Coalescer for co-current contractors
AssigneeExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
InventorsStephanie A. Freeman, Edward J. Grave, J. Tim Cullinane, P. Scott Northdrop, Norman K. Yeh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosure includes a method, comprising passing a fluid into a co-current contactor, passing a solvent into the co-current contactor, dividing the solvent into solvent droplets having a first average droplet size, placing the fluid in contact with the solvent droplets to create a combined stream, coalescing at least a portion of the solvent droplets to create solvent droplets having a second average droplet size, wherein the second average droplet size is greater than the first average droplet size, and separating the fluid and the solvent.
Claims14
A co-current contactor apparatus, comprising:
- a first inlet configured to receive a first fluid stream proximate to a first end of the co-current contactor;
- a second inlet configured to receive a second fluid stream proximate to the first end of the co-current contactor;
- an inlet section configured to atomize at least a portion of the second fluid stream;
- a mass transfer section configured to receive the first fluid stream and the atomized second fluid stream, and to pass the atomized second fluid stream and the first fluid stream as a combined stream;
- a coalescer configured receive the combined stream, and to increase an average droplet size of the atomized second fluid stream;
- a separator configured to separate at least a portion of the atomized second fluid stream from the combined stream;
- a boot connected to the separator and configured to collect the atomized second fluid stream;
- and
- a recycle gas inlet connected to the boot and configured to return gas, collected with the atomized second fluid stream in the boot, to the separator.
A co-current contacting system, comprising:
- a plurality of co-current contactors coupled in series, wherein each co-current contactor comprises:
- a first inlet configured to receive a first fluid stream proximate to a first end of the co-current contactor;
- a second inlet configured to receive a second fluid stream proximate to the first end of the co-current contactor;
- an inlet section configured to atomize at least a portion of the second fluid stream;
- a mass transfer section configured to receive the first fluid stream and the atomized second fluid stream, and to pass the atomized second fluid stream and the the first fluid stream as a combined stream;
- a coalescer configured to receive the combined stream, and to increase an average droplet size of the atomized second fluid stream;
- a separator configured to separate at least a portion of the atomized second fluid stream from the combined stream;
- a boot connected to the separator and configured to collect the atomized second fluid stream;
- and
- a recycle gas inlet configured to return gas, collected with the atomized second fluid stream in the boot, to the separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.