Processing of hydrocarbon gases

• US 2,952,983 A
• Filed: 08/28/1957
• Issued: 09/20/1960
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1957
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Forrest E. Gilmore
• Original Assignee: Forrest E. Gilmore
• Inventors: Gilmore, Forrest E.
• Application Number:
  US03/680,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• US Class Current: 62/631
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 7/02 Stabilising gasoline by removing gases by fractioning
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/08 Separating gaseous impurities from gases or gaseous mixtures or from liquefied gases or liquefied gaseous mixturescold traps B01D8/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 62/926 Gasoline

Claims

1. A HYDROCARBON SEPARATION METHOD WHEREIN A LIGHT COMPONENT IS SEPARATED FROM A HEAVY COMPONENT WITHOUT EXCESSIVE LOSS OF INTERMEDIATE COMPONENT AND WITHOUT HYDRATE FORMATION, WHICH COMPRISES FRACTIONATING A HYDROCARBON STREAM IN A FIRST FRACTIONATION STEP TO OBTAIN A LIQUID BOTTOMS FRACTION AND AN OVERHEAD FRACTION CONTAINING SAID LIGHT AND SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPONENTS, FRACTIONATING SAID OVERHEAD FRACTION IN A SECOND FRACTIONATION STEP TO OBTAIN A BOTTOMS FRACTION COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE INTERMEDIATE COMPONENT AS PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS AND AN OVERHEAD FRACTION CONTAINING SAID LIGHT COMPONENT WITH A SMALL PROPORTION OF SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPONENT, CONDENSING SAID RESULTING OVERHEAD FRACTION AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH HYDRATES FORM, SEPARATING FROM SAID RESULTING CONDENSED OVERHEAD FRACTION A VAPOR FRACTION CONTAINING SAID LIGHT COMPONENT AND A SMALL PROPORTION OF SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPONENT UNAVOIDABLY RETAINED IN SAID VAPORS, COMMINGLING SAID RESULTING VAPOR FRACTION WITH SAID LIQUID BOTTOMS FRACTION, SEPARATING A RESULTING CONDENSED STREAM TO OBTAIN A VAPOR FRACTION COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY ONLY LIGHT COMPONENT AND A LIQUID FRACTION CONTAINING SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPONENT AND SAID COMMINGLED LIQUID, AND RETURNING SAID RESULTING LIQUID FRACTION TO SAID FIRST FRACTIONATION STEP.