| 摘要 |
A method of cooling natural gas in a system in which the natural gas contains components other than methane which are separable by dewpoint condensation and the natural gas is available from a source, e.g. a well, at an elevated pressure. In accordance with the present invention, the natural gas is initially expanded in a work-producing expansion turbine to cool the natural gas to a temperature below the dew point of the components to be separated and the portion of the natural gas remaining after separating these components is compressed in a compressor which can in part be driven by the turbine so that at least a portion of the work output of the turbine is at least in some cases utilized for compressing the methane-containing portion which can be forced under pressure into a pipeline. In dependence upon the variable pressure difference between the input of the expansion turbine and the output of the compressor, energy is recovered from the turbine or supplied to the set formed by the turbine and compressor and the compression of the expanded methane-containing portion is effected after heat exchange with the natural gas to be expanded and/or is directly carried out at the expansion temperature. |
