Patent RU-2277121-C2 (RU)
Inventor: CHAPLYGIN JURIJ OLEGOVICH
IPC: C10L3/10
Filed: 2003-11-17
Granted: 2006-05-27
Abstract: FIELD: natural gas industry; methods of preparation of the natural gas for the non-pipeline transportation. 
     SUBSTANCE: the invention is pertaining to the field of natural gas industry, mainly, to production, storage and the non-pipeline transportation of the natural gas, to the power-saving technologies, and, in particular, to the processes of the utilization of the power at the gas-reducing plants. The preparation of the natural gas for the non-pipeline transportation includes the preliminary purification of the natural gas from heavy hydrocarbons, production of the gaseous hydrates by mixing of the purified gas with the water in the reactor, the continuous refrigeration and keeping of the necessary temperatures of the produced mixture with simultaneous pressure sustain of the no less than equilibrium, which is necessary for formation of the hydrates. Feeding of the natural gas into the reactor of the hydrate production lead from the high pressure gas transportation mains, and their continuous refrigeration is exercised due to the reduced temperature of the natural gas, which has passed the reduction and after the heat exchange is returned back into the mains of the low pressure. At that the pressure in the reactor P r  (MPa) is maintained equal to the mains pressure P m  (MPa) and the temperature in the reactor choke T r  (°K) is maintained in accordance with the following limiting ratio: 273.15 (°K) <T r  <T eq  CH 4  (P m )(1), at that the last temperature is calculated using the formula: T eq  CH 4  = B 1 /(A 1 -(1 n P m  · z)) (2), where A 1 , B  1   - empirical coefficients for calculation of the equilibrium state of the hydrate - water - methane, z is the compressibility coefficient of the methane. Reduction of the pressure from the natural gas the mains high pressure of 3.0-5,5 MPa up to the low pressure of 0.6 MPa kept in the consuming networks conduct using the throttle-vortex method with refrigeration of the gas stream of the hot outlet from the vortex pipe due to the heat transfer into the environment. Then the stream is combined with the stream from the vortex pipe cold outlet, which has passed through the reactor. Then it is additionally choke down to the nominal (0.6 MPa)low pressure. The produced coldness is used for additional refrigeration the reactor. Realization of the invention allows to deliver the hydrocarbon fuel in the solid state to the customers without utilization of the cryogenic equipment, in the cases, where the low pressure gasification pipeline take-offs are unprofitable, or it is impossible because of any technological or natural reasons. At that the power for production of the gaseous hydrates is generated due to utilization of the energy of the gas pressure drop. 
     EFFECT: the invention allows to produce the hydrocarbon fuel in the solid state without utilization of the cryogenic equipment and to deliver it to the customers, where the low pressure gasification pipeline take-offs are unprofitable or there are any other technological or natural reasons. 
     2 cl, 1 ex, 1 dwg