Integrated deethanizer/ethylene fractionation column
AssigneeKellogg Brown & Root LLC
InventorKarl Stork
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated deethanizer and ethylene fractionation column and process for separating a feed stream comprising ethylene, ethane and C.sub.3+ is disclosed. A single shell houses a refluxed upper portion and a lower portion of the column. A generally vertical wall partitions the lower portion of the column into a deethanizer section and an ethylene stripper section. The upper column portion is used as the absorption section of the ethylene fractionator. The feed is supplied to an intermediate stage in the deethanizer, and the deethanizer is operated at a lower pressure (and correspondingly lower temperature) matching that of the ethylene fractionation. The design allows the use of one slightly larger column in place of the two large columns previously used for separate deethanization and ethylene fractionation.
Claims18
An integrated deethanizer and ethylene fractionation column for separating a feed stream comprising ethylene, ethane and C.sub.3+ into an ethylene stream, an ethane stream and a C.sub.3+ stream, comprising:
- a single shell housing a refluxed upper portion and a lower portion, each of said portions comprising multiple vapor-liquid contacting elements;
- a generally vertical wall partitioning the lower portion into a deethanizer section and an ethylene stripper section;
- a feed line for supplying at least one feed stream to at least one feed stage of the deethanizer section of the lower portion of the column, between a plurality of absorption stages above the feed stage and a plurality of stripping stages below the feed stage, for producing an overhead vapor stream from the deethanizer section consisting essentially of ethylene and ethane and a bottoms stream consisting essentially of C.sub.3 and heavier components;
- a distribution pan at a lower end of the upper portion of the column for facilitating passage of vapors from the deethanizer and ethylene stripper sections into the upper column portion, and for dividing liquid for passage from the upper portion of the column into an upper stage of the deethanizer section and into the ethylene stripping section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.