Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
  • F25B41/40—Fluid line arrangements
  • F25B41/42—Arrangements for diverging or converging flows, e.g. branch lines or junctions
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
  • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
  • F25J1/0002—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the fluid to be liquefied
  • F25J1/0005—Light or noble gases
  • F25J1/001—Hydrogen
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
  • F25B41/30—Expansion means; Dispositions thereof
  • F25B41/39—Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in series, i.e. multi-stage expansion, on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B9/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point
  • F25B9/002—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point characterised by the refrigerant
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
  • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
  • F25J1/003—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the kind of cold generation within the liquefaction unit for compensating heat leaks and liquid production
  • F25J1/0047—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the kind of cold generation within the liquefaction unit for compensating heat leaks and liquid production using an "external" refrigerant stream in a closed vapor compression cycle
  • F25J1/005—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the kind of cold generation within the liquefaction unit for compensating heat leaks and liquid production using an "external" refrigerant stream in a closed vapor compression cycle by expansion of a gaseous refrigerant stream with extraction of work
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
  • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
  • F25J1/006—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the refrigerant fluid used
  • F25J1/007—Primary atmospheric gases, mixtures thereof
  • F25J1/0072—Nitrogen
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
  • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
  • F25J1/02—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process
  • F25J1/0203—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process using a single-component refrigerant [SCR] fluid in a closed vapor compression cycle
  • F25J1/0205—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process using a single-component refrigerant [SCR] fluid in a closed vapor compression cycle as a dual level SCR refrigeration cascade
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B2313/00—Compression machines, plants or systems with reversible cycle not otherwise provided for
  • F25B2313/031—Sensor arrangements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B2500/00—Problems to be solved
  • F25B2500/05—Cost reduction
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B9/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point
  • F25B9/10—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point with several cooling stages
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
  • F25J2270/00—Refrigeration techniques used
  • F25J2270/14—External refrigeration with work-producing gas expansion loop
  • F25J2270/16—External refrigeration with work-producing gas expansion loop with mutliple gas expansion loops of the same refrigerant

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for pre-cooling a flow of a gas and a method for pre-cooling a flow of a gas. It applies, for example, to the field of cooling a gas, prior to its liquefaction, and in particular of hydrogen.
• the liquefaction process is divided into three main temperature technological blocks: compression, pre-cooling and refrigeration.
• pre-cooling is to lower the inlet temperatures located between 273 K and 320 K of the fluid of interest and of the fluid used for refrigeration in the following block, down to a so-called pre-cooling temperature located between 78 K and 120K.
• the pre-cooling operation is carried out using liquid nitrogen flowing in the opposite direction in a heat exchanger. This enters at a temperature of approximately 78 K, exits at ambient temperature and is released into the atmosphere.
• Another known process aims to recycle the nitrogen used by cooling it using a series of compressions, cooling with a final expansion allowing the temperature of the gas to be reduced to approximately 80 K. using the heat exchanger, the fluids to be cooled are also brought to about 80 K.
• MRC Mixed-Refrigerant Cycle, translated by “Mixed Refrigeration Cycle”
• refrigerant a mixture of hydrocarbons and nitrogen whose composition varies according to the publications and patents .
• the liquid nitrogen open loop has the disadvantage of involving logistical management of its nitrogen supply and storage and of having low energy performance (about 3.5 to 4.5 kWh/kg LH2). Its economic and practical advantage is justified in the context of small production of less than 5 tons per day but is unviable and operationally complex beyond that. Beyond a certain capacity, for example greater than 5 or 10 tonnes per day and depending on the choice of technology, the need in quantity of liquid nitrogen is not suitable for an economically viable supply chain.
• Patent applications US 5,579,655 and US 2019/063,824 are known, which disclose devices, in a closed nitrogen cycle, for pre-cooling hydrogen.
• these devices require the use of liquid nitrogen, separated from gaseous nitrogen by means of a phase separator, in the flow of refrigerant fluid.
