Removal of radon from hydrocarbon streams
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorJohn A. Favre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for the removal of radon from hydrocarbon streams by insertion and removal of radon-selective carriers.
Claims16
A process for removal of radon from a radon-containing olefin hydrocarbon stream, which comprises
- admixing carbon dioxide with said radon-containing olefinic hydrocarbon stream;
- contacting the resultant stream with an olefin absorbing agent in a contacting zone to form an olefin/absorbing agent complex;
- withdrawing from said contacting zone a first stream comprising said complex;
- withdrawing from said contacting zone a second stream comprising radon and carbon dioxide;
- passing said first stream to an olefin recovery zone wherein the olefin is separated from said absorbing agent;
- withdrawing from said olefin recovery zone an essentially pure olefin as one product of the process;
- passing said second stream to a radon recovery zone wherein radon is separated from said carbon dioxide;
- and
- withdrawing from said radon recovery zone radon as a product of the process.
A process according to claim 5 wherein said absorbing agent is dissolved in a solvent selected from the group consisting of water, ethylene glycol, glycerol, phenol, propionitrile, acetonitrile, benzonitrile, pyridine, aniline, and n-hexane, said solvent being present in an amount from about 15 to about 85 percent by weight.
A process for removal of radon from a radon-containing natural gas stream consisting essentially of paraffinic hydrocarbons, which comprises
- admixing propylene with said radon-containing natural gas stream;
- passing said mixture into a separation zone wherein a stream consisting essentially of radon and propylene is separated from said paraffinic hydrocarbons;
- withdrawing from said separation zone a first stream comprising said paraffinic hydrocarbons;
- withdrawing from said separation zone a second stream consisting essentially of propylene and radon;
- admixing carbon dioxide with said second stream;
- passing the resultant mixture to a contacting zone wherein said mixture is contacted with an olefin absorbing agent to form a propylene/absorbing agent complex;
- withdrawing from said contacting zone a third stream comprising said complex;
- withdrawing from said contacting zone a fourth stream comprising radon and carbon dioxide;
- passing said third stream to a propylene recovery zone wherein propylene is separated from said absorbing agent;
- withdrawing from said propylene recovery zone a fifth stream comprising propylene;
- withdrawing from said propylene recovery zone a sixth stream comprising said absorbing agent;
- passing said fourth stream to a radon recovery zone wherein radon is separated from said carbon dioxide;
- and
- withdrawing from said radon recovery zone a seventh stream comprising radon as a product of the process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.