US 12,072,143 B2
Plant and method for liquefying gas
Pierre Barjhoux, Sassenage (FR); Fabien Durand, Sassenage (FR); and Franck Delcayre, Sassenage (FR)
Assigned to L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
Appl. No. 17/620,979
Filed by L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
PCT Filed Jun. 8, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/065778
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 20, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/259990, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1907021 (FR), filed on Jun. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0357103 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. F25J 1/02 (2006.01); F01D 25/22 (2006.01); F25J 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC F25J 1/0288 (2013.01) [F25J 1/001 (2013.01); F25J 1/0035 (2013.01); F01D 25/22 (2013.01); F25J 2215/10 (2013.01); F25J 2230/20 (2013.01); F25J 2240/02 (2013.01); F25J 2245/02 (2013.01); F25J 2290/12 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plant for liquefying a flow of hydrogen gas, comprising:
a cooling circuit that is provided with an upstream end intended to be connected to a source of a pressurized gas to be liquefied, a downstream end intended to be connected to a component for using the liquefied gas, in between the upstream and downstream ends, a set of components intended to liquefy said pressurized gas and that comprises at least one heat exchanger for cooling the pressurized gas, at least one expansion turbine mounted on a rotary shaft supported by at least one gas-static bearing, and a pressurized gas injection conduit having an upstream end intended to receive the pressurized gas supplied by the source and a downstream end connected to the bearing to support the rotary shaft with the pressurized gas; and
a recovery conduit for recovering a gas that has been used in the bearing, the recovery conduit comprising an upstream end connected to the bearing, a downstream end connected to the cooling circuit between the upstream and downstream ends of the cooling circuit in order to recycle and liquefy at least some of the gas that has been used to support the rotary shaft of the bearing, the downstream end of the recovery conduit being connected to an outlet of the at least one expansion turbine.