This invention relates generally to overcoming the problem of fog production during or as a result of vaporization of liquefied gases, as for example liquefied natural gas (LNG), nitrogen, oxygen, and ethylene.
Liquefied gases (for example those listed above) frequently require heating to convert the liquid back into gas, for use. Conventionally, this heating process is referred to as vaporization and the devices employed as vaporizers.
One of the most common and least expensive sources of heat is ambient air. Many of the liquefied gases are stored at temperatures below the freezing point of water. Thus heat exchanges with ambient air can produce large amounts of cold air and, in certain atmospheric conditions, a ground fog. Most applications are small enough that the fog can be readily dissipated, but some are so large that the fog forms a hazard or nuisance. A good example is a receiving and re-gasification terminal for LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). These facilities can have heat requirements in excess of 500,000,000 BTU/hr. Traditional methods of vaporization take a portion of the product stream, and burn it to produce the required heat. This can consume up to about 3% of the vaporized product and represents a substantial operating cost.
Additionally, new restrictions on NOx reduction have made combustion vaporization more difficult to live within the air pollution requirements at the re-gasification sites. The use of ambient air in conjunction with conventional heating systems has enormous appeal from both an economic and air pollution standpoint, if the fog issues can be overcome.
It is a major object of the invention to provide an efficient, low-cost solution to the above described problem. Basically, the invention provides a method, and apparatus, of using ambient air to vaporize liquefied gas, without objectionable resulting fog production. Steps of the basic method include:
a) transferring heat from a stream of ambient air to a stream of liquefied gas, thereby cooling the air stream, and vaporizing the liquid,
b) transferring heat from a source into the cooled air stream,
c) and then discharging the heated air stream to atmosphere,
d) sufficient heat being transferred in step b) to obviate objectionable fog production resulting from step c).
Additional steps may be provided and include one of more of the following:
These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which:
The process can best be understood by referring to a conventional psychometric chart (see
As shown in
As shown in
The amount of energy required to reheat varies depending on the ambient temperature and relative humidity. At an ambient temperature of 70° F. and 100% relative humidity, and a 20° F. air exhaust temperature, the energy requirement is only 30% of the energy required for full vaporization. As the relative humidity decreases, the reheat requirement diminishes until at about 50% relative humidity; no reheating is required. As the ambient temperature decreases, the relative amount of reheat increases.
The energy for reheat can come from a variety of sources. Most vaporizer installations will have a certain number of operating hours below 32° F. (freezing point of water), which may preclude the ambient air for cycle de-icing of the vaporizer heat exchanger surfaces. As a result, a large installation is likely to have a fuel-fired backup vaporization system for those conditions. Partial use of this heating system is a likely source of the energy for reheat. Other possibilities include direct fuel-fired duct heaters, stored heat or the use of waste heat from electrical power plants or cogenerations installations. It is possible to use the ambient air itself to provide the reheat, but then the cold exhaust from it may require reheat. Theoretically, it is possible to provide a unit in which all the heat comes from ambient air.
In
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
872129 | Heffley | Nov 1907 | A |
3124940 | Guelton | Mar 1964 | A |
3435623 | Tyree Lewis, Jr | Apr 1969 | A |
3633374 | Canter | Jan 1972 | A |
3735465 | Tibbetts et al. | May 1973 | A |
3978663 | Mandrin et al. | Sep 1976 | A |
4133184 | Bivins, Jr. | Jan 1979 | A |
4271617 | Yoshizawa | Jun 1981 | A |
4329842 | Hoskinson | May 1982 | A |
4766736 | Waldschmidt | Aug 1988 | A |
5291738 | Waldrop | Mar 1994 | A |
7137623 | Mockry et al. | Nov 2006 | B2 |