METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LIQUEFYING NATURAL GAS

摘要

The process for liquefying natural gas according to the invention consists in liquefying at least part of said gas by expanding it using mechanical energy, the gas during said expansion passing from a dense phase to a liquid phase without phase transition. The process comprises at least the two following steps: a) the natural gas comprised of a plurality of constituants is cooled at a pressure not below the critical pressure value of methane and at a temperature such that said gas is in a dense phase at the end of said cooling; b) at least part of a fraction of said dense phase obtained from step a) is expanded and liquefied through a device (T3) designed to reduce the gas pressure by an expansion process using mechanical energy, the passage from the dense phase condition towards a liquid phase condition occurring substantially without phase transition.