Open Access

ARTICLE

A Critical Analysis of Natural Gas Liquefaction Technology

Xiao Wu^1,*, Zhaoting Wang¹, Mei Dong², Longfei Dong¹, Quan Ge¹
1 Shengli College China University of Petroleum, Dongying, 257061, China
2 Qingdao Nuocheng Chemical Safety Technology Co., Ltd., Qingdao, 266101, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiao Wu. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Advanced Oil and Gas Transportation and Treatment Technologies)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2022, 18(1), 145-158. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2022.018227

Received 08 July 2021; Accepted 06 August 2021; Issue published 10 November 2021

Abstract

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is an important energy source and occupies an important proportion in natural gas consumption, therefore, the selection of appropriate liquefaction processes and related optimization should be seen as subjects of great importance. Accordingly, in the present review, we provide a comparative and critical analysis of the current status of natural gas liquefaction technology through examination of the advantages and disadvantages associated with three natural gas liquefaction processes (namely, the cascade liquefaction cycle, the expander-based cycle and the mixed refrigerant cycle). It is shown that the energy consumption related to the cascade refrigeration cycle is the lowest. Compared with it, the mixed refrigerant cycle has the advantages of being a simpler process, with less units, low investment cost and low requirements in terms of refrigerant purity. The expander-based cycle can be started and stopped quickly and simply, but the power consumption is relatively high.

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Keywords

Natural gas; liquefaction; process; comparison; energy consumption

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