Configurations and methods for rich gas conditioning for NGL recovery
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of conditioning a rich feed gas containing C1, C2 to C4, and C5+ in a conditioning unit, comprising:
- cooling and separating the rich feed gas into a liquid portion and a vapor portion;
further cooling a first fraction of the vapor portion and separating the cooled vapor portion into a C5+ depleted vapor stream and a C5+ enriched liquid stream;
separating the C5+ enriched liquid stream and the liquid portion in a refluxed fractionator into a C2-C5 enriched bottom product and an overhead product;
compressing and cooling the overhead product and separating the compressed and cooled overhead product into a reflux liquid for the fractionator and a lean vapor;
wherein the step of cooling the overhead product to obtain the reflux liquid is performed by reducing pressure of the C5+ enriched liquid stream and using refrigeration obtained from the step of reducing pressure in the step of cooling the overhead product; and
combining a second fraction of the vapor portion, the lean vapor, and the C5+ depleted vapor stream to form a C2 to C4-containing combined stream, and feeding the combined stream to a downstream NGL recovery plant for separation of C2 to C4 from C1.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Contemplated gas treatment plants for recovery of NGL from rich feed gas include an upstream conditioning unit in which heavier hydrocarbons, and most typically C5 and heavier are removed prior to feeding the processed feed gas to an NGL recovery plant, thus avoiding the need to process the heavier hydrocarbons in the NGL recovery plant. Such conditioning units advantageously reduce energy demand for dehydration otherwise required and allow for production of C2-C4, and C5+ streams that can be sold as valuable products.
34 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method of conditioning a rich feed gas containing C1, C2 to C4, and C5+ in a conditioning unit, comprising:
-
cooling and separating the rich feed gas into a liquid portion and a vapor portion; further cooling a first fraction of the vapor portion and separating the cooled vapor portion into a C5+ depleted vapor stream and a C5+ enriched liquid stream; separating the C5+ enriched liquid stream and the liquid portion in a refluxed fractionator into a C2-C5 enriched bottom product and an overhead product; compressing and cooling the overhead product and separating the compressed and cooled overhead product into a reflux liquid for the fractionator and a lean vapor; wherein the step of cooling the overhead product to obtain the reflux liquid is performed by reducing pressure of the C5+ enriched liquid stream and using refrigeration obtained from the step of reducing pressure in the step of cooling the overhead product; and combining a second fraction of the vapor portion, the lean vapor, and the C5+ depleted vapor stream to form a C2 to C4-containing combined stream, and feeding the combined stream to a downstream NGL recovery plant for separation of C2 to C4 from C1. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A gas conditioning unit for operation upstream of a natural gas liquid (NGL) recovery plant and configured to process a rich feed gas containing C1, C2 to C4, and C5+, comprising:
-
a first separator configured to separate a cooled and dehydrated first portion of a vapor phase of a cooled rich feed gas in a C5+ depleted vapor stream and in a C5+ enriched liquid stream; an expansion device configured to receive and at least partially depressurize the C5+ enriched liquid stream and coupled to a refluxed fractionator via a heat exchanger, wherein the fractionator is configured to receive the at least partially depressurized C5+ enriched liquid stream; wherein the refluxed fractionator is coupled to a compressor, and wherein the refluxed fractionator and compressor are further configured to provide a compressed overhead product to a reflux separator downstream of the heat exchanger, and wherein the heat exchanger is configured to provide refrigeration content of the at least partially depressurized C5+ enriched liquid stream to the overhead product; conduits coupled to the first separator and the reflux separator, wherein the conduits are configured such as to allow combining a second portion of the vapor phase of the cooled rich feed gas, the C5+ depleted vapor stream, and a lean vapor to form a C2 to C4-containing combined stream, and to allow feeding the combined stream to the NGL recovery plant for separation of C2 to C4 from C1; and wherein the refluxed fractionator is configured to receive a cooled and dehydrated liquid phase of the cooled rich feed gas and to produce a C2-C5 bottom product. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification