Light component separation from a carbon dioxide mixture

A method of separating at least one first light component from a carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture containing at least about 30 mole percent carbon dioxide, said method comprising:

• cooling a feed stream composed of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture to effect, at least in part, the liquefaction of at least part of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture through indirect heat exchange of the feed stream with a refrigerant stream circulating within a refrigeration circuit;
• stripping the at least one first light component from at least a portion of the feed stream by introducing the at least a portion of said feed stream and a stripping gas stream into a liquid-vapor contact column to initiate counter-current vapor liquid mass transfer thereby to produce a gaseous column overhead stream and a liquid column bottoms stream;
• and
• the stripping gas stream containing at least one second light component having a boiling point lower than that of the carbon dioxide and higher than that of the at least one first light component to enrich the gaseous column overhead stream with the at least one first light component.

A method of separating at least one first light component from a carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture containing at least about 30 mole percent carbon dioxide, said method comprising:

• cooling a feed stream composed of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture to effect, at least in part, the liquefaction of at least part of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture;
• stripping the at least one first light component from at least a portion of the feed stream by introducing the at least a portion of said feed stream and a first stripping gas stream into a first liquid-vapor contact column to initiate counter-current vapor liquid mass transfer thereby to produce a first gaseous column overhead stream and the first liquid column bottoms stream;
• the first stripping gas stream containing at least one second light component having a boiling point lower than that of the carbon dioxide and higher than that of the at least one first light component to enrich the first gaseous column overhead stream with the at least one first light component;
• cooling the first gaseous column overhead stream so as to be partially condensed;
• and
• introducing at least part of the first gaseous column overhead stream and a second stripping gas stream into a second liquid-vapor contact column, thereby to produce a second gaseous column overhead stream and a second liquid column bottoms stream.

A method of separating at least one first light component from a carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture containing at least about 30 mole percent carbon dioxide, said method comprising:

• cooling a feed stream composed of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture to effect, at least in part, the liquefaction of at least part of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture;
• stripping the at least one first light component from at least a portion of the feed stream by introducing the at least a portion of said feed stream and a first stripping gas stream into a first liquid-vapor contact column to initiate counter-current vapor liquid mass transfer thereby to produce a first gaseous column overhead stream and a first liquid column bottoms stream;
• the stripping gas stream containing at least one second light component having a boiling point lower than that of the carbon dioxide and higher than that of the at least one first light component to enrich the first gaseous column overhead stream with the at least one first light component;
• distilling at least a portion of the first liquid column bottoms stream in a second liquid-vapor contact column to form a second gaseous column overhead stream and a second liquid column bottoms stream having a lower concentration of the second light component than the first liquid column bottoms stream;
• and
• producing boil-up within the second liquid-vapor contact column by heating liquid column bottoms produced therewithin.

A method of separating at least one first light component from a carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture containing at least about 30 mole percent carbon dioxide, said method comprising:

• cooling a feed stream composed of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture to effect, at least in part, the liquefaction of at least part of the carbon dioxide containing gaseous mixture;
• stripping the at least one first light component from at least a portion of the feed stream by introducing the at least a portion of said feed stream and a stripping gas stream into a liquid-vapor contact column to initiate counter-current vapor liquid mass transfer thereby to produce a gaseous column overhead stream and the liquid column bottoms stream;
• the stripping gas stream containing at least one second light component having a boiling point lower than that of the carbon dioxide and higher than that of the at least one first light component to enrich the gaseous column overhead stream with the at least one first light component.
• removing further carbon dioxide from the gaseous column overhead stream to produce an enriched helium stream;
• and
• separating the enriched helium stream into a helium depleted stream and a crude helium stream.