# US 10,865,661 B2 · Natural gas liquid fractionation plant waste heat conversion to simultaneous power, cooling and potable water using modified goswami cycle and new modified multi-effect-distillation system

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- Number: US 10,865,661 B2
- Document ID: US10865661B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/597,479
- Filed: 2019-10-09
- Published: 2020-02-06
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-08
- Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Inventors: Mahmoud Bahy Mahmoud Noureldin; Akram Hamed Mohamed Kamel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865661B2

## CPC

- F01K 27/02: Plants modified to use their waste heat, other than that of exhaust, e.g. engine-friction heat
- B01D 1/0058: {Use of waste energy from other processes or sources, e.g. combustion gas (for water treatment C02F1/16)}
- B01D 1/0082: {Regulation; Control}
- B01D 1/26: Multiple-effect evaporating
- B01D 3/065: {Multiple-effect flash distillation (more than two traps)}
- B01D 3/146: {Multiple effect distillation}
- C02F 1/16: using waste heat from other processes
- C10G 5/06: by cooling or compressing
- C10G 7/00: Distillation of hydrocarbon oils
- F25B 27/02: using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines
- F28D 21/001: {for thermal power plants or industrial processes}
- B01D 53/002: {by condensation}
- B01D 53/1456: {Removing acid components}
- B01D 53/263: {by absorption}
- C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination
- F01K 25/10: the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether
- F28D 2021/0019: {Other heat exchangers for particular applications; Heat exchange systems not otherwise provided for}
- Y02A 20/124: Water desalination
- Y02P 70/10: Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working
- F01K: STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES (gas-turbine or jet-propulsion plants F02; nuclear power plants, engine arrangements therein G21D)
- 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)
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A method of heat recovery from a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant for generating power and sub-ambient cooling, the method including heating a buffer fluid in a heat exchanger with heat from the NGL fractionation plant, and generating power and sub-ambient cooling via a sub-system having a power turbine with heat from the buffer fluid.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of heat recovery from a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant for generating power and sub-ambient cooling, the method comprising:
heating a buffer fluid in a heat exchanger with heat from a NGL fractionation plant comprising a distillation column.
discharging the buffer fluid from the heat exchanger via a collection header conduit to a sub-system comprising a power turbine; and
generating power and sub-ambient cooling via the sub-system with heat from the buffer fluid.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-system comprises a Goswami cycle system comprising the power turbine.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the buffer fluid comprises oil, and wherein heating the buffer fluid comprises heating the buffer fluid in the heat exchanger with heat from a stream discharged from the distillation column.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein heating the buffer fluid comprises heating the buffer fluid in the heat exchanger with heat from a stream discharged from an ethane dryer column in the NGL fractionation plant.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein heating the buffer fluid comprises heating the buffer fluid in the heat exchanger with heat from a stream discharged from a dehydrator in the NGL fractionation plant, wherein the dehydrator comprises a propane dehydrator column or a butane dehydrator column.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein heating the buffer fluid comprises heating the buffer fluid in the heat exchanger with heat from an outlet stream discharged from a compressor in the NGL fractionation plant.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the NGL fractionation plant comprises a propane vapor recovery section comprising the compressor comprising a propane recovery compressor, the propane vapor recovery section further comprising a propane vapor condenser heat exchanger.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the NGL fractionation plant comprises a propane product refrigeration section comprising the compressor comprising a propane refrigeration compressor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the NGL fractionation plant comprises a propane product sub-cooling section comprising the compressor comprising a propane main compressor, the propane product sub-cooling section further comprising a propane condenser heat-exchanger.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the NGL fractionation plant comprises a butane product refrigeration section comprising the compressor comprising a butane refrigeration compressor, the butane product refrigeration section further comprising a butane refrigeration condenser heat-exchanger.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the buffer fluid comprises oil, and wherein the method comprises:
heating a second buffer fluid comprising water in a second heat exchanger with an overhead outlet stream from the distillation column, wherein the distillation column comprises a de-propanizer distillation column or a de-butanizer distillation column; and
generating potable water via train distillation effects with heat from the second buffer fluid.

### Claim 12

A method of heat recovery from a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant for generating power and sub-ambient cooling, the method comprising:
heating a buffer fluid in a heat exchanger with a discharge stream from a dehydrator column in the NGL fractionation plant, wherein the dehydrator column comprises a propane dehydrator column or a butane dehydrator column;
discharging the buffer fluid from the heat exchanger via a collection header conduit to a sub-system comprising a power turbine; and
generating power and sub-ambient cooling with heat from the buffer fluid via the sub-system.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the buffer fluid comprises oil, and wherein the sub-system comprises a Goswami cycle comprising the power turbine.

