Patents

US 8850849 B2: Liquefied natural gas and hydrocarbon gas processing

Granted
2014-10-07
Filed
2012-11-27 application 13686641
Type
Utility · 5 claims
Elsewhere
Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗

Abstract

A process for recovering ethane and heavier hydrocarbons from LNG and a hydrocarbon gas stream is disclosed. The LNG feed stream is divided into two portions. The first is supplied to a fractionation column as a first upper mid-column feed. The second portion is heated while condensing a portion of a column distillation stream, thereby producing a “lean” LNG stream and a reflux stream. The reflux stream is supplied as top column feed. The second portion of LNG feed is heated further and supplied to the column as a first lower mid-column feed. The gas stream is divided into two portions. The second is expanded, then both portions are cooled while vaporizing the lean LNG stream and heating another portion of the distillation stream. The colder first portion is supplied to the column as a second upper mid-column feed, and the second is supplied as a second lower mid-column feed.

Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg141007.xml).

Assignees

AssigneeTypePlaceAlso on furp.orgSource
Ortloff Engineers, Ltd. 30 patentsUS company or organizationMidland, TXPVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10

Inventors

InventorPlacePatentsPerson pageSource
Tony L. MartinezOdessa, TX7PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10
John D. WilkinsonMidland, TX38PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10
Hank M. HudsonMidland, TX40PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10
Kyle T. CuellarKaty, TX40PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10

CPC categories

SubclassCategoryFirst groupSource
F25JLiquefaction, solidification or separation of gases or gaseous ; or liquefied gaseous; mixtures by pressure and cold treatment ; or by bringing them into the supercritical stateF25J3/0209PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10

Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).

Assignments and security interests

No recorded assignments or security interests on file for this patent.

USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.