초록 ▼

An integrated energy hub facility capable of bringing together all aspects of hydrocarbon and other fluid product movement under controlled conditions applicable to the reception, storage, processing, collection and transmission downstream is provided. Input to the energy hub includes natural gas an

An integrated energy hub facility capable of bringing together all aspects of hydrocarbon and other fluid product movement under controlled conditions applicable to the reception, storage, processing, collection and transmission downstream is provided. Input to the energy hub includes natural gas and crude from a pipeline or a carrier, LNG from a carrier, CNG from a carrier, and carrier-regassed LNG, as well as other products from a pipeline or a carrier. Storage can be above surface, in salt caverns or in subterranean formations and cavities, and include petroleum crude, natural gas, LPG, NGL, GTL and other fluids. Transmission downstream may be carried out by a vessel or other type of carrier and/or by means of a pipeline system. Cryogenic fluids are offloaded and sent to the energy hub surface holding tank, then pumped to the energy hub vaporizers and sent to underground storage and/or distribution.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. An energy hub system for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of hydrocarbons and other fluids, comprising: (a) facilities for receiving and offloading hydrocarbons or other fluids; (b) at least one surface holding tank, connectable to said facilities for re

We claim: 1. An energy hub system for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of hydrocarbons and other fluids, comprising: (a) facilities for receiving and offloading hydrocarbons or other fluids; (b) at least one surface holding tank, connectable to said facilities for receiving and offloading hydrocarbons or other fluids and capable of holding received and offloaded hydrocarbons or other fluids; (c) means for vaporizing said received and offloaded hydrocarbons or other fluids; (d) first pumping means, connectable to said at least one surface holding tank and capable of flowing said hydrocarbons or other fluids into said vaporization means; (e) distribution means, connectable to said vaporization means and capable of directing said hydrocarbons or other fluids to the marketplace; (f) an underground storage facility, connectable to said vaporization means and to said distribution means; and (g) second pumping means, connectable to said vaporization means and capable of flowing said hydrocarbons or other fluids from said vaporization means into said distribution means and underground storage facility, wherein said at least one surface holding tank is used to minimize offload time and wherein the volume capacity of said at least one surface holding tank, in BCFE, is less than the per-day offloading rate, in BCFED, at which said hydrocarbons or other fluids are offloaded and received by said facilities for receiving and offloading them. 2. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said facilities for receiving and offloading hydrocarbons or other fluids comprise berthing and mooring means, loading arms, hoses, buoys and/or single point moorings. 3. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein the volume capacity of said at least one surface holding tank is less than about 4 BCFE. 4. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein only one surface holding tank is used. 5. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said vaporization means utilize seawater as the source of heat for the vaporization of said hydrocarbons or other fluids. 6. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said vaporization means comprise conventional means for vaporizing hydrocarbons and other fluids, said conventional means selected from the group consisting of open rack vaporizers, remotely heated vaporizers, integral heated vaporizers, intermediate fluid vaporizers, steam heated vaporizers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers and air-exchange heaters. 7. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said underground storage facility comprises at least one salt storage cavern. 8. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said second pumping means comprise at least one high-pressure booster pump located upstream from said vaporization means and operated so as to provide controlled underground pressure inside said underground storage facility. 9. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein the fluid received, processed, handled and distributed is a hydrocarbon, and further comprising means for removing natural gas liquids from said hydrocarbon, said means located downstream from said at least one surface holding tank. 10. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein the fluid received, processed, handled and distributed is a fluid selected from the group consisting of natural gas, liquefied natural gas, regassed LNG, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas liquid, gas-to-liquid product, crude oil (with or without mixed gas), a liquid hydrocarbon and a petrochemical. 11. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein the fluid received, processed, handled and distributed is a fluid selected from the group consisting of a mineral oil, a vegetable oil, sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, a clarifier, ethylenebenzene, benzene and a raffinate. 12. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbons or other fluids arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by pipeline. 13. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbons or other fluids arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by a carrier selected from the group consisting of a marine vessel, a ship, a boat, a barge, a tank truck and rail transport. 14. The energy hub system of claim 1, wherein said underground storage facility comprises at least one salt storage cavern created by the simultaneous-underground-cavern-development-and-fluid-storage-solution method. 15. An energy hub system for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of hydrocarbons, comprising: (a) facilities for receiving and offloading hydrocarbons; (b) a surface holding tank, connectable to said facilities for receiving and offloading hydrocarbons and capable of holding received and offloaded hydrocarbons; (c) conventional means for vaporizing hydrocarbons, said conventional means selected from the group consisting of open rack vaporizers, remotely heated vaporizers, integral heated vaporizers, intermediate fluid vaporizers, steam heated vaporizers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers and air-exchange heaters; (d) first pumping means, connectable to said surface holding tank and capable of flowing said hydrocarbons into said conventional means for vaporizing hydrocarbons; (e) a pipeline system, connectable to said conventional means for vaporizing hydrocarbons and capable of directing vaporized hydrocarbons to the marketplace; (f) at least one underground salt storage cavern, connectable to said conventional vaporization means and to said pipeline system; (g) second pumping means, connectable to said conventional vaporization means and capable of flowing vaporized hydrocarbons from said conventional vaporization means into said pipeline system and said at least one underground salt storage cavern; and (h) valve means, connectable to said conventional vaporization means, for controlling and directing the flow of vaporized hydrocarbons from said conventional vaporization means between said pipeline system and said at least one underground salt storage cavern, wherein said surface holding tank is used to minimize offload time and wherein the volume capacity of said surface holding tank, in BCFE, is less than the per-day offloading rate, in BCFED, at which said hydrocarbons are offloaded and received by said facilities for receiving and offloading them. 16. The energy hub system of claim 15, wherein the volume capacity of said surface holding tank is less than about 4 BCFE. 17. The energy hub system of claim 15, wherein said second pumping means comprise at least one high-pressure booster pump located upstream from said conventional means for vaporizing hydrocarbons and operated so as to provide controlled underground pressure inside said at least one underground salt storage cavern. 18. The energy hub system of claim 15, further comprising means for removing natural gas liquids from said received and offloaded hydrocarbons, said means located downstream from said surface holding tank. 19. The energy hub system of claim 15, wherein said hydrocarbons arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by pipeline. 20. The energy hub system of claim 15, wherein said hydrocarbons arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by a carrier selected from the group consisting of a marine vessel, a ship, a boat, a barge, a tank truck and rail transport. 21. A method for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of hydrocarbons and other fluids, said method comprising: (a) receiving and offloading hydrocarbons or other fluids; (b) flowing the received and offloaded hydrocarbons or other fluids into at least one surface holding tank; (c) pumping the received and offloaded hydrocarbons or other fluids from said at least one surface holding tank into a vaporizer and subjecting them to vaporization; (d) directing a first portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons or other fluids to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; (e) directing a second portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons or other fluids to an underground storage facility wherefrom they may be subsequently directed to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; and (f) storing said second portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons or other fluids in said underground storage facility, wherein said at least one surface holding tank is used to minimize offload time and wherein the volume capacity of said at least one surface holding tank, in BCFE, is less than the per-day offloading rate, in BCFED, at which said hydrocarbons or other fluids are offloaded and received by said facilities for receiving and offloading them. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said receiving and offloading of the hydrocarbons or other fluids are carried out by means of berthing and mooring means, loading arms, hoses, buoys and/or single point moorings. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the volume capacity of said at least one surface holding tank is less than about 4 BCFE. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein only one surface holding tank is used. