Corpus Christi Liquefaction

Owned and operated by Corpus Christi Liquefaction, a subsidiary of Cheniere Energy, the liquefaction facility is designed with an expected production capacity of up to 13.5 million tonnes per annum of liquified natural gas (LNG).

In June 2015, Stellar Energy was awarded a contract by Bechtel to supply a turbine inlet air chilling (TIAC) system for the Corpus Christi facility to increase horsepower and stabilize production. Although original bid specifications called for a propane refrigeration TIAC system using a screw compressor package, Stellar Energy demonstrated to Bechtel and Cheniere that a modular air-cooled TIAC system using centrifugal compressors would be a better solution. Stellar Energy assessed the design inputs of ambient design condition, turbine inlet temperature and site footprint, and designed a system that will provide a constant inlet temperature to the turbines. In addition, the packaged chillers allowed for the use of a non-flammable hydrofluoro-olefin refrigerant instead of propane.

Stellar Energy’s solution, which is the first of its kind for the LNG industry, implements design principles common to power plant applications that offer a number of advantages over traditional LNG inlet air chilling systems using propane refrigeration. The result is increased horsepower, increased output and predictable LNG production for Corpus Christi Liquefaction. First gas is expected in 2018.

The TIAC system Stellar Energy designed for Corpus christi Liquefaction was featured in LNG Industry's November 2017 issue.