EXXONMOBIL ENHANCED MIXED REFRIGERANT (EMR)PROCESS FOR NEXT GENERATION LNG PROJECTS

摘要

The history of the LNG industry has been dominated by the constant search forrneconomies of scale culminating in the current Qatar mega-trains undergoing finalrnconstruction, commissioning, start-up and operations. While these large trains arernappropriate for the large Qatar gas resources, future, smaller resource developments willrnnecessitate different process selection strategies. The actual LNG process is only one ofrnmany factors affecting the optimal choice. The choice of equipment, especially cryogenicrnheat exchangers and refrigerant compressors, can overwhelm small differences in processrnefficiencies. ExxonMobil has been developing an Enhanced Mixed Refrigerant (EMR)rnprocess that has the potential of offering the scalability and expandability required tornmeet the needs of new project developments, while also maximizing the number ofrnequipment vendors to allow broader competition and keep costs under control. Thernprocess will also have the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of feed compositions,rnrates, and product sales requirements.