• Patent applications US 2015/204 603 and US 2014/245 780 are also known, which disclose devices, in a closed nitrogen cycle, for liquefying natural gas in order to obtain liquefied natural gas. However, these devices do not allow pre-cooling without liquefaction of the natural gas.
• the MRC solution optimizes the energy efficiency of the cycle but adds complexity in the management of the many constituents of the refrigerant ranging from 4 to 15. This is in particular due to the fact that the composition is changing throughout the service life. of the process due to leaks. It is then necessary to reconstitute the initial composition by introducing the various hydrocarbons which it will have been necessary to store beforehand. In addition, hydrocarbon gas leaks are major factors in greenhouse gas emissions.
• the present invention aims to remedy all or part of these drawbacks.
• the present invention relates to a device for precooling a flow of a gas, which comprises:
• refrigerant flow - downstream of a first refrigerant flow compressor, a first pressure reducer for at least part of a gaseous flow comprising at least nitrogen, called "refrigerant flow"
• the device which is the subject of the present invention carries out the precooling in a dual pressure loop.
• the refrigerant flow at medium pressure makes it possible to reduce the destruction of energy (and therefore to reduce the energy losses) occurring in the first exchanger due to a very significant difference between the inlet temperature of the fluid cold and the outlet temperature of the hot fluid.
• the invention makes it possible to avoid the integration of an additional compressor to bring the flow from medium to high pressure.
• the invention is of interest in cases of production requiring autonomy of operation because it does away with a regular supply of liquid nitrogen.
• the technology becomes interesting when the cost of purchasing and transporting liquid nitrogen is higher than the additional cost of equipment due to the invention.
• the solution has the advantage of maintaining the use of nitrogen, the toxicity and safety aspects of which present less danger than those of mixed refrigerants based on hydrocarbons.
• the invention is also better suited for deployment in a peri-urban environment.
• the separator is positioned downstream of a passage of the refrigerant flow from the first compressor in the first exchanger, the first expansion valve being positioned between the first exchanger and the separator.
• the separator is positioned upstream of the passage of the refrigerant flow from the first compressor into the first exchanger, the expansion valve being configured to expand the refrigerant flow at medium pressure, said expansion valve being positioned between the separator and the first exchanger .
• the method which is the subject of the present invention comprises, upstream of the first compressor, a set of at least one second compressor of the flow of refrigerant at low pressure at the outlet of the first heat exchanger, the set of at least one second compressor being configured so that the flow of low-pressure refrigerant is brought to a pressure equivalent to the pressure of the medium-pressure refrigerant flow at the outlet of the first heat exchanger.
• This solution also makes it possible to reduce the volume flow of the compressors of the set of compressors by 30% and therefore to reduce the energy consumption by the same amount (presenting for example a "Specific Energy Consumption", abbreviated SEC and translated by specific consumption of energy, approximately 1.8 kWh/kg LH2) and the initial investment in equipment.
• SEC Specific Energy Consumption
• the price of the complete nitrogen compression section with one compressor is lower than that of two compressors with smaller flows dedicated respectively to medium and low pressure flows.
• the third heat exchanger is a catalytic exchanger.
• the first exchanger is not a catalytic exchanger and the second exchanger and the third exchanger are combined in a single exchanger.
• the method that is the subject of the present invention comprises a mixer of the expanded low-pressure refrigerant stream and the medium-pressure refrigerant stream at the outlet of the first heat exchanger to form a unitary refrigerant stream, the unitary stream being supplied to the first compressor.
• the first compressor is configured to produce a high-pressure refrigerant stream having a pressure between 40 and 60 bara.
• the first expander is configured to produce a medium-pressure refrigerant stream having a pressure of between 15 and 23 bara.
• the second expander is configured to produce a low-pressure refrigerant flow having a pressure of between 1 and 2 bara. These embodiments present optimal operating conditions for the liquefaction of hydrogen.
