(191a) High Efficiency Gas Expansion Based LNG

Typical small to mid-scale LNG production processes are often biased toward capital minimization. Given rising power costs and the availability issues associated with renewable power generation, the need exists to reconsider the techno-economic balance of LNG production. Process cycle screening and thermodynamic evaluations have resulted in the development of a novel gas turbo-expansion based process class that present a 10+% reduction in power consumption relative common commercial alternatives. The combined and simultaneous optimization of turbomachinery and process heat exchange has been shown to be critical to attaining state-of-the-art thermal efficiency. The subject processes find particular utility in peak shaving and bio-gas LNG applications.