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein said vaporizer utilizes seawater as the source of heat for the vaporization of said hydrocarbons or other fluids. 26. The method of claim 21, wherein said vaporizer is a conventional vaporizer selected from the group consisting of open rack vaporizers, remotely heated vaporizers, integral heated vaporizers, intermediate fluid vaporizers, steam heated vaporizers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers and air-exchange heaters. 27. The method of claim 21, wherein said underground storage facility comprises at least one salt storage cavern. 28. The method of claim 21, wherein said directing of said second portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons or other fluids to an underground storage facility is carried out by means of at least one high-pressure booster pump located upstream from said vaporizer and operated so as to provide controlled underground pressure inside said underground storage facility. 29. The method of claim 21, wherein the fluid received, processed, handled and distributed is a hydrocarbon, and further comprising removing natural gas liquids from said hydrocarbon downstream from said at least one surface holding tank. 30. The method of claim 21, wherein the fluid received, processed, handled and distributed is a fluid selected from the group consisting of natural gas, liquefied natural gas, regassed LNG, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas liquid, gas-to-liquid product, crude oil (with or without mixed gas), a liquid hydrocarbon and a petrochemical. 31. The method of claim 21, wherein the fluid received, processed, handled and distributed is a fluid selected from the group consisting of a mineral oil, a vegetable oil, sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, a clarifier, ethylene benzene, benzene and a raffinate. 32. The method of claim 21, wherein said hydrocarbons or other fluids arrive at receiving and offloading facilities by pipeline. 33. The method of claim 21, wherein said hydrocarbons or other fluids arrive at receiving and offloading facilities by a carrier selected from the group consisting of a marine vessel, a ship, a boat, a barge, a tank truck and rail transport. 34. The method of claim 21, wherein said underground storage facility comprises at least one salt storage cavern created by the simultaneous-underground-cavern-development-and-fluid-storage-solution-min ing method. 35. A method for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of hydrocarbons, said method comprising: (a) receiving and offloading hydrocarbons; (b) flowing the received and offloaded hydrocarbons into a surface holding tank; (c) pumping the received and offloaded hydrocarbons from said surface holding tank into a conventional vaporizer and subjecting them to vaporization, said conventional vaporizer selected from the group consisting of open rack vaporizers, remotely heated vaporizers, integral heated vaporizers, intermediate fluid vaporizers, steam heated vaporizers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers and air-exchange heaters; (d) directing a first portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons to the marketplace by means of a pipeline system; (e) directing a second portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons to at least one underground salt storage cavern wherefrom they may be subsequently directed to the marketplace by means of a pipeline system; and (f) storing said second portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons in said at least one underground salt storage cavern, wherein said surface holding tank is used to minimize offload time and wherein the volume capacity of said surface holding tank, in BCFE, is less than the per-day offloading rate, in BCFED, at which said hydrocarbons are offloaded and received by said facilities for receiving and offloading them. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the volume capacity of said surface holding tank is less than about 4 BCFE. 37. The method of claim 35, wherein said directing of said second portion of the vaporized hydrocarbons to at least one underground salt storage cavern is carried out by means of at least one high-pressure booster pump located upstream from said conventional vaporizer and operated so as to provide controlled underground pressure inside said at least one underground salt storage cavern. 38. The method of claim 35, further comprising removing natural gas liquids from said hydrocarbons downstream from said surface holding tank. 39. The method of claim 35, wherein said hydrocarbons arrive at receiving and offloading facilities by pipeline. 40. The method of claim 35, wherein said hydrocarbons arrive at receiving and offloading facilities by a carrier selected from the group consisting of a marine vessel, a ship, a boat, a barge, a tank truck and rail transport. 