F25J 1/008 (2013.01); F25J 1/0254 (2013.01); F25J 3/0214 (2013.01); F25J 2210/06 (2013.01); F25J 2210/60 (2013.01); F25J 2215/04 (2013.01); F25J 2220/66 (2013.01); F25J 2260/02 (2013.01); F25J 2270/04 (2013.01); F25J 2270/14 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
compressing an input fluid stream comprising at least natural gas and carbon dioxide to generate a first intermediary fluid stream;
cooling the first intermediary fluid stream with a first heat exchanger to generate a second intermediary fluid stream, wherein a temperature of the second intermediary fluid stream is higher than a carbon dioxide-freezing temperature for the second intermediary fluid stream;
expanding the second intermediary fluid stream to generate a third intermediary fluid stream, wherein the third intermediary fluid stream is introduced directly to a separator and the third intermediary fluid stream comprises solid carbon dioxide and a pressure of the third intermediary fluid stream is lower than that of the second intermediary fluid stream;
separating the third intermediary fluid stream in the separator to produce a fourth intermediary fluid stream and a first output fluid stream, wherein the first output fluid stream comprises a slurry of liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquid and the solid carbon dioxide, and the fourth intermediary fluid stream is a gaseous stream;
utilizing the fourth intermediary fluid stream as a cooling fluid stream for a second heat exchanger, thereby generating a fifth intermediary fluid stream;
wherein the fourth intermediary fluid stream is introduced directly to the second heat exchanger;
compressing the fifth intermediary fluid stream to generate a sixth intermediary fluid stream;
cooling the sixth intermediary fluid stream within the first heat exchanger followed by further cooling within the second heat exchanger to generate a seventh intermediary fluid stream, wherein a temperature of the seventh intermediary fluid stream is higher than a carbon dioxide-freezing temperature for the seventh intermediary fluid stream;
expanding the seventh intermediary fluid stream to generate an eighth intermediary fluid stream, wherein the eighth intermediary fluid stream comprises solid carbon dioxide;
separating a second output fluid stream from the eighth intermediary fluid stream, wherein the second output fluid stream comprises a second portion of LNG liquid; and
combining the first output fluid stream with the second output fluid stream to form a combined output fluid stream;
wherein the combined output fluid stream is obtained in an amount that is at least about 85% of a mass input of the input fluid stream.