# US 10,864,477 B2 · Method for separating C5-C8 hydrocarbons and acid gases from a fluid stream > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,477 B2 - Document ID: US10864477B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/073,840 - Filed: 2017-02-02 - Published: 2019-02-07 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-08 - Assignees: BASF SE - Applicants: BASF SE - Inventors: Torsten Katz; Ralf Notz; Andreas Kern - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864477B2 ## CPC - B01D 53/1425: {Regeneration of liquid absorbents} - B01D 53/1418: {Recovery of products} - B01D 53/1456: {Removing acid components} - B01D 53/1487: {Removing organic compounds} - C10L 3/101: {Removal of contaminants} - B01D 2252/204: Amines - B01D 2252/20421: Primary amines - B01D 2252/20426: Secondary amines - B01D 2252/20431: Tertiary amines - B01D 2257/502: Carbon monoxide - B01D 2257/7027: Aromatic hydrocarbons - C10L 2290/06: Heat exchange, direct or indirect - C10L 2290/10: Recycling of a stream within the process or apparatus to reuse elsewhere therein - C10L 2290/541: Absorption of impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel - C10L 2290/545: Washing, scrubbing, stripping, scavenging for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel - Y02C 20/40: of CO2 - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS - Y02C: CAPTURE, STORAGE, SEQUESTRATION OR DISPOSAL OF GREENHOUSE GASES [GHG] ## Abstract A process for removing C5-C8-hydrocarbons and acid gases from a fluid stream is described, where a) the fluid stream is brought into contact with an absorption medium comprising at least one amine in an absorption zone to obtain a deacidified fluid stream and an acid-gases-laden absorption medium, b) the laden absorption medium is heated in a first heat exchanger and decompressed into a decompression zone to a pressure of from 5 to 10 bar to obtain a C5-C8-hydrocarbons-comprising gas phase and a hydrocarbon-depleted laden absorption medium, c) the hydrocarbon-depleted laden absorption medium is heated in an optional second heat exchanger and passed into a stripper in which at a pressure of 1 to 2.5 bar the acid gases are at least partially liberated by supplying heat to obtain a regenerated absorption medium and an acid-gas-comprising stream, and d) the regenerated absorption medium is recycled into the absorption zone. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for removing C5-C8-hydrocarbons and acid gases from a fluid stream, the process comprising: a) contacting the fluid stream with an absorption medium comprising at least one amine in an absorption zone to obtain a deacidified fluid stream and an acid-gases-laden absorption medium; b) heating the laden absorption medium in a first heat exchanger and decompressing the heated laden absorption medium into a decompression zone to a pressure of from 5 to 10 bar to obtain a C5-C8-hydrocarbons-comprising gas phase and a hydrocarbon-depleted laden absorption medium; c) passing the hydrocarbon-depleted laden absorption medium into a stripper in which at a pressure of 1 to 2.5 bar the acid gases are at least partially liberated by supplying heat to obtain a regenerated absorption medium and an acid-gas-comprising stream, the hydrocarbon-depleted laden absorption medium being heated in a second heat exchanger before being introduced into the stripper; and d) recycling the regenerated absorption medium into the absorption zone, wherein: before the heating in the second heat exchanger the hydrocarbon-depleted laden absorption medium is decompressed into a desorption zone to a pressure of 1 to 2.5 bar and preheated by direct heat exchange with the acid-gas-comprising stream, the heating medium used in the second heat exchanger is the regenerated absorption medium and the heating medium used in the first heat exchanger is the regenerated absorption medium after it has passed through the second heat exchanger; and the amount of heat transferred in the first heat exchanger is such that the C5-C8-hydrocarbons-comprising gas phase comprises 50% to 97% by volume of acid gases. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the fluid stream is brought into contact with the absorption medium in the absorption zone at a pressure of 50 to 80 bar. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the partial pressure of the acid gases in the supplied fluid stream is less than 1 bar. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the volume fraction of the acid gases in the supplied fluid stream is less than 3.3% by volume. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the supplied fluid stream is less than 70° C. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the C5-C8-hydrocarbons-comprising gas phase comprises 70% to 95% by volume of acid gases. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the laden absorption medium heated in the first heat exchanger is decompressed into the decompression zone to a pressure of from more than 6 to 10 bar. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the C5-C8-hydrocarbons are at least partially condensed out of the C5-C8-hydrocarbons-comprising gas phase and the uncondensed constituents are passed into the absorption zone. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the C5-C8-hydrocarbons comprise at least one aromatic hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the supplied fluid stream is selected from fluid streams comprising 0.5% to 10% by volume of acid gases and 10 to 5000 ppmv of C5-C8-hydrocarbons. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the supplied fluid stream is natural gas. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein φ is less than 1 and φ is defined as: φ = m . a · c pa m . f · c pf where: {dot over (m)}a is the mass flow rate of the absorption medium passed into the absorption zone, {dot over (m)}f is the mass flow rate of the supplied fluid stream, cpa is the specific heat capacity of the absorption medium passed into the absorption zone, and cpf is the specific heat capacity of the supplied fluid stream. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the amine is a sterically hindered amine or a tertiary amine. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the absorption medium further comprises a sterically unhindered primary or secondary amine.