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US 10,451,344 B2Granted
Ethane recovery and ethane rejection methods and configurations
AssigneeFluor Technologies Corporation
InventorJohn Mak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Contemplated plants for flexible ethane recovery and rejection by allowing to switch the top reflux to the demethanizer from residue gas to the deethanizer overhead product and by controlling the flow ratio of feed gas to two different feed gas exchangers. Moreover, the pressure of the demethanizer is adjusted relative to the deethanizer pressure for control of the ethane recovery and rejection.
Claims20
A method of changing ethane recovery to ethane rejection operation in an NGL plant, comprising:
- changing a top reflux of a demethanizer from a demethanizer overhead product to a deethanizer overhead product for ethane rejection;
- reducing a demethanizer pressure to a pressure that is lower than a deethanizer pressure for ethane rejection;
- and
- increasing flow of a first portion of a feed gas relative to flow of a second portion of the feed gas for ethane rejection;
- wherein the demethanizer is configured to receive a second reflux below the top reflux, wherein the second reflux is the first portion of the feed gas, wherein the second portion of the feed gas is cooled in a demethanizer side reboiler heat exchanger and then combined with a third portion of the feed gas to form a partially condensed feed stream, wherein the partially condensed feed stream is separated into a liquid stream and a vapor stream, wherein the demethanizer is configured to receive the liquid stream and the vapor stream.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.