METHOD AND DEVICE TO COOL AND/OR LIQUEFY HYDROCARBON FLOW Russian patent published in 2013 - IPC F25J1/02 

FIELD: power engineering.

SUBSTANCE: flow of a cooling agent (10) is proposed under pressure of the cooling agent, which is sent at least via three heat exchange stages (12, 14, 16, 18), which operate under different levels of pressure. A hydrocarbon flow (20) is sent at least via two heat exchange stages in order to get a cooled hydrocarbon flow (30). A part of the cooling agent flow (10) expands and evaporates at each stage of heat exchange (12, 14, 16, 18) to another pressure, with production of the first flow (40) of the evaporated cooling agent at the first pressure of evaporation, and at least two other flows (50, 60, 70) of the evaporated cooling agent at the evaporation pressure, which is below the first evaporation pressure. The first flow (40) of the evaporated cooling agent is exposed to compression at the stage of (22) compression with the highest pressure of the compressor, to produce at least a part of the flow (10) of the cooling agent at the cooling agent pressure, and other flows (50, 60, 70) of the evaporated cooling agent are exposed to compression at least at two parallel stages (24, 26, 28) of compression with the lower pressure to produce two or more partially compressed flows of the cooling agent (50a, 60a, 70a). Besides, all partially compressed flows of the cooling agent (50a, 60a, 70a) are sent through the stage (22) of compression with the highest pressure.

EFFECT: using the invention will make it possible to increase technological flexibility in coordination of overall working cooling cycle depending on required mode of a compressor.

18 cl, 2 dwg, 1 tbl