System and method for acetylene recovery

A method for generating acetylene and recovering acetylene gas, comprising the acts of:

• a) providing acetylene gas generation equipment including a batch hopper, a purge hopper, a feed hopper, an acetylene generator, and an acetylene recovery chiller;
• b) providing solid calcium carbide and air to said batch hopper to provide a batch hopper containing calcium carbide and air;
• c) purging said batch hopper with a purge gas in a quantity sufficient to purge said batch hopper of air and to cause said batch hopper to contain calcium carbide and purge gas, but to be substantially free of air;
• d) transporting solid calcium carbide and said purge gas to said purge hopper to provide a purge hopper containing a mixture comprising calcium carbide and purge gas, and optionally including acetylene that has filtered back into the purge hopper from an acetylene generator;
• e) purging said purge hopper with a purge gas to provide a purge hopper containing a mixture comprising calcium carbide and said purge gas;
• f) transporting solid calcium carbide and said purge gas to said feed hopper to provide a feed hopper containing a mixture comprising calcium carbide and purge gas;
• g) providing an aqueous bath in said acetylene generator;
• h) transporting solid calcium carbide and said purge gas to said aqueous bath, thereby causing acetylene gas to be generated by the hydrolysis of calcium carbide;
• i) allowing a portion of said acetylene gas to move from said acetylene generator into said feed hopper and into said purge hopper, wherein said portion of acetylene gas mixes with said purge gas to form a combined gas;
• j) passing said combined gas through a chilled absorption liquid to absorb therein at least some of the acetylene gas from said combined gas without substantially absorbing said purge gas;
• k) transferring at least some of said absorption liquid with acetylene absorbed therein to the aqueous bath of acetylene generation chamber;
• and
• l) using said aqueous bath comprising absorption liquid with acetylene absorbed therein to hydrolyze a subsequent batch of calcium carbide.