Optimization and analysis of mixed refrigerant composition for the PRICO natural gas liquefaction process

Abstract In this paper, the energy optimization of the PRICO natural gas liquefaction (LNG) process was performed with the genetic algorithm (GA) and the process simulation software Aspen Plus. Then the characteristics of the heat transfer composite curves of the cold box were obtained and analyzed. Based on it, the heat exchange process in the cold box was divided into three regions. At last, in order to find the relationship between the energy consumption and the composition of the mixed refrigerant, the effects of the refrigerant flow composition on the temperature difference and the pinch point location were deeply investigated, which would be useful to guide the refrigerant charging.

[1]  Reinhard Radermacher,et al.  Optimization of propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant LNG plant , 2011 .

[2]  M. Q. Gong,et al.  Performances of the mixed-gases Joule–Thomson refrigeration cycles for cooling fixed-temperature heat loads , 2004 .

[3]  Xiongwen Xu,et al.  The correlation between mixed refrigerant composition and ambient conditions in the PRICO LNG process , 2013 .

[4]  Robin Smith,et al.  Optimal Synthesis of Mixed-Refrigerant Systems for Low-Temperature Processes , 2002 .

[5]  Jinping Liu,et al.  Local composition shift of mixed working fluid in gas–liquid flow with phase transition , 2012 .

[6]  G. Venkatarathnam.  Cryogenic mixed refrigerant processes , 2008 .

[7]  M. Gong,et al.  Study of the single-stage mixed-gases refrigeration cycle for cooling temperature-distributed heat loads , 2004 .

[8]  M. Gong,et al.  Optimum composition calculation for multicomponent cryogenic mixture used in Joule-Thomson refrigerators , 2000 .

[9]  M. J. Box.  A New Method of Constrained Optimization and a Comparison With Other Methods , 1965, Comput. J..

[10]  V. Kovalenko,et al.  Design Optimization of the Throttle-Cycle Cooler with Mixed Refrigerant , 2002 .

[11]  Wensheng Lin,et al.  Parameter comparison of two small-scale natural gas liquefaction processes in skid-mounted packages , 2006 .

[12]  Henri Paradowski,et al.  Comparing five LNG processes , 2003 .

[13]  Dariush Mowla,et al.  Energy optimization for liquefaction process of natural gas in peak shaving plant , 2010 .

[14]  A. Aspelund,et al.  An optimization-simulation model for a simple LNG process , 2010, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[15]  John H. Holland,et al.  Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems: An Introductory Analysis with Applications to Biology, Control, and Artificial Intelligence , 1992 .