Process for extracting vapor from a gas stream
AssigneeEzarc Pty., Ltd.
InventorDavid J. Craze
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A high efficiency process and apparatus for extracting condensable vapors from a gas stream using a vortex tube expansion. The process comprises partially condensing a raw feed high pressure gas stream rich in condensable vapor in a high pressure condenser by an exchange of heat with a cooling medium comprising a cold exhaust stream from a vortex tube; separating condensate from the raw gas stream in a separator to produce a raw lean gas stream; expanding the raw lean gas stream in the vortex tube to produce the cold exhaust stream and a hot exhaust stream; and preferably ejecting the cold exhaust stream with the hot exhaust stream in an ejector to increase pressure differential through the vortex tube.
Claims30
A process for extracting vapor from a gas stream, comprising the steps of:
- partially condensing a raw high pressure gas stream rich in condensable vapor by an exchange of heat with a cooling medium comprising a cold exhaust stream from a vortex tube;
- separating condensate from the raw gas stream to produce a raw lean gas stream;
- expanding the raw lean gas stream in the vortex tube to produce the cold exhaust stream and a hot exhaust stream;
- and
- ejecting the cold exhaust stream with the hot exhaust stream in an ejector to give a mixed vortex tube exhaust stream and increase the pressure differential through the vortex tube.
A process for extracting vapor from a gas stream, comprising the steps of:
- partially condensing a raw high pressure gas stream rich in condensable vapor by an exchange of heat with a cooling medium comprising a cold exhaust stream from a vortex tube;
- separating condensate from the raw gas stream to produce a raw lean gas stream;
- expanding the raw lean gas stream in the vortex tube to produce the cold exhaust stream and a hot exhaust stream;
- mixing the cold exhaust stream with the hot exhaust stream to give a mixed vortex tube exhaust stream;
- and
- cooling a recirculation flow in the vortex tube by an exchange of heat with the cold exhaust stream.
An apparatus for extracting vapor from a gas stream, comprising:
- (a) a high pressure partial condenser for condensing condensable vapor from raw high pressure gas stream using a cold exhaust stream as a cooling medium;
- (b) a high pressure liquid-gas separator for separating condensate from the raw gas stream;
- (c) a vortex tube for expanding a lean raw gas stream from the high pressure separator to produce the cold exhaust stream and a hot exhaust stream;
- and
- (d) an ejector for mixing the hot and cold exhaust streams and increasing the pressure differential through the vortex tube.
An apparatus for extracting vapor from a gas stream, comprising:
- (a) a high pressure partial condenser for condensing condensable vapor from raw high pressure gas stream using a cold exhaust stream as a cooling medium;
- (b) a high pressure liquid-gas separator for separating condensate from the raw gas stream;
- (c) a vortex tube for expanding a lean raw gas stream from the high pressure separator to produce the cold exhaust stream and a hot exhaust stream;
- (d) a mixer for mixing the hot and cold exhaust streams;
- and
- (e) a first vortex heat exchanger integrally attached at a hot exhaust discharge end of the vortex tube for cooling a recirculation flow in the vortex tube and using the cold exhaust stream as cooling medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.