Process for the low temperature deriming of cryogenic heat exchangers

Abstract

The deriming of the interior surfaces of cryogenic heat exchangers employed in the liquefaction of mercury-containing gases, in particular, natural gas, is accomplished by contacting the solids present upon the interior surfaces of the heat exchanger, usually as ice and hydrocarbonaceous materials, with a solvent or mixture of solvents at a temperature which is at or below the freezing point of mercury whereby solids will dissolve in the solvent and be removed from the interior surfaces of the heat exchanger and a substantial part of the mercury present within the heat exchanger will be in the solid state. In this way, the corrosive effects of elemental mercury vapor upon the heat exchanger, especially in the cases where aluminum is the material of construction, can be greatly lessened or minimized.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.