Process for removing oxygenated contaminants from an hydrocarbon stream

Abstract

The present invention is a process for removing oxygenated contaminants and water from an hydrocarbon stream comprising: introducing the contaminated hydrocarbon stream in a gaseous phase in an absorption zone, contacting said hydrocarbon stream in said absorption zone at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars with an alcohol capable to absorb water and oxygenated contaminants at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and water content and an absorbent bottoms stream comprising the alcohol, hydrocarbons and having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants and water content, sending the overhead of the absorption zone to a wash column (referred to as the high pressure water wash column) at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars, essentially washed with water at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and an aqueous bottoms stream having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants content. Advantageously the process is further comprising: sending the bottoms stream from the absorption zone to a distillation column (referred to as the alcohol distillation column) operating at a pressure of less than 3 bars absolute and advantageously at a pressure in the range 1-3 bars absolute at conditions effective to produce an overhead comprising essentially oxygenated contaminants and hydrocarbons, optionally treated to recover the hydrocarbons, an alcohol bottoms stream comprising water and essentially free of hydrocarbons and oxygenated contaminants, sending said alcohol bottoms to the process which has produced the hydrocarbon stream comprising oxygenated contaminants and water to be purified.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.