Natural-gas purification apparatus

• US 10,179,310 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsubara, Wataru, Eda, Masayuki, Honjo, Shintaro, Okino, Susumu, Nakatani, Hiromi, Yushima, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shumate, Anthony R
• Application Number:
  US15/475,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20180280887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2053/222 with plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2053/223 with hollow tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/245 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2313/243 Pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2315/10 Cross-flow filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2319/04 Elements in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/22 by diffusion manufacturing semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00; form, structure or properties of semi-permeable membranes B01D69/00; material for semi-permeable membranes B01D71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/06 Tubular membrane modules
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/08 Flat membrane modules
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/548 Membrane- or permeation-treatment for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/101 Removal of contaminants
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/104 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

A natural-gas purification apparatus includes: a compressor that adjusts the pressure of natural gas, and a separation device that separates natural-gas liquid and carbon dioxide from the natural gas after the pressure adjustment by the compressor through a natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and a carbon-dioxide separation membrane.

Claims

1. A natural-gas purification apparatus for purifying natural gas by separating carbon dioxide from the natural gas, comprising:

a pressure adjuster that adjusts a pressure of natural gas; and

a separator that separates natural-gas liquid and carbon dioxide from the natural gas after the pressure adjustment by the pressure adjuster through a natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and a carbon-dioxide separation membrane;

wherein the separator includes a device body including a gas inlet port through which to receive the natural gas, a natural-gas-liquid outlet port through which to discharge the natural-gas liquid, a carbon-dioxide outlet port through which to discharge the carbon dioxide, and a gas outlet port through which to discharge the natural gas from which the natural-gas liquid and the carbon dioxide have been separated,

each of the natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and the carbon-dioxide separation membrane is in a flat shape, and

the natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and the carbon-dioxide separation membrane are arranged inside the device body in such a way as to partition an inside of the device body into a first chamber including the gas inlet port and the gas outlet port, a second chamber including the natural-gas-liquid outlet port, and a third chamber including the carbon-dioxide outlet port.

2. The natural-gas purification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein

the gas inlet port and the gas outlet port are arranged opposite to each other, and

the natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and the carbon-dioxide separation membrane are arranged parallel to each other.

3. A natural-gas purification apparatus for purifying natural gas by separating carbon dioxide from the natural gas, comprising:

a pressure adjuster that adjusts a pressure of natural gas; and

a separator that separates natural-gas liquid and carbon dioxide from the natural gas after the pressure adjustment by the pressure adjuster through a natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and a carbon-dioxide separation membrane;

wherein the separator includes

a device body including a gas inlet port through which to receive the natural gas, a natural-gas-liquid outlet port through which to discharge the natural-gas liquid, a carbon-dioxide outlet port through which to discharge the carbon dioxide, and a gas outlet port through which to discharge the natural gas from which the natural-gas liquid and the carbon dioxide have been separated,

a first partition plate partitioning an inside of the device body into a first chamber including the gas inlet port and the gas outlet port and a second chamber including the natural-gas-liquid outlet port, and

a second partition plate partitioning the inside of the device body into the first chamber and a third chamber including the carbon-dioxide outlet port,

each of the natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and the carbon-dioxide separation membrane is in a tubular shape,

the natural-gas-liquid separation membrane is arranged inside the first chamber in such a way as to open only to the second chamber through the first partition plate, and

the carbon-dioxide separation membrane is arranged inside the first chamber in such a way as to open only to the third chamber through the second partition plate.

4. The natural-gas purification apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the gas inlet port and the gas outlet port are arranged opposite to each other, and

the natural-gas-liquid separation membrane and the carbon-dioxide separation membrane are arranged parallel to each other.

5. The natural-gas purification apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the natural-gas-liquid separation membranes and a plurality of the carbon-dioxide separation membranes are arranged adjacently to each other at equal intervals in a front-rear direction.