Method and apparatus for removal of oil from utility gas stream

• US 10,035,096 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Deckman, Harry W., Kamakoti, Preeti, Ravikovitch, Peter I., Kelley, Bruce T., Northrop, P. Scott, Rasmussen, Peter C., Tanaka, Paul L., Webster, Martin N., Roth, Wieslaw J., Corcoran, Jr., Edward W.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCKENZIE, THOMAS BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US14/807,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20150328578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 203 41
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/102 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/104 Alumina
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/1085 characterized by a silicon-aluminium ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/1124 Metal oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/20 Organic adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/204 Metal organic frameworks (MOF's)
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/342 Monoliths
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/70 Organic compounds not provided for in groups B01D2257/00 - B01D2257/602
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40088 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/04 with stationary adsorbents B01D53/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0407 Constructional details of adsorbing systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0438 Cooling or heating systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/047 Pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0473 Rapid pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0476 Vacuum pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/124 with special means for adducting cooling or sealing fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

The present application is directed to a method and system for preparing gaseous utility streams from gaseous process streams, particularly, removing oil contamination from such streams prior to use in a dry gas seal. The methods and systems may include at least one kinetic swing adsorption process including pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, calcination, and inert purge processes to treat gaseous streams for use in dry gas seals of rotating equipment such as compressors, turbines and pumps and other utilities. The adsorbent materials used include a high surface area solid structured microporous and mesoporous materials.

Claims

1. A system for treating a gaseous feed stream, comprising:

a selective component removal system, comprising;

a gaseous feed stream inlet configured to pass a gaseous feed stream into a swing adsorption unit having at least one structured adsorbent bed comprising a high surface area solid, wherein;

the gaseous feed stream includes a volume of oil droplets and a volume of oil vapor and has a pressure from at least about 100 bar to at least about 500 bar;

the at least one structured adsorbent bed is configured to remove at least a portion of the volume of oil droplets and a portion of the volume of oil vapor to provide a substantially oil-free gaseous outlet stream; and

the at least one structured adsorbent bed is regenerated in a kinetic swing adsorption process; and

one or more compressors configured to receive a sour gas process stream, to receive a portion of the substantially oil-free gaseous outlet stream, to compress the sour gas process stream and to utilize the portion of the substantially oil-free gaseous outlet stream as a dry seal gas.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the kinetic swing adsorption process is selected from the group consisting of a calcination process, a temperature swing process, a pressure swing process, an inert purge process, and any combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system is configured to remove the volume of oil droplets and vapor in a sharp adsorption front as modeled by a Langmuir isotherm.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one structured adsorbent bed is regenerated by raising the temperature of the structured adsorbent bed to at least about 250°

C.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the structured adsorbent bed is regenerated by a thermal wave process.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the structured adsorbent bed is regenerated by a gas or fluid flowed co-currently, counter-currently, or orthogonally (e.g. crossflow) to a flow direction of the gaseous feed stream.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid impermeable housing substantially surrounding the swing adsorption unit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the fluid impermeable housing is operable at up to about 10,000 pounds per square inch.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the structured adsorbent bed is selected from the group consisting of a parallel channel contactor, a structured flow through adsorbent contactor, a flow through adsorbent, and any combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a segmented contactor configured to house at least two structured adsorbent beds, wherein each pair of structured adsorbent beds is separated by a seal.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the oil is a substantially ash-free oil.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the oil is a synthetic composed of a random copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the random copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide has an average molecular weight greater than about 1,200 gram/mole and less than or equal to about 2,500 gram/mole.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cooling jacket operatively engaging the at least one structured adsorbent bed.

15. The system of claim 2, further comprising a heater selected from the group consisting of an indirect electric adsorbent bed heater, a direct electric adsorbent bed heater, a direct gas heating fluid, and any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger configured to utilize cooling fluid to cool the substantially oil-free gaseous outlet stream.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising an accumulator configured to hold the substantially oil-free gaseous outlet stream.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the high surface area solid is selected from the group consisting of:

alumina, mesoporous solids, and microporous solids.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the high surface area solid is selected from the group consisting of:

aluminas, carbons, activated carbon, charcoal, cationic zeolites, high silica zeolites, highly siliceous ordered mesoporous materials, sol gel materials, ALPO materials (microporous and mesoporous materials containing predominantly aluminum phosphorous and oxygen), SAPO materials (microporous and mesoporous materials containing predominantly silicon aluminum phosphorous and oxygen), MOF materials (microporous and mesoporous materials comprised of a metal organic framework) and ZIF materials (microporous and mesoporous materials comprised of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks).

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the high surface area solid has a surface area greater than about 10 square meters per gram (m²/gm).

21. The system of claim 3, wherein greater than 99.99999 percent of the oil is removed from the gaseous feed stream.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the high surface area solid is a 12-14 ring zeolite with a Si to Al ratio of more than about 50:

1.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the high surface area solid is an ordered mesoporous material of the M41S family.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising a conditioning unit.