Carbon dioxide fractionalization process

• US 9,481,834 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pilot Intellectual Property LLC (Hero Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pilot Energy Solutions, L.L.C. (Hero Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prim, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): BHAT, NINA NMN
• Application Number:
  US14/200,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20140183101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 585/802, 626/21, 208/92
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/146 Multiple effect distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/00 Refining of hydrocarbon oils, in the absence of hydrogen, by extraction with selective solvents C10G17/00, C10G19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/06 characterised by the solvent used
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/16 Oxygen-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/28 Recovery of used solvent
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 31/00 Refining of hydrocarbon oils, in the absence of hydrogen, by methods not otherwise provided for by distillation C10G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 7/02 Stabilising gasoline by removing gases by fractioning
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 70/045 using membranes, e.g. selective permeation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 70/06 by gas-liquid contact
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/164 Injecting CO2 or carbonated water in combination with organic material C09K8/594
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/40 Separation associated with re-injection of separated materials E21B43/385 takes precedence

Abstract

A method comprises separating a hydrocarbon feed stream having carbon dioxide into a heavy hydrocarbon stream and a light hydrocarbon stream. The light hydrocarbon stream is separated into a carbon dioxide-rich stream and a carbon dioxide-lean stream. At least a portion of the carbon dioxide-lean stream is fed to a hydrocarbon sweetening process. Another method comprises receiving a hydrocarbon feed stream that comprises 30 molar percent to 80 molar percent carbon dioxide. A heavy hydrocarbon stream is separated from the hydrocarbon feed stream, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises at least 90 molar percent C₃₊ hydrocarbons. A carbon dioxide-rich stream is separated from the hydrocarbon feed stream, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich stream comprises at least 95 molar percent carbon dioxide.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

separating a hydrocarbon feed stream comprising carbon dioxide into a heavy hydrocarbon stream and a light hydrocarbon stream;

separating the light hydrocarbon stream into a carbon dioxide-rich stream and a carbon dioxide-lean stream, wherein the carbon dioxide-lean stream comprises less carbon dioxide than the hydrocarbon feed stream; and

feeding at least a portion of the carbon dioxide-lean stream to a hydrocarbon sweetening process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide-lean stream comprises at least 20 molar percent less carbon dioxide than the hydrocarbon feed stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide-lean stream comprises at least 40 molar percent less carbon dioxide than the hydrocarbon feed stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide-lean stream comprises at least 60 molar percent less carbon dioxide than the hydrocarbon feed stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich stream comprises less than 10 molar percent hydrocarbons.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich stream comprises less than 5 molar percent hydrocarbons.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich stream is substantially free of hydrocarbons.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises from 10 molar percent to 60 molar percent methane, less than 10 molar percent ethane, and less than 5 molar percent propane and heavier hydrocarbons.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises water, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a hydrocarbon feed stream that comprises 30 molar percent to 80 molar percent carbon dioxide;

separating a heavy hydrocarbon stream from the hydrocarbon feed stream, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises at least 90 molar percent C₃₊ hydrocarbons; and

separating a carbon dioxide-rich stream from the hydrocarbon feed stream, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich stream comprises at least 95 molar percent carbon dioxide.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein separating the carbon dioxide-rich stream from the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises first separating the hydrocarbon feed stream into the heavy hydrocarbon stream and a light hydrocarbon stream, and then separating the light hydrocarbon stream into the carbon dioxide-rich stream and a carbon dioxide-lean stream.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising feeding the carbon dioxide-lean stream to a hydrocarbon sweetening process.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises 10 molar percent to 90 molar percent carbon dioxide.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises 30 molar percent to 80 molar percent carbon dioxide.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises 50 molar percent to 70 molar percent carbon dioxide.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises methane, ethane, propane, i-butane, n-butane, i-pentane, n-pentane, hexane, and octane.

17. A method comprising:

receiving a hydrocarbon feed stream that comprises carbon dioxide;

separating the hydrocarbon feed stream into a carbon dioxide-lean stream and a carbon dioxide-rich stream,

wherein the carbon dioxide-lean stream comprises at least 20 molar percent less carbon dioxide than the hydrocarbon feed stream, and

wherein the carbon dioxide-rich stream comprises less than 10 molar percent hydrocarbons.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein separating the hydrocarbon feed stream into the carbon dioxide-lean stream and the carbon dioxide-rich stream comprises first separating the hydrocarbon feed stream into a heavy hydrocarbon stream and a light hydrocarbon stream, and then separating the light hydrocarbon stream into the carbon dioxide-lean stream and the carbon dioxide-rich stream.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises at least 90 molar percent C₃₊hydrocarbons.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, and wherein the method further comprises separating the hydrogen sulfide from the C₃₊hydrocarbons.