US 12,111,101 B2
Two-stage heavies removal in lng processing
Jinghua Chan, Houston, TX (US); Paul R. Davies, Houston, TX (US); Qi Ma, Houston, TX (US); Michael J. Calderon, Houston, TX (US); and Dale L. Embry, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by ConocoPhillips Company, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 5, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/893,992.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/857,683, filed on Jun. 5, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0386474 A1, Dec. 10, 2020
Int. Cl. F25J 1/00 (2006.01); F25J 3/02 (2006.01); F28D 3/02 (2006.01); F28D 3/04 (2006.01); F28D 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC F25J 1/0022 (2013.01) [F25J 3/0233 (2013.01); F25J 3/0238 (2013.01); F25J 3/0242 (2013.01); F25J 3/0247 (2013.01); F28D 3/02 (2013.01); F28D 3/04 (2013.01); F25J 2205/02 (2013.01); F25J 2205/04 (2013.01); F25J 2205/10 (2013.01); F25J 2215/60 (2013.01); F25J 2220/64 (2013.01); F28D 2021/0064 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for reducing fouling in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, the method comprising:
receiving a feed gas;
partially condensing the feed gas into a two-phase stream by expanding the feed gas, wherein the two-phase stream includes a liquid that includes fouling components, the fouling components including C12-C16 hydrocarbons;
separating the two-phase stream into a liquid stream and a gas stream in an expander outlet separator, the liquid stream including light components;
partially vaporizing the light components in a expander outlet separator heater from the liquid stream to form a vapor stream, the vapor stream directed from an outlet of the expander outlet separator heater into an inlet of an upper section of the expander outlet separator for joining with the gas stream for output as a vapor, any remaining liquid from the liquid stream directed from the expander outlet separator heater into a lower section of the expander outlet separator for joining a liquid accumulation for removal as the liquid containing the fouling components;
compressing the vapor output from the expander outlet separator into a compressed feed gas; and
directing the compressed feed gas into a feed chiller heat exchanger, the compressed feed gas free of the fouling components.