The World of Energy

Chapter 30 LNG Technology - Processes

30.7. The Cryogenic Heat Exchanger

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Brazed Aluminum Exchanger (Prico & Phillips)

Ch. 30 - 106
Brazed Aluminum Exchanger

Ch. 30 - 107
The coil-wound heat exchanger

Produces by:
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. in USA
Linde in Germany
The heat exchangers are made in aluminium
Dimensions of a the main LNG coil-wound heat
exchanger is as follows:
Height 10-50 m
Diameter 3-5 m
Core tube diameter 1 m
Tube length 70-100 m
Tube diameter 10-15 mm
Typical surface density 100-150 m2/m3
Typical heating surface 10.000-20.000 m2

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 Train Size & Cryogenic Exchanger Trend
5.0
Million Ton/year/train

LNG Train Capacity

4.0 Linde SWHE
(2 Modules)

3.0

2.0
Cold Box APCI SWHE

1.0
Air Liquide TEAL
SWHE SWHE

Year Built
1964 1969 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004
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 LNG Main HE Features Benchmarking

APCI Linde Chart

Spiral Spiral Plate/

Exchanger Type
Wound Wound Fin
______ _____ 1750
Highest Pressure Rating, psig
5.2 4.2 N/A
Maximum Diameter, m
Surface Area Density, (m2/m3) ______ _____ 160
Largest Single Unit Weight, Ton 317 160 87
Largest Single Unit Heat Duty, MW 15.5 1.6 0.6
Heat Duty per Unit Weight, W/Ton 49 8 6
Heat Duty per Volume, W/m3 20 10 9
Heat Duty per Foot Print, W/Sq.ft 90 14 33

Spiral Wound Heat Exchanger also called Coiled Tubular Heat Exchanger
Plate Fin Heat Exchanger (PFHE) also called Brazed Aluminum Heat Exchanger (BAHE) or
Brazed Aluminum Exchanger (BAE), and since they are ussually packaged in a insulated

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In Search of LNG Exchanger
Design Excellence

The ideal LNG exchanger would be: large single unit, highest
heat exchange surface per volume, highest heat duty per
surface (lowest temperature approach), and . . . available
from many manufacturer (not a proprietary design)
Largest single unit, with highest heat exchange per volume is
currently the APCI spiral wound heat exchanger.
Largest single unit plate finned brazed aluminum exchanger is
1/10th of APCI LNG exchanger. Multiple units in parallel add
control complexity and gas/liquid re-mixing problem.

LNG exchanger
When the plate finned brazed aluminum exchanger
manufacturer (Marston, Altec, Kobe Steel and Sumitomo) or
Linde spiral wound can make very large LNG exchanger in
single piece, APCI hegemony will be in serious jeopardy. Stay
tuned . . .

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