NATURAL GAS LIQUEFYING PROCESS AND DEVICE Russian patent published in 2000 - IPC

FIELD: gas service facilities. SUBSTANCE: natural gas is bifurcated at outlet of pressure-reducing unit. First current of non-expanded gas arrives at vortex pipe. Cool gas flowing out of vortex pipe is passed to user through intertube space of heat exchanger. Heated gas flowing out of vortex pipe is supplied to user. Second current of non-expanded gas is liquefied within heat-exchanger tubes, throttled down, and conveyed to storage tank. Ratio of mass flow of gas cooled down at tube outlet to total gas passed to pipe μ = 0,4-0,7. Ratio of mass flow of gas to be liquefied to gas passed to vortex pipe is 0.05-0.2. Ratio of gas pressure at heat-exchanger inlet to that at condensate collector inlet is 1.2-5.0. Device implementing proposed process has its vortex pipe provided with line for conveying cool gas to intertube space of heat exchanger and line for delivering heated gas to user. EFFECT: provision for utilizing cold produced in gas pressure reducing process at gas-distributing stations. 2 cl, 1 dwg