High propane recovery process and configurations
OwnerJohn Makinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas processing plant has a de-ethanizer and a refluxed absorber, wherein the absorber operates at higher pressure than the de-ethanizer, and wherein at least a portion of the absorber bottoms product is expanded to provide cooling for the absorber reflux stream and/or the distillation column feed stream. Especially contemplated gas processing plants include propane and ethane recovery plants, and where the gas processing plant is an ethane recovery plant, it is contemplated that the ethane product comprises no more than 500 ppm carbon dioxide.
Claims46
1-28. (canceled)
A process for separating a heavy key component from an inlet gas stream containing a mixture of methane, C2 compounds, C3 compounds, and heavier compounds, comprising the following steps:
- (a) at least partially condensing and separating the inlet gas to produce a first liquid stream and a first vapor stream;
- (b) expanding at least a portion of the first liquid stream to produce a first fractionation feed stream;
- (c) supplying a fractionation column the first fractionation feed stream and a second fractionation feed stream, the fractionation column produces a fractionation overhead vapor stream and a fractionation bottom stream;
- (d) expanding at least a portion of the first vapor stream to produce an expanded vapor stream;
- (e) supplying an absorber the expanded vapor stream and an absorber feed stream, the absorber produces an absorber overhead stream and an absorber bottom stream, the absorber having an absorber pressure that is substantially greater than and at a predetermined differential pressure from a fractionation column pressure;
- (f) compressing at least a portion of the fractionation overhead vapor stream or a second vapor stream essentially to the absorber pressure to produce a compressed second vapor stream and to control the fractionation column pressure by maintaining the predetermined differential pressure from the absorber pressure;
- (g) at least partially condensing the compressed second vapor stream to produce the absorber feed stream;
- and
- whereby the fractionation bottom stream contains a majority of the heavy key component and heavier compounds.
An apparatus for separating a heavy key component from an inlet gas stream containing a mixture of methane, C2 compounds, C3 compounds and heavier compounds comprising:
- (a) a cooling means for at least partially condensing and separating the inlet gas stream to produce a first vapor stream and a first liquid stream;
- (b) an expansion means for expanding the first liquid stream to produce a first fractionation feed stream;
- (c) a fractionation column for receiving the first fractionation feed stream and a second fractionation feed stream, the fractionation column produces a fractionation overhead vapor stream and a fractionation bottom stream;
- (d) a second expansion means for expanding at least a portion of the first vapor stream to produce an expanded vapor stream;
- (e) an absorber for receiving the expanded vapor stream and an absorber feed stream, the absorber produces an absorber overhead stream and an absorber bottom stream, the absorber having an absorber pressure that is substantially greater than and at a predetermined differential pressure from a fractionation column pressure;
- (f) a compressor for compressing at least a portion of the fractionation overhead vapor stream or a second vapor stream essentially to the absorber pressure to produce a compressed second vapor stream and for controlling the fractionation column pressure by maintaining the or determined differential pressure from the absorber pressure;
- (g) a condensing means for at least partially condensing the compressed second vapor stream to produce the absorber feed stream;
- and
- whereby the fractionation bottom stream contains the majority of the heavy key component and heavier compounds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.