Recovery and purification of ethylene

A process for the recovery of ethylene from a gas mixture comprising ethylene, ethane, acetylene, methane, hydrogen, C3 components, and components heavier than propane, comprising:

• a) directing the gas mixture to a first distillation column and recovering therefrom a first vapor overhead stream comprising ethane, ethylene, acetylene, hydrogen, methane, and C3 components, and a first bottoms stream comprising components heavier than propane and optionally C3 components;
• b) removing acetylene from the first vapor overhead stream to produce a low-acetylene first overhead stream;
• c) separating at least a portion of the low acetylene first overhead stream through the use of one or more distillation columns, one of which acts as an ethylene distributor column, to recover an ethane-free vapor stream comprising ethylene, methane and hydrogen and substantially free of ethane, a first liquid stream comprising ethylene, ethane and components heavier than ethane, and a second liquid stream comprising ethylene and ethane and substantially free of components heavier than ethane;
• d) separating the ethane-free vapor stream of step (c) into a light stream enriched in hydrogen and one or more streams depleted in hydrogen and comprising ethylene, said separation comprising at least one step of chilling at least a portion of the ethane-free vapor stream of step (c);
• e) directing at least a portion of at least one of the one or more streams depleted in hydrogen to a demethanizer distillation column and withdrawing therefrom a demethanizer overhead stream comprising methane and hydrogen and substantially free of ethylene and a demethanizer bottoms stream comprising purified ethylene;
• and
• f) recovering a second purified ethylene product from the first and second liquid streams of step (c).