### Claim 14

A method of heat recovery from a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant for generating power and sub-ambient cooling, the method comprising:
heating a buffer fluid in a heat exchanger with a discharge stream from a compressor in the NGL fractionation plant;
discharging the buffer fluid from the heat exchanger via a collection header conduit to a Goswami cycle system comprising a power turbine; and
generating power and sub-ambient cooling with heat from the buffer fluid in the Goswami cycle system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the compressor comprises a propane recovery compressor for propane recovery in the NGL fractionation plant, a propane refrigeration compressor for propane product refrigeration in the NGL fractionation plant, a propane main compressor for propane product sub-cooling in NGL fractionation plant, or a butane refrigeration compressor for butane product refrigeration in the NGL fractionation plant.

### Claim 16

A method of heat recovery from a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant for generating power and sub-ambient cooling, the method comprising:
heating a buffer fluid in a heat exchanger with an outlet stream from a distillation column in a NGL fractionation plant, the distillation column comprising a de-butanizer distillation column, a de-pentanizer distillation column, an Amine-Di-Iso-Propanol (ADIP) regenerator distillation column, a natural gas (NG) decolorizer distillation column, or a Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) distillation column;
discharging the buffer fluid from the heat exchanger via a collection header conduit to a sub-system comprising a power turbine; and
generating power and sub-ambient cooling via the sub-system with heat from the buffer fluid.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the distillation column comprises the de-butanizer distillation column, and wherein the outlet stream comprises a bottoms stream from the de-butanizer distillation column.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the distillation column comprises the de-pentanizer distillation column, and wherein the outlet stream comprises an overhead stream from the de-pentanizer distillation column.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the distillation column comprises the ADIP regenerator distillation column, and wherein the outlet stream comprises an overhead stream from the ADIP regenerator distillation column.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the distillation column comprises the RVP distillation column, and wherein the outlet stream comprises an overhead stream from the RVP distillation column.

### Claim 21 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the distillation column comprises the NG decolorizer distillation column, and wherein the outlet stream comprises an overhead stream from the NG decolorizer distillation column.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the buffer fluid comprises a first type of buffer fluid, and wherein the method comprises:
providing a bottoms stream from a pre-flash drum as feed to the NG decolorizer distillation column;
heating a second buffer fluid in a second heat exchanger with an overhead outlet stream from the pre-flash drum, wherein the second buffer fluid comprises a second type of buffer fluid different than the first type;
discharging the second buffer fluid from the second heat exchanger to a second sub-system comprising train distillation effects; and
generating potable water via the second sub-system with heat from the second buffer fluid.

### Claim 23 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the distillation column comprises the de-butanizer distillation column, and wherein the outlet stream comprises an overhead stream from the de-butanizer column downstream of a debutanizer condenser heat exchanger.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the buffer fluid comprises a first type of buffer fluid, and wherein the method comprises:
heating a second buffer fluid in a second heat exchanger with a branch of the overhead stream upstream of the de-butanizer condenser, wherein the second buffer fluid comprises a second type of buffer fluid different than the first type;
discharging the second buffer fluid from the second heat exchanger to a second sub-system comprising train distillation effects; and
generating potable water via the second sub-system with heat from the second buffer fluid.

### Claim 25 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the buffer fluid comprises a first type of buffer fluid, and wherein the method comprises:
heating a second buffer fluid in a second heat exchanger with an outlet overhead stream from a de-propanizer distillation column in the NGL fractionation plant, wherein the second buffer fluid comprises a second type of buffer fluid different than the first type;
discharging the second buffer fluid from the second heat exchanger to a second sub-system comprising train distillation effects; and
generating potable water via the second sub-system with heat from the second buffer fluid.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the first type comprises oil and the second type comprises water.

### Claim 27 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the buffer fluid comprises oil, and wherein the method comprises heating a second buffer fluid comprising water in a second heat exchanger with a stream discharged from the de-butanizer distillation column or with an overhead stream discharged from a de-propanizer distillation column in the NGL fractionation plant.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, comprising:
discharging the second buffer fluid from the second heat exchanger to a second sub-system comprising train distillation effects; and
generating potable water via the second sub-system with heat from the second buffer fluid.