Process for pretreating a natural gas containing acid compounds
AssigneeInstitut Francais du Petrole
InventorFabrice Lecomte
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Process for pretreating a natural gas under pressure containing hydrocarbons, acid compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, and water. The natural gas is cooled to condense part of the water. The partially dehydrated natural gas is then contacted with a liquid stream consisting of a majority of hydrogen in two successive contact zones so as to obtain a natural gas containing substantially no water any more. Finally, this dehydrated natural gas is cooled to condense and separate the acid compounds, this cooling stage being carried out by means of a heat exchanger, an expander or a venturi neck.
Claims12
A process for pretreating a natural gas under pressure containing hydrocarbons, at least one of the acid compounds hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, and water, comprising the following stages:
- a) cooling the natural gas so as to produce a liquid phase and a gas phase,
- b) separating the liquid phase obtained in stage a) from the gas phase obtained in stage a),
- c) contacting, in a first contact zone, the gas phase obtained in stage b) with a liquid phase obtained in stage d) to produce a gas phase and a liquid phase,
- d) contacting, in a second contact zone, the gas phase obtained in stage c) with a liquid phase obtained in stage e) to produce a gas phase and a liquid phase,
- e) cooling the gas phase obtained in stage d) to produce a liquid phase and a gas phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.