9/27/2012

1
Claude Liquefaction Process
Support the throttle valve
by an expander:
Gas expander: saturated or
slightly superheated
vapor cooled and
throttled to produce
liquefaction (as in the Linde
process) unliquefied
portion mixes with the
expander exhaust and
returns for recycle.
Fig 9.7
Claude Liquefaction Process
Mass relations: m
1
= m
2
+ m
15;
m
2
= m
3
= m
4
= m
5
;
m
5
= m
6
+ m
11
; m
6
= m
7
= m
8
; m
8
= m
9
+ m
10
;
m
13
= m
10
+ m
12
= m
14
= m
15
= m
2
Equations
Linde Process: x = 0 Claude process
Natural gas, assumed here to be pure methane, is liquefied in a Claude process.
Compression is to 60 bar and precooling is to 300 K. The expander and throttle
exhaust to a pressure of 1 bar. Recycle methane at this pressure leaves the
exchanger system at 295 K. Assume no heat leaks into the system from the
surroundings, an expander efficiency of 75%, and an expander exhaust of
saturated vapor. For a draw-off to the expander of 25% of the methane entering
the exchanger system, what fraction of the methane is liquefied, and what is the
temperature of the high-pressure steam entering the throttle valve?
For superheated methane:
) 60 300 ( 0 . 1140
4
bar and K at
kg
kJ
H =
) 1 295 ( 9 . 1188
15
bar and K at
kg
kJ
H =
For saturated liquid:
) 1 5 . 111 ( 4 . 285
9
bar and K T
kg
kJ
H
sat
= =
For saturated vapor:
) 1 5 . 111 ( 521 . 9 , 9 . 796
12 12
bar and K T
K kg
kJ
S
kg
kJ
H
sat
=

= =
9/27/2012
2
Claude Liquefaction Process
H4= 1140
H15=1188.9
H9 =289.4
H12 = 796.9
S12 = 9.521
60 bar
60 bar 60 bar
60 bar
1 bar
1 bar
1 bar
60 bar
1 bar
1 bar
1 bar
An energy balance on the right of the dashed vertical line: out
W H m H m H m

= +
4 4 15 15 9 9
The expander operates adiabatically: ) (
5 12 12
H H m W
out
=

A mass balance: 9 4 15
m m m =
4 9
/ m m z
4 12
/ m m x
( )
15 9
15 4 5 12
H H
H H H H x
z

+
=
The equation defining expander efficiency:
( ) ( )
5 12 5 12
H H H H H H
S
' = A = = A q q
Guess T
5
H
5
, S
5
isentropic expansion H
12
H
12
check if satisfied?
) 60 ( 8 . 1009 , 6 . 253
5 5
bar at
kg
kJ
H K T = =
( )
113 . 0
9 . 1188 4 . 285
9 . 1188 0 . 1140 ) 8 . 1009 9 . 796 ( 25 . 0
15 9
15 4 5 12
=

+
=

+
=
H H
H H H H x
z
11.3 % of the methane entering the exchanger system is liquefied!
An energy balance on the exchanger I: 0 ) ( ) (
14 15 15 4 5 4
= + H H m H H m
A mass balance: 9 4 15
m m m =
4 9
/ m m z
kg
kJ
H
z
H H
H 1 . 1042 9 . 1188
113 . 0 1
0 . 1140 8 . 1009
1
15
4 5
14
= +

= +

=
) 60 ( 2 . 227
14
bar at K T =
An energy balance on the exchanger II: 0 ) ( ) (
12 14 14 5 7 7
= + H H m H H m
A mass balance: 12 4 7
m m m =
( )
kg
kJ
H H
x
z
H H 8 . 719
1
1
12 14 5 7
=

=
) 60 ( 6 . 197
7
bar at K T =
9 4 14
m m m =
For the Linde system, x = 0:
( )
15 9
15 4 5 12
H H
H H H H x
z

+
= 0541 . 0 = z
5.41 % of the methane entering the throttle valve emerges as liquid!
( )
kg
kJ
H H z H H 2 . 769 ) 1 (
10 15 4 7
= =
) 60 ( 6 . 206
7
bar at K T =
+ |
7
T x