Natural gas liquefaction and storage

Claim 1

A METHOD OF LIQUEFYING A NATURAL GAS MIXTURE HAVING HEAVY HYDROCARBONS WITHOUT THE OCCURRENCE OF SOLID CARBON DIOXIDE COMPRISING SUPPLYING NATURAL GAS AT A PRESSURE ABOVE A PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE, SAID PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE BEING A FUNCTION OF THE INLET CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION OF THE NATURAL GAS, DEHYDRATING SAID GAS MIXTURE, PASSING SAID GAS MIXTURE THROUGH A FIRST HEAT EXCHANGER AND A REFRIGERATOR TO COOL THE SAME, REMOVING SAID HEAVY HYDROCARBONS IN THE MIXTURE FROM THE MAIN GAS STREAM, COOLING SAID GAS MIXTURE IN A SECOND HEAT EXCHANGER, FURTHER COOLING AND LIQUEFYING SAID GAS MIXTURE, IN AN ETHANE BATH RECONDENSING THE ETHANE VAPORIZED BY SAID NATURAL GAS, SEPARATING OUT THE NON-CONDENSABLES FROM SAID NATURAL GAS MIXTURE, THROTTLING SAID NON-CONDENSABLES TO A LOW PRESSURE AND JOINING THE SAME WITH THE LOW PRESSURE NATURAL GAS RETURNING TO THE CONSUMERS GAS LINE, FURTHER COOLING THE LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS IN A HEAT EXCHANGER, THROTTLING SAID NATURAL GAS MIXTURE TO STORAGE PRESSURE, AND PECIPITATING OUT THE CARBON DIOXIDE FROM THE GAS MIXTURE AS A SOLID, THE VAPORS FORMED ON THROTTLING OF SAID NATURAL GAS MIXTURE BEING REWARMED BY HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE INCOMING NATURAL GAS FEED.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF LIQUEFYING A NATURAL GAS MIXTURE HAVING HEAVY HYDROCARBONS WITHOUT THE OCCURRENCE OF SOLID CARBON DIOXIDE COMPRISING SUPPLYING NATURAL GAS AT A PRESSURE ABOVE A PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE, SAID PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE BEING A FUNCTION OF THE INLET CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION OF THE NATURAL GAS, DEHYDRATING SAID GAS MIXTURE, PASSING SAID GAS MIXTURE THROUGH A FIRST HEAT EXCHANGER AND A REFRIGERATOR TO COOL THE SAME, REMOVING SAID HEAVY HYDROCARBONS IN THE MIXTURE FROM THE MAIN GAS STREAM, COOLING SAID GAS MIXTURE IN A SECOND HEAT EXCHANGER, FURTHER COOLING AND LIQUEFYING SAID GAS MIXTURE, IN AN ETHANE BATH RECONDENSING THE ETHANE VAPORIZED BY SAID NATURAL GAS, SEPARATING OUT THE NON-CONDENSABLES FROM SAID NATURAL GAS MIXTURE, THROTTLING SAID NON-CONDENSABLES TO A LOW PRESSURE AND JOINING THE SAME WITH THE LOW PRESSURE NATURAL GAS RETURNING TO THE CONSUMERS GAS LINE, FURTHER COOLING THE LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS IN A HEAT EXCHANGER, THROTTLING SAID NATURAL GAS MIXTURE TO STORAGE PRESSURE, AND PECIPITATING OUT THE CARBON DIOXIDE FROM THE GAS MIXTURE AS A SOLID, THE VAPORS FORMED ON THROTTLING OF SAID NATURAL GAS MIXTURE BEING REWARMED BY HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE INCOMING NATURAL GAS FEED.