• the method that is the subject of the present invention comprises a gas flow rate sensor and a refrigerant flow rate regulator, the flow rate regulator being configured so that the refrigerant flow rate is equal to 26 at 40 times the gas flow.
• the pre-cooled gas is dihydrogen
• the pre-cooled gas has a temperature between 70 K and 120 K.
• the pre-cooled gas has a temperature between 78 K and 82 K.
• the present invention relates to a process for precooling a flow of a gas, which comprises:
• refrigerant stream a first stage of compression of a gas stream comprising at least nitrogen
• FIG. 1 shows, schematically, a first particular embodiment of the device that is the subject of the present invention
• FIG. 2 represents, schematically and in the form of a flowchart, a particular succession of steps of the method which is the subject of the present invention
• FIG. 3 shows, schematically, a second particular embodiment of the device that is the subject of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 shows, schematically, a third particular embodiment of the device object of the present invention.
• the fluid to be cooled is preferably a gas and, even more preferably, hydrogen.
• the fluid to be cooled can also be nitrogen, neon, or helium in gaseous form. In the rest of the description, when hydrogen is mentioned, it is the gas to be cooled. Hydrogen can be replaced by nitrogen, neon, or helium.
• a cooled gas refers to a gas having a temperature between 70 K and 120 K and preferably between 78 K and 82 K.
• flow comprising at least nitrogen any fluid flow comprising at least 75% nitrogen.
• a flow can be air, for example, or consist of pure nitrogen.
• gas flow is interpreted in the broad sense and refers to a flow of fluid present in the gaseous or supercritical state.
• the supercritical state is reached when the temperature and pressure conditions are each greater than the values defined in a phase diagram.
• the temperature and pressure conditions delimiting the supercritical state according to the nature of the fluid are summarized in table 1 below:
• Te and Pc correspond respectively to the critical temperature and the critical pressure.
• nitrogen with a temperature of 221 K at 50 bara is in the supercritical state, while nitrogen with a temperature of 221 K at 33 bara is in the gaseous state.
• FIG. 1 A diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the device 100 object of the present invention is observed in FIG. 1, which is not to scale.
• this device 100 forms the pre-cooling device of a larger system (not referenced) comprising the systems for transporting, cooling and compressing the fluid to be pre-cooled.
• this system includes:
• the low-pressure 1020 and medium-pressure 1015 cooling fluid flows passing successively through the second heat exchanger 110, the third heat exchanger 115 and the first heat exchanger 105 before to reach a stage 1005 of compression and
• Said compression stage comprising an outlet for high pressure cooling fluid 1030, the flow of high pressure cooling fluid passing successively through the first heat exchanger 105, the third heat exchanger 1 15 and the second heat exchanger 110 .
• devices of the same type may not be distinct devices but stages of a single device for all or part of the devices of a given type.
• the first exchanger 105, the second exchanger 110 and the third exchanger 115 can correspond to three distinct stages of a single exchanger.
• the second exchanger 110 is absent from the device
• the device 100 for pre-cooling a flow of a fluid comprises:
• refrigerant flow a first expander 130 of at least part of a flow comprising at least nitrogen
• the separator 135 is positioned downstream of the passage of the refrigerant flow 125 from the first compressor 155 in the first exchanger 105, the expansion valve 130 being positioned between the first exchanger 105 and the separator 135.
• the gaseous refrigerant flow has, for example, a temperature of the order of 221 K at 50 bara. It is noted that a gaseous refrigerant stream comprising at least nitrogen is in the supercritical state under temperature and pressure conditions respectively equal to 221 K and 50 bara.
• the first expander 130 is, for example, an expansion turbine, or turboexpander. This first expansion valve 130 receives, at the inlet, the flow of high pressure refrigerant having passed through the first exchanger 105 to be cooled or to reduce its temperature after compression.
