Hydrocarbon gas processing
First Claim
1. A process for the separation of a gas stream containing methane, C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components into a volatile residue gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction containing a major portion of said C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components or said C3 components and heavier hydrocarbon components wherein(1) said gas stream is divided into first and second portions;
- (2) said first portion is cooled;
(3) said second portion is cooled;
(4) said cooled first portion is combined with said cooled second portion to form a cooled gas stream;
(5) said cooled gas stream is divided into first and second streams;
(6) said first stream is cooled to condense substantially all of said first stream and is thereafter expanded to lower pressure whereby said first stream is further cooled;
(7) said expanded cooled first stream is supplied as a feed between first and second absorbing means housed in a single equipment item processing assembly, said first absorbing means;
(8) said second stream is expanded to said lower pressure and is supplied as a bottom feed to said second absorbing means;
(9) a distillation vapor stream is collected from an upper region of said first absorbing means and heated;
(10) said heated distillation vapor stream is compressed to higher pressure and thereafter divided into said volatile residue gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream;
(11) said compressed recycle stream is cooled to condense substantially all of said compressed recycle stream;
(12) said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream is expanded to said lower pressure and supplied as a top feed to said first absorbing means;
(13) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange means, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of steps (2), (6), and (11);
(14) a distillation liquid stream is collected from a lower region of said second absorbing means and heated in a heat and mass transfer means housed in said processing assembly, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of step (3) while simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from said distillation liquid stream, and thereafter discharging said heated and stripped distillation liquid stream from said processing assembly as said relatively less volatile fraction; and
(15) the quantities and temperatures of said feed streams to said first and second absorbing means are effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorbing means at a temperature whereby the major portions of the components in said relatively less volatile fraction are recovered.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A process and an apparatus are disclosed for a compact processing assembly to recover C2 (or C3) components and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The gas stream is cooled and divided into first and second streams. The first stream is further cooled, expanded to lower pressure, and supplied as a feed between first and second absorbing means. The second stream is expanded to lower pressure and supplied as bottom feed to the second absorbing means. A distillation vapor stream from the first absorbing means is heated, compressed to higher pressure, and divided into a volatile residue gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream. The compressed recycle stream is cooled, expanded to lower pressure, and supplied as top feed to the first absorbing means. A distillation liquid stream from the second absorbing means is heated in a heat and mass transfer means to strip out its volatile components.
94 Citations
38 Claims
-
1. A process for the separation of a gas stream containing methane, C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components into a volatile residue gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction containing a major portion of said C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components or said C3 components and heavier hydrocarbon components wherein
(1) said gas stream is divided into first and second portions; -
(2) said first portion is cooled; (3) said second portion is cooled; (4) said cooled first portion is combined with said cooled second portion to form a cooled gas stream; (5) said cooled gas stream is divided into first and second streams; (6) said first stream is cooled to condense substantially all of said first stream and is thereafter expanded to lower pressure whereby said first stream is further cooled; (7) said expanded cooled first stream is supplied as a feed between first and second absorbing means housed in a single equipment item processing assembly, said first absorbing means; (8) said second stream is expanded to said lower pressure and is supplied as a bottom feed to said second absorbing means; (9) a distillation vapor stream is collected from an upper region of said first absorbing means and heated; (10) said heated distillation vapor stream is compressed to higher pressure and thereafter divided into said volatile residue gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (11) said compressed recycle stream is cooled to condense substantially all of said compressed recycle stream; (12) said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream is expanded to said lower pressure and supplied as a top feed to said first absorbing means; (13) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange means, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of steps (2), (6), and (11); (14) a distillation liquid stream is collected from a lower region of said second absorbing means and heated in a heat and mass transfer means housed in said processing assembly, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of step (3) while simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from said distillation liquid stream, and thereafter discharging said heated and stripped distillation liquid stream from said processing assembly as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (15) the quantities and temperatures of said feed streams to said first and second absorbing means are effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorbing means at a temperature whereby the major portions of the components in said relatively less volatile fraction are recovered. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. An apparatus for the separation of a gas stream containing methane, C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components into a volatile residue gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction containing a major portion of said C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components or said C3 components and heavier hydrocarbon components comprising
(1) first dividing means to divide said gas stream into first and second portions; -
(2) heat exchange means connected to said first dividing means to receive said first portion and cool said first portion; (3) heat and mass transfer means housed in a single equipment item processing assembly and connected to said first dividing means to receive said second portion and cool said second portion; (4) combining means connected to said heat exchange means and said heat and mass transfer means to receive said cooled first portion and said cooled second portion and form a cooled gas stream; (5) second dividing means connected to said combining means to receive said cooled gas stream and divide said cooled gas stream into first and second streams; (6) said heat exchange means being further connected to said second dividing means to receive said first stream and cool said first stream sufficiently to substantially condense said first stream; (7) first expansion means connected to said heat exchange means to receive said substantially condensed first stream and expand said substantially condensed first stream to lower pressure; (8) first and second absorbing means housed in said processing assembly and connected to said first expansion means to receive said expanded cooled first stream as a feed thereto between said first and second absorbing means, said first absorbing means being located above said second absorbing means; (9) second expansion means connected to said second dividing means to receive said second stream and expand said second stream to said lower pressure, said second expansion means being further connected to said second absorbing means to supply said expanded second stream as a bottom feed thereto; (10) vapor collecting means housed in said processing assembly and connected to said first absorbing means to receive a distillation vapor stream from an upper region of said first absorbing means; (11) said heat exchange means being further connected to said vapor collecting means to receive said distillation vapor stream and heat said distillation vapor stream, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of steps (2) and (6); (12) compressing means connected to said heat exchange means to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress said heated distillation vapor stream to higher pressure; (13) cooling means connected to said compressing means to receive said compressed distillation vapor stream and cool said compressed distillation vapor stream; (14) third dividing means connected to said cooling means to receive said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and divide said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream into said volatile residue gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (15) said heat exchange means being further connected to said third dividing means to receive said compressed recycle stream and cool said compressed recycle stream sufficiently to substantially condense said compressed recycle stream, thereby to supply at least a portion of the heating of step (11); (16) third expansion means connected to said heat exchange means to receive said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expand said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure, said third expansion means being further connected to said first absorbing means to supply said expanded recycle stream as a top feed thereto; (17) liquid collecting means housed in said processing assembly and connected to said second absorbing means to receive a distillation liquid stream from a lower region of said second absorbing means; (18) said heat and mass transfer means being further connected to said liquid collecting means to receive said distillation liquid stream and heat said distillation liquid stream, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of step (3) while simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from said distillation liquid stream, and thereafter discharging said heated and stripped distillation liquid stream from said processing assembly as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (19) control means adapted to regulate the quantities and temperatures of said feed streams to said first and second absorbing means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorbing means at a temperature whereby the major portions of the components in said relatively less volatile fraction are recovered. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-
Specification