Title:
HYDROCARBON GAS PROCESSING
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO2002029341
Kind Code:
A3
Abstract:
A process for the recovery of ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream (31) is disclosed. In recent years, the preferred method of separating a hydrocarbon gas stream (31) generally includes supplying at least portions of the gas stream (31) to a fractionation tower (17) having at least one reboiler, and often one or more side reboilers, to supply heat to the column by withdrawing and heating some of the tower liquids (40, 42) to produce stripping vapors that separate the more volatile components from the desired components. The reboiler and side reboilers (if any) are typically integrated into the feed stream cooling scheme (10) to provide at least a portion of the refrigeration needes to condense the desired components for subsequent fractionation in the distillation column (17). In the process disclosed, the tower reboiling scheme is modified to use one or more tower liquid distillation streams (40) from a point higher in the column (17) than is used in the conventional reboiling scheme, providing colder stream(s) for the reboiler(s) that allow more effective cooling of the feed streams and thereby improve the efficiency with which the desired components are recovered. In addition, the tower liquid streams (40) withdrawn from a higher point in the column (17) contain larger quantities of the more volatile components, which when vaporized provide better stripping of undesirable components like carbon dioxide without reducing the recovery of the desired components. The heated distillation stream (40a, 42a) is returned to a lower point on the fractionation tower that is separated from the withdrawal point by at least one theoretical stage.
Inventors:
WILKINSON JOHN D (US)
HUDSON HANK M (US)
PIERCE MICHAEL C (US)
HUDSON HANK M (US)
PIERCE MICHAEL C (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2001/030600
Publication Date:
June 27, 2002
Filing Date:
September 28, 2001
Export Citation:
Assignee:
ELCOR CORP (US)
WILKINSON JOHN D (US)
HUDSON HANK M (US)
PIERCE MICHAEL C (US)
WILKINSON JOHN D (US)
HUDSON HANK M (US)
PIERCE MICHAEL C (US)
International Classes:
C07C7/00; C10G5/06; C10G70/04; F25J3/02; (IPC1-7): F25J3/02; C07C7/04
Domestic Patent References:
| WO1999023428A1 | 1999-05-14 | |||
| WO1999037962A1 | 1999-07-29 |
Foreign References:
| US6182469B1 | 2001-02-06 | |||
| EP1114808A1 | 2001-07-11 | |||
| US4171964A | 1979-10-23 | |||
| US4185978A | 1980-01-29 | |||
| US4278457A | 1981-07-14 |
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