• the first expansion valve 130 is configured, for example, to produce a gaseous refrigerant flow at medium pressure having a pressure of between 15 and 23 bara.
• the expansion carried out brings the gaseous refrigerant flow to a pressure of 19 bara and a temperature of 169 K. It is noted that an expanded gaseous refrigerant flow and comprising at least nitrogen is in the gaseous state in the pressure and temperature conditions respectively equal to 19 bara and 169 K.
• the flow leaving the first regulator 130 is separated in the separator 135.
• This separator 135 is, for example, a tee provided with valves allowing the servo-control of the separator 135.
• any type of separator known to a person skilled in the art may be used depending on the nature of the implementation of the device 100.
• This separator 135 is defined, functionally, by its ability to form the following two streams:
• the separation ratio between the flows i.e. the proportion of medium pressure flow compared to low pressure flow can be fixed or variable. This ratio can be controlled according to a flow rate measured by a flow rate sensor (not shown) of the flow 140 at medium pressure.
• the medium-pressure refrigerant stream 140 is returned to the first heat exchanger 105 to participate in the exchanges taking place there, while the low-pressure refrigerant stream 145 is supplied to the second expansion valve 150.
• This second expander is, for example, an expansion turbine, or turboexpander.
• the second regulator 150 is configured to produce, for example, a gaseous refrigerant flow at low pressure having a pressure of between 1 and 2 bara.
• the second expansion valve 150 is configured to carry the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant stream having a pressure of 1.4 bara and a temperature of 84 K. It is noted that a low-pressure gaseous refrigerant stream comprising at least Nitrogen is in the gaseous state under pressure and temperature conditions respectively equal to 1.4 bara and 84 K.
• the low pressure refrigerant flow 145 is supplied to the second heat exchanger 110.
• This second heat exchanger 110 is, for example, a plate, spiral, tube, tube bundle or finned exchanger.
• this low-pressure refrigerant stream 145 is directed to the third heat exchanger 115.
• This third heat exchanger 115 is, for example, a plate, spiral, tube, tube bundle or finned exchanger. In variants, the third heat exchanger 115 is a catalytic exchanger.
• this low-pressure refrigerant stream 145 is directed to the first heat exchanger 105 .
• This first heat exchanger 105 is, for example, a plate, spiral, tube, tube bundle or finned exchanger.
• this low-pressure refrigerant stream 145 is directed to the first compressor 155, together with the medium-pressure refrigerant stream 140 at the outlet of the first exchanger 105 heat.
• the first compressor 155 is, for example, a turbocharger (“turbo-compressor”, in English), a mechanical or reciprocating compressor.
• the first compressor 155 is configured to produce a high pressure gaseous refrigerant stream having a pressure of between 40 and 60 bara.
• the device 100 object of the present invention comprises an absorption column, catalytic or not, positioned at the outlet of the second exchanger 110 in the direction of the fluid to be cooled.
• the high pressure refrigerant flow 125 is formed again and sent to the first heat exchanger 105 .
• the gaseous refrigerant stream comprising at least nitrogen, downstream from the first compressor 155 and upstream from the first expander 130 is in the supercritical state and has, for example, a pressure between 40 and 60 bara.
• the gaseous refrigerant flow comprising at least nitrogen, downstream of the first regulator 130 is in the gaseous state, and has, for example, a pressure of between 15 and 23 bara.
• the gaseous refrigerant flow at medium pressure is therefore in the gaseous state.
• the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant stream comprising at least nitrogen, downstream of the second regulator 150 is in the gaseous state, and has, for example, a pressure of between 1 and 2 bara.
• Each second compressor 165 can be of the same or different type, turbocharger, mechanical or reciprocating type.
• the device 100 which is the subject of the present invention comprises a sensor (not shown) of the pressure of the refrigerant flow at medium pressure, the compression assembly 160 being actuated according to the pressure sensed.
