Method and equipment for treating hydrocarbon gases for pressure reduction and condensate recovery

• US 3,292,380 A
• Filed: 04/28/1964
• Issued: 12/20/1966
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1964
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert W. Bucklin
• Original Assignee: Robert W. Bucklin
• Inventors: Bucklin, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US04/363,154
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• US Class Current: 62/621
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 5/06 by cooling or compressing
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2200/02 in a single pressure main column system
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2200/70 Refluxing the column with a condensed part of the feed stream, i.e. fractionator top is stripped or self-rectified
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2205/04 in the feed line, i.e. upstream of the fractionation step
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2210/12 Refinery or petrochemical off-gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2220/68 Separating water or hydrates
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2240/02 Expansion of a process fluid in a work-extracting turbine (i.e. isentropic expansion), e.g. of the feed stream
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/0209 Natural gas or substitute natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/0219 Refinery gas, cracking gas, coke oven gas, gaseous mixtures containing aliphatic unsaturated CnHm or gaseous mixtures of undefined nature
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/0233 separation of CnHm with 1 carbon atom or more
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/0238 separation of CnHm with 2 carbon atoms or more

Claims

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE HYDROCARBON FEED GAS CONTAINING METHANE AND CONDENSABLE COMPONENTS TO PRODUCED OUTPUT GAS AT RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE, THAT INCUDES;

(A) COOLING SAID HIGH PRESSURE GAS TO BELOW 32*F., (B) EXANDING THE COOLED GAS THROUGH A TURBINE TO PRODUCE A GAS-CONDENSATE MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT -100*F., (C) DELIVERING THE GAS-CONDENSATE MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT -100*F. TO A STRIPPING COLUMN, (D) STRIPPING THE CONDENSATE TO REMOVE A CONDENSABLE COMPONENT THEREOF AT A PRESSURE BELOW THE OUTPUT GAS PRESSURE, (E) FLOWING GAS FROM THE STRIPPING COLUMN IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FEED GAS, AND (F) RECOMPRESSING GAS FROM THE STRIPPING COLUMN, AFTER IT HAS BEEN HEAT EXCHANGED WITH THE FEED GAS, BY THE ENERGY OUTPUT OF SAID TURBIME SAID OUTPUT GAS.