US5628191A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Natural gas expansion plant
Assignee: Piller Group GmbH
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Filing: 1993-11-17
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Granted: 1997-05-13
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Expires: 2013-11-17
Abstract
Abstract For expanding highly pressurized natural gas, use is made of a turbo generator (13) having a heat exchanger (12) connected at its upstream side. Heat supply to the heat exchanger (12) is performed by at least one block-type thermal power station (16) comprising a gas-fired internal combustion engine and a generator. The heat exchanger preheats the gas to be expanded before the gas is supplied to the turbo generator for expansion. Both the block-type thermal power station (16) and the turbo generator (13) generate electric energy which is fed into the power supply network (18).
Inventors
- 👤 Elmar Kueck
- 👤 Heinz Siefen
- 👤 Wolf-Ruediger Canders
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 20:53
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02C; F02C1/00; F02C1/04; F17; F17D; F17D1/00; F17D1/02; F17D1/065; F17D1/075
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
178 words
A natural gas expansion plant comprising at least one heat exchanger (12) for preheating highly pressurized natural gas, at least one turbo generator (13) for expanding the natural gas to reach a lower pressure and for generating power from the energy released during said expansions, a means for conducting natural gas from a first heat exchanger (12) to a first turbo generator (13), a power station (16, 16a) having a portion of its waste heat supplied to the first heat exchanger via a waste heat circuit (12), the power station (16, 16a) includes a plurality of block-type thermal power stations (16, 16a) each having a gas-fired internal combustion engine and a generator adapted to be individually selectively switched off or run under full-load conditions in digital operation, and said waste heat circuit (19) from the block-type thermal power stations which (16, 16a) is thermally coupled to an external energy consumer or energy generator to discharge a portion of residual heat which is generated in digital operation of the block-type thermal power stations (16, 16a) without external cooling measures.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
178 words
A natural gas expansion plant comprising at least one heat exchanger (12) for preheating highly pressurized natural gas, at least one turbo generator (13) for expanding the natural gas to reach a lower pressure and for generating power from the energy released during said expansions, a means for conducting natural gas from a first heat exchanger (12) to a first turbo generator (13), a power station (16, 16a) having a portion of its waste heat supplied to the first heat exchanger via a waste heat circuit (12), the power station (16, 16a) includes a plurality of block-type thermal power stations (16, 16a) each having a gas-fired internal combustion engine and a generator adapted to be individually selectively switched off or run under full-load conditions in digital operation, and said waste heat circuit (19) from the block-type thermal power stations which (16, 16a) is thermally coupled to an external energy consumer or energy generator to discharge a portion of residual heat which is generated in digital operation of the block-type thermal power stations (16, 16a) without external cooling measures.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The natural gas expansion plant according to claim 1 wherein the heating of the natural gas in the heat exchanger (12) is performed to a temperature below 100° C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
The natural gas expansion plant according to claim 1, wherein said first turbo generator (13) is connected in series to a second turbo generator (15), and each of said turbo generators (13, 15) has a respective first and second heat exchanger (12, 14) connected at its upstream side.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The natural gas expansion plant according to claim 1 wherein the turbo generator (13) comprises a shaft supported in a contactless manner by magnetic bearings (31, 32, 33), and a closed pressure-tight casing (30).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
The natural gas expansion plant according to claim 3 wherein the block-type thermal power stations (16, 16a) are provided to heat, in parallel to each other and via a hot water circuit, a plurality of parallel expander conduits in mutual redundancy.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-05-12 | 2000-11-11 | 2001-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-05-12 | 2004-11-11 | 2005-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-05-12 | 2008-11-11 | 2009-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |