METHOD OF CARRYING OUT ABSORPTION/DISTILLATION IN A SINGLE COLUMN DESIGN

• US 20150211790A1
• Filed: 01/24/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sulzer Management AG (Sulzer AG)
• Original Assignee: GTC Technology US, LLC (Sulzer AG)
• Inventors: Bhargava, Manish, Gentry, Joseph C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,500,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/141 where at least one distillation column contains at least one dividing wall
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/40 Extractive distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 7/00 Distillation of hydrocarbon oils
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/10 Working-up natural gas or synthetic natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/12 Liquefied petroleum gas liquefying by pressure and cold treatment F25J

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a process wherein two different unit operations (absorption and distillation) take place on either side of a top dividing wall column. One side of the dividing wall column uses absorption to separate non-condensable components from the feed; the other side of the dividing wall uses distillation to separate heavier liquid components.

Claims

1. A distillation column comprising a wall in a top section of the column having two condensers.

2. The top dividing wall column of claim 1, wherein the two condensers are a partial condenser and a total condenser.

3. The top dividing wall column of claim 1 having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side contains an absorption unit for separation of lighter non-condensable components and the second side contains a distillation unit for separation of heavier liquid components.

4. The top dividing wall column of claim 1, wherein the column is used as a stabilizer that removes non condensable lighter components from mix aromatics feed.

5. The top dividing wall column of claim 1, wherein the column is used as a deheptanizer that removes non condensable lighter components from mix aromatics feed.

6. The top dividing wall column of claim 1, wherein the first side contains an absorption solvent.

7. The top dividing wall column of claim 3, wherein the distillation unit on the second side generates a bottom product that is sent back to the first side as an absorption medium for removal of lighter non condensable components.

8. The distillation column of claim 7, wherein the reflux of the bottom product reduces loss of C₅/C₆ to vapor.