Aromatics-recovery process
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsDeepak Bisht, Anup Dhaigude, Sandeep Gupta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for recovery of sulfolane used in a solvent-extraction or extractive-distillation process includes introducing a mixture into a solvent-recovery column having a heat source connected to a bottom portion of the column and removing a lean solvent stream, substantially free of hydrocarbons, from the bottom of the column, removing a polar-hydrocarbon-rich overhead stream from the top section of the column and maintaining the needed vacuum conditions using a liquid-jet ejector, preferably using water as the liquid.
Claims10
A method for recovering a substantially hydrocarbon-free, polar-hydrocarbon-selective solvent from a mixture of the selective solvent and polar hydrocarbons, which method comprises the steps of:
- a. introducing the mixture into a solvent-recovery column and removing a lean solvent stream, substantially free of hydrocarbons, from the bottom of the column;
- b. removing a polar-hydrocarbon-rich overhead stream from the top section of the column and condensing the overhead stream into a condensed overhead stream which is passed to a receiver operating at a sub-atmospheric pressure of from about 1 to 100 kPa;
- and,
- c. maintaining the sub-atmospheric pressure by connection of the receiver to a liquid-jet ejector and by injecting nitrogen into the receiver.
A method for recovering a substantially hydrocarbon-free, polar-hydrocarbon-selective solvent from a mixture of the selective solvent and polar hydrocarbons, which method comprises the steps of:
- a. introducing the mixture into a solvent-recovery column and removing a lean solvent stream, substantially free of hydrocarbons, from the bottom of the column;
- b. removing a polar-hydrocarbon-rich overhead stream from the top section of the column and condensing the overhead stream into a condensed overhead stream which is passed to a receiver operating at a sub-atmospheric pressure of from about 1 to 100 kPa;
- and,
- c. maintaining the sub-atmospheric pressure by connection of the receiver to a liquid-jet ejector, ejecting ejector fluid to a receptacle and recycling fluid from the receptacle to the liquid-jet ejector.
A method for recovering a substantially hydrocarbon-free sulfolane solvent from a mixture comprising sulfolane and aromatic hydrocarbons, which method comprises the steps of:
- a. introducing the mixture into a solvent-recovery column and removing a sulfolane stream, substantially free of hydrocarbons, from the bottom of the column;
- b. removing an aromatics-rich overhead stream from the top section of the column and condensing the overhead stream into a condensed overhead stream which is passed to a receiver operating at a sub-atmospheric pressure of from about 1 to 100 kPa;
- and,
- c. maintaining the sub-atmospheric pressure by connection of the receiver to a liquid-jet ejector, ejecting ejector fluid to a receptacle, decanting hydrocarbon-containing fluids to recovery and recycling ejector fluid from the receptacle to the liquid-jet ejector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.