41. A method for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of a hydrocarbon or other fluid transported in cryogenic state in a carrier such as a marine vessel, barge, tank truck or rail car, said method comprising: (a) providing a conventional vaporizer aboard the carrier, said conventional vaporizer selected from the group consisting of open rack vaporizers, remotely heated vaporizers, integral heated vaporizers, intermediate fluid vaporizers, steam heated vaporizers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers and air-exchange heaters; (b) pumping said hydrocarbon or other fluid in cryogenic state into said conventional vaporizer and subjecting it to vaporization so as to vaporize and convert it to a gas; (c) transferring said vaporized gas to the intake of at least one high-pressure booster pump located downstream from said conventional vaporizer on a receiving facility; (d) increasing the pressure of said vaporized gas by means of said at least one high-pressure booster pump; (e) separating the increased-pressure vaporized gas by means of a flow regulator into a pressurized gas first portion and a pressurized gas second portion; (f) directing said separated pressurized gas first portion to the marketplace by means of a pipeline system; (g) directing said separated pressurized gas second portion to at least one underground salt storage cavern wherefrom it may be subsequently directed to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; and (h) storing said pressurized gas second portion in said at least one underground salt storage cavern, wherein said directing of the separated pressurized gas first portion to the marketplace and said directing of the separated pressurized gas second portion to at least one underground salt storage cavern are carried out sequentially on an as-needed basis. 42. A method for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of hydrocarbons and other fluids, said method comprising: (a) receiving and offloading hydrocarbons or other fluids; (b) flowing the received and offloaded hydrocarbons or other fluids into at least one surface holding tank; (c) feeding the received and offloaded hydrocarbons or other fluids from said at least one surface holding tank into a processing facility and processing them in said facility; (d) directing a first portion of the processed hydrocarbons or other fluids to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; (e) directing a second portion of the processed hydrocarbons or other fluids to an underground storage facility wherefrom they may be subsequently directed to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; and (f) storing said second portion of the processed hydrocarbons or other fluids in said underground storage facility, wherein said at least one surface holding tank is used to minimize offload time and wherein the volume capacity of said at least one surface holding tank, in BCFE, is less than the per-day offloading rate, in BCFED, at which said hydrocarbons or other fluids are offloaded and received by said facilities for receiving and offloading them. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the volume capacity of said at least one surface holding tank is less than about 4 BCFE. 44. The method of claim 42, wherein only one surface holding tank is used. 45. The method of claim 42, wherein said processing comprises one or more unit operations selected from the group consisting of vaporization, fractionation, product blending, NGL removal, distillation, sweetening and odorizing. 46. A method for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of LNG and CNG from an energy hub, said method comprising: (a) receiving and offloading LNG or CNG at receiving and offloading facilities; (b) feeding the received and offloaded LNG or CNG from said receiving and offloading facilities into a processing facility and processing them in said facility; (c) directing a first portion of the processed LNG or CNG to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; (d) directing a second portion of the processed LNG or CNG to an underground storage facility wherefrom they may be subsequently directed to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; and (e) storing said second portion of the processed LNG or CNG in said underground storage facility. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein said processing comprises one or more unit operations selected from the group consisting of vaporization, fractionation, product blending, NGL removal, distillation, sweetening and odorizing. 48. The method of claim 46, wherein said LNG or CNG arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by pipeline. 49. The method of claim 46, wherein said LNG or CNG arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by a carrier selected from the group consisting of a marine vessel, a ship, a boat, a barge, a tank truck and rail transport. 50. A method for the reception, processing, handling and marketplace distribution of LNG and CNG from an energy hub, said method comprising. (a) receiving and offloading LNG or CNG at receiving and offloading facilities; (b) directing a first portion of the received and offloaded LNG or CNG from said receiving and offloading facilities to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; (c) directing a second portion of the received and offloaded LNG or CNG from said receiving and offloading facilities to an underground storage facility wherefrom they may be subsequently directed to the marketplace by means of a distribution system; and (d) storing said second portion of the received and offloaded LNG or CNG in said underground storage facility. 51. The method of claim 50, wherein said LNG or CNG arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by pipeline. 52. The method of claim 50, wherein said LNG or CNG arrive at said receiving and offloading facilities by a carrier selected from the group consisting of a marine vessel, a ship, a boat, a barge, a tank truck and rail transport.