Nitrogen refrigerated process for the recovery of C2+ Hydrocarbons
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsLee Jarvis Howard, Howard Charles Rowles, Mark Julian Roberts
Life of this patent
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Abstract
C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, particularly ethylene and propylene, are recovered from refinery or petrochemical plant gas mixtures by cooling and fractionating a feed gas mixture containing these hydrocarbons and lighter components. Refrigeration for the process is provided by a closed-loop gas expander refrigeration process cycle which preferably uses nitrogen as the recirculating refrigerant. Cooling and fractionation may be effected in a dephlegmator.
Claims15
A process for the separation of a feed gas mixture comprising hydrogen and one or more components selected from the group consisting of ethane, ethylene, propane, and propylene, which process comprises:
- (a) cooling the feed gas mixture;
- (b) introducing the resulting cooled feed gas mixture into a cooling and fractionation zone wherein the cooled feed gas mixture is further cooled and fractionated to yield a light overhead gas stream and a liquid product stream enriched in one or more components selected from the group consisting of ethane, ethylene, propane, and propylene;
- and
- (c) providing at least a portion of the refrigeration required in (a) and (b) by indirect heat exchange with a cold refrigerant stream generated by work expanding a pressurized gaseous refrigerant stream in a closed-loop gas expander refrigeration process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.