# US 2019/0126195 A1 · External gas mixing pipe for liquid-gas contacting unit

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- Number: US 2019/0126195 A1
- Document ID: US20190126195A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/098,798
- Filed: 2016-05-03
- Published: 2019-05-02
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-03
- Assignees: T0Tal SA; Prosernat; Ifp Energies Nouvelles
- Applicants: Total SA; Prosernat; Ifp Energies Nouvelles
- Inventors: Claire WEISS; Thomas MAUBERT; Gauthier PERDU; Clément SALAIS; Vincent CARLIER; Pascal ALIX; Manel FOURATI; Philippe BEARD
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190126195A1

## CPC

- B01D 53/185: {Liquid distributors}
- B01D 3/008: {Liquid distribution}
- B01D 3/28: Fractionating columns with surface contact and vertical guides, e.g. film action
- B01D 3/32: Other features of fractionating columns {; Constructional details of fractionating columns not provided for in groups B01D3/16 - B01D3/30}
- B01D 53/1462: {Removing mixtures of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide}
- B01D 53/1475: {Removing carbon dioxide}
- B01D 53/18: Absorbing units; Liquid distributors therefor (B01D3/16, B01D3/26, B01D3/30 take precedence; packing elements B01J19/30, B01J19/32)
- C10L 3/101: {Removal of contaminants}
- C10L 3/103: {Sulfur containing contaminants}
- C10L 3/104: {Carbon dioxide}
- C10L 3/106: {of water}
- B01D 2252/204: Amines
- B01D 2252/504: Mixtures of two or more absorbents
- B01D 2256/245: Methane
- C10L 2290/541: Absorption of impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
- 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

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid-gas contacting unit comprising a column, at least a lower packed bed and a higher packed bed positioned higher than the lower packed bed inside the column, a gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device disposed between the lower and the higher packed bed inside the column and an external pipe outside the column, the external pipe comprising an inlet end, an outlet end and a peripheral wall between the inlet end and the outlet end; the inlet end being positioned between the lower pack bed and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device and the outlet end being positioned between the higher pack bed and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device. The present invention also relates to a method for improving the efficiency of a liquid-gas contacting unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid-gas contacting unit comprising:
a column,
at least a lower packed bed and a higher packed bed positioned higher than the lower packed bed inside the column,
a gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device disposed between the lower packed bed and the higher packed bed inside the column;
an external pipe outside the column, the external pipe comprising an inlet end, an outlet end and a peripheral wall between the inlet end and the outlet end; wherein the inlet end of the external pipe is positioned between the lower pack bed and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device; and the outlet end of the external pipe is positioned between the higher pack bed and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1, wherein the column has an internal mean cross section Sci and the external pipe an internal mean cross section Spi, such that Spi is 0.1% to 20% of Sci.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1, further comprising a gas mixer inside the external pipe.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger with which a gas flowing through the external pipe is put into thermal contact.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1, further comprising a gas redistributor between the higher pack bed and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1 comprising n gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing devices numbered from 1 to n, n+1 packed beds numbered from 1 to n+1 inside the column and n external pipes numbered from 1 to n outside the column,
wherein gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device j is position between packed bed j and packed bed j+1 above packed bed j,
wherein the inlet end of external pipe j is positioned between packed bed j and gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device j, and the outlet end of external pipe j is positioned between packed bed j+1 and gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device j.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1 comprising m external pipes, with m, an integer, from 1 to 6, wherein the inlet ends of the m external pipes are positioned between the lower pack bed j and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device j and the outlet ends of the m external pipes are positioned between the higher pack bed j+1 and the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device j.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1, wherein the column presents an inner surface, wherein the gas-tight liquid collecting and redistributing device is tightly fixed to the inner surface.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1 operating under counter-current or co-current liquid-gas flow conditions.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1 being an absorption unit, a separation unit or a heat exchange unit.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A method for improving the efficiency of the liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1, the method comprising the following step:
a) directing a gas from the lower packed bed to the higher packed bed through the external pipe.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein a pressure drop between the higher packed bed and the lower packed bed is 5 mbar to 100 mbar.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the temperature of the gas is changed inside the external pipe.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the temperature change of the gas between the inlet end and outlet end of the external pipe is −50° C. to +50° C.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A floating support comprising the liquid-gas contacting unit of claim 1.