Take the mystery out of running your LNG plant

Mark J. Roberts, Air Products and Chemicals Inc.

W. P. Schmidt, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

S. Gripp,

5/19/2023

Many natural gas liquefaction plants with production capacities ranging from 0.5 MMtpy to 8 MMtpy use mixed refrigerants to cool and liquefy the feed. The mixed refrigerants used comprise a mixture of light hydrocarbon components and nitrogen for LNG subcooling. The composition of the refrigerant is optimized for each application to maximize performance. When operating a mixed refrigerant loop, it is important that the vaporized refrigerant returning to the compressor is superheated to avoid liquid from accumulating in the bottom of the exchanger or the compressor suction drum or entering the compressor. It is also important for optimal performance that the vaporized refrigerant is not supe