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US 6,205,813 B1Granted
Cryogenic rectification system for producing fuel and high purity methane
AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.
InventorsMinish Mahendra Shah, James Joseph Maloney, Raymond Francis Drnevich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A natural gas purification system which can produce both fuel and high purity hydrocarbon product such as high purity methane or high purity natural gas wherein high temperature carbon dioxide removal is followed by cryogenic rectification to produce fuel and high purity hydrocarbon product.
Claims10
A process for the production of fuel and high purity hydrocarbon product comprising:
- (A) providing a feed comprising nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide wherein carbon dioxide comprises from 1 to 40 volume percent of the feed;
- (B) removing carbon dioxide from the feed to produce a carbon dioxide depleted feed;
- (C) cooling the carbon dioxide depleted feed and passing the cooled carbon dioxide depleted feed into a cryogenic rectification column;
- (D) separating the carbon dioxide depleted feed by cryogenic rectification within the cryogenic rectification column into fuel and high purity hydrocarbon product;
- and
- (E) recovering fuel from the upper portion of the cryogenic rectification column, and recovering high purity hydrocarbon product from the lower portion of the cryogenic rectification column.
3 more elements
Apparatus for the production of fuel and high purity hydrocarbon product comprising:
- (A) a carbon dioxide removal system and means for providing a feed comprising nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide to the carbon dioxide removal system;
- (B) heat exchange means, and means for passing carbon dioxide depleted feed from the carbon dioxide removal system to the heat exchange means;
- (C) a cryogenic rectification column and means for passing carbon dioxide depleted feed from the heat exchange means to the cryogenic rectification column;
- (D) means for recovering fuel from the upper portion of the cryogenic rectification column;
- and
- (E) means for recovering high purity hydrocarbon product from the lower portion of the cryogenic rectification column.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.