Process for recovering heat from a hydrocarbon separation
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsStephen T. King, Michael R. Van de Cotte, Adam J. Kanyuh, Steven C. Kozup
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and processes for heat recovery associated with the separation of hydrocarbon components. Two compressors are used to compress a portion of an overhead vapor stream from a fractionation column. A pressure of the liquid portion of the compressed overhead is reduced and used to recover heat from an overhead of another separation zone having a fractionation column. Once the heat has been recovered the stream is recompressed. The recovered heat may be removed from the recompressed stream in a reboiler of another fractionation column. The fractionation columns may comprise a deethanizer stripper, propane-propylene splitter, and a depropanizer column.
Claims18
A process for separating hydrocarbons and recovering heat comprising:
- separating a stream comprising C4− hydrocarbons in a first separation zone into an overhead stream and a C3+ bottoms stream;
- separating the C3+ bottoms stream in a second separation zone into a propylene overhead stream and a bottoms stream comprising propane;
- compressing the propylene overhead stream in a first compression zone configured to provide a compressed propylene overhead stream;
- recovering heat from a first portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream in a heat exchange zone associated with the second separation zone;
- condensing a second portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream in a separation vessel, the separation vessel providing a propylene vapor stream and a propylene liquid stream;
- reducing a pressure of at least a portion of the propylene liquid stream to provide a reduced pressure stream;
- recovering heat from the reduced pressure stream in a second heat exchange zone, the second heat exchange zone associated with the first separation zone and being configured to condense a portion of the overhead stream and provide a vaporized propylene stream;
- compressing the vaporized propylene stream in a second compression zone configured to provide a re-compressed propylene stream;
- and,
- mixing the re-compressed propylene stream with the second portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream in the separation vessel.
A process for separating hydrocarbons and recovering heat comprising:
- separating a stream comprising C4− hydrocarbons in a first separation zone configured to separate the stream into an overhead stream and a C3+ bottoms stream;
- passing the C3+ bottoms stream to a second separation zone configured to separate the C3+ bottoms stream and provide a propylene overhead stream and a bottoms stream, the bottom stream including propane;
- passing the bottoms stream of the second separation zone to a third separation zone;
- passing the propylene overhead stream to a first compression zone configured to compress the propylene overhead stream and provide a compressed propylene overhead stream;
- passing a first portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream to a heat exchange zone associated with the second separation zone configured to remove heat from the first portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream;
- passing a second portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream to a separation vessel configured to allow the second portion of the compressed propylene overhead stream to be cooled and separate into a vapor propylene stream and a liquid propylene stream;
- reducing a pressure of at least a portion of the liquid propylene stream to provide a reduced pressure stream, the reduced pressure stream comprising a mixture of liquid and vapor;
- passing the reduced pressure stream to a second heat exchange zone associated with the first separation zone and configured to vaporize liquid in the reduced pressure stream and provide a vaporized propylene stream, wherein the second heat exchange zone also receives a portion of the overhead stream from the first separation zone;
- passing the vaporized propylene stream to a second compression zone configured to compress the vaporized propylene stream and provide a re-compressed propylene stream;
- and,
- passing the re-compressed propylene stream to the separation vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.