Recovery of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from mixtures including methane and hydrocarbons heavier than methane
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Robert Licht, Richard Adrian Long, David Richard Barnes, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method for the recovery of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from a feed gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane. The method comprises utilizing a cryogenic methane wash column to recover hydrogen from an intermediate feed stream containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane, wherein the methane wash column utilizes a methane wash stream which contains less than about 5 mole % of hydrocarbons heavier than methane, and wherein the methane wash stream consists of components obtained from the intermediate feed stream.
Claims10
A method for the recovery of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from a feed gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane, which method comprises:
- (a) separating the feed gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane to yield an intermediate feed stream depleted in hydrocarbons and a reject stream enriched in hydrocarbons heavier than methane;
- (b) separating the intermediate feed stream in a cryogenic separation system to yield a hydrogen-rich overhead product stream and one or more intermediate streams enriched in carbon monoxide and methane, wherein the separation system includes an absorption column refluxed with a methane-rich liquid reflux stream;
- (c) introducing the one or more streams enriched in carbon monoxide and methane into a cryogenic distillation system and withdrawing therefrom a carbon monoxide-enriched overhead product stream and a liquid bottoms stream enriched in methane;
- and
- (d) utilizing at least a portion of the liquid bottoms stream enriched in methane in (c) to provide the methane-rich liquid reflux stream in (b).
A method for the recovery of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from a feed gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane, which method comprises utilizing a cryogenic methane wash column to recover hydrogen from an intermediate feed stream containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane, wherein the methane wash column utilizes a methane wash stream which contains less than about 5 mole % of hydrocarbons heavier than methane, and wherein the methane wash stream consists of components obtained from the intermediate feed stream.
A system for the recovery of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from a feed gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane, which method comprises:
- (a) means for separating the feed gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons heavier than methane to yield an intermediate feed stream depleted in hydrocarbons and a reject stream enriched in hydrocarbons heavier than methane;
- (b) a cryogenic separation system for separating the intermediate feed stream to yield a hydrogen-rich overhead product stream and one or more intermediate streams enriched in carbon monoxide and methane, wherein the separation system includes an absorption column refluxed with a methane-rich liquid reflux stream;
- (c) a cryogenic distillation system for separating the one or more streams enriched in carbon monoxide and methane into a carbon monoxide-enriched overhead product stream and a liquid bottoms stream enriched in methane;
- and
- (d) piping means to transfer at least a portion of the liquid bottoms stream enriched in methane from the cryogenic distillation system to provide the methane-rich liquid reflux stream to the absorption column in the first cryogenic separation system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.