• the device 100 which is the subject of the present invention comprises a mixer 170 of the expanded low-pressure refrigerant flow and of the medium-pressure refrigerant flow at the outlet of the first heat exchanger 105 for forming a unit refrigerant flow, the unit flow being supplied to the first compressor 155.
• the mixer 170 is, for example, a mixing valve or a three-way ball valve.
• the mixer 170 is configured to mix the medium pressure stream with the output stream from a second compressor 165 of the set 160 and to supply the mixed stream to another second compressor 165 of the set. 160.
• a regulator 180 is, for example, an automatically operated flow control valve.
• the flux rate ratio is measured in mass flux ratio.
• the sensor 175 can be of any type of technology adapted to the fluid considered.
• this sensor 175 is an electromagnetic flowmeter.
• the device 100 comprises at least one intermediate heat exchanger between at least the fluid to be cooled and the low-pressure coolant flow.
• the device 100 comprises a plurality of first compressors 155, first expanders 130 and/or second expanders 150.
• the device 300 for precooling a fluid flow implements a secondary separator 305 of the low-pressure flow 145, said secondary separator 305 being positioned downstream of the second regulator 150.
• This secondary separator 305 makes it possible to create two flows:
• cooling flow 315 corresponding to the flow 145 of FIG. 1, the pressure of which is for example close to 9 bara and
• the low pressure flow 315 is configured to pass through the third exchanger 115 and the first exchanger 105 successively while the very low pressure refrigerant flow 310 also passes through the second exchanger 110.
• the flows are gradually reintegrated after a number of compression stages corresponding to the number of expansion stages undergone during the cycle.
• the very low pressure stream 310 is mixed, in a mixer 325, after any compression and the resulting stream is injected into a compressor 330 before being mixed with the medium pressure stream 140.
• the resulting stream is supplied to the compressor 155.
• the very low pressure stream 310 is again separated into two streams, one of the two being injected into a regulator.
• the two streams thus separated then pass through the second exchanger 110.
• the gaseous refrigerant flow comprising at least nitrogen, downstream from the first compressor 155 and upstream from the first expansion valve 130, is in the supercritical state. Then, the gaseous refrigerant stream comprising at least nitrogen, downstream of the first expander 130, and upstream of the compressor 155 is in the gaseous state.
• the implementation of the device 100 makes it possible, for example, to obtain a flow of fluid having a temperature of the order of 90 K.
• the operating operating conditions can thus be as described in table 2 below:
• FIG. 4 schematically, a variation of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is observed.
• first compressor 155 in the first exchanger 105 the expander 410 being configured to expand the refrigerant flow 140 at medium pressure, said expander 410 being positioned between the separator 405 and the first exchanger 105.
• the main variation is due to the fact that the first exchanger 105 is no longer pooled between the medium and low pressure flows, so that the second regulator 150 is, in these embodiments, two-stage.
• the second regulator 150 must perform the equivalent of the operations of the first regulator 130 and the second regulator 150 of Figure 1.
• the gaseous refrigerant flow comprising at least nitrogen, downstream from the first compressor 155 and upstream from the first regulator 410 and from the second regulator 150, is in the supercritical state. Then, the gaseous refrigerant flow comprising at least nitrogen, downstream of the first regulator 410 and the second regulator 150, is in the gaseous state.
• FIG. 2 schematically shows a succession of particular steps of the method 200 which is the subject of the present invention.
• This process 200 for pre-cooling a flow of a fluid comprises: - downstream of a first stage 235 of compression of a stream comprising at least nitrogen, called "refrigerant stream", a first stage 210 of expansion of at least part of the refrigerant stream,

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Separation By Low-Temperature Treatments (AREA)
• Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
• Vaporization, Distillation, Condensation, Sublimation, And Cold Traps (AREA)

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Publications (1)

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• 2020
  • 2020-12-15 FR FR2013265A patent/FR3117579B1/fr active Active
• 2021
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