Efficiency improvements in liquefaction using vortex feed gas precooling

L. Tunkel and R. Gale, Universal Vortex, Princeton, New Jersey  In today’s competitive energy environment, low-cost LNG from North America, the Middle East and Russia/CIS is the most economic way for energy-disadvantaged countries and remote areas throughout the world to reduce their dependency on higher-cost and dirtier fossil fuels. LNG terminals have been around in various capacities for decades, with only incremental improvements in the technology. These facilities require significant energy consumption in the refrigeration/liquefaction process to bring gas temperatures to cryogenic liquid levels. Using its existing proprietary technology, one company has developed a solution to reduce