Systems and methods for recovering helium from feed streams containing carbon dioxide
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsPaul Higginbotham, Vincent White, John Eugene Palamara
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Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for recovering helium from a feed comprising helium, carbon dioxide, and at least one intermediate component having a volatility between those of helium and carbon dioxide. In particular, processes of the present invention comprise separating the carbon dioxide and the components of intermediate volatility from the helium at a temperature greater than −82.7° C. to form a helium-rich product stream, wherein the concentration of at least one of the intermediate components in the helium-rich product stream is lower than its concentration in the feed stream, and wherein at least part of the separation is effected by contacting a vapor with a liquid.
Claims16
A method for recovering helium from a feed stream comprising helium, at least 50 mol % carbon dioxide, and one or more intermediate components having volatilities between those of carbon dioxide and helium, the method comprising:
- (a) cooling the feed stream;
- (b) separating the feed stream into a first helium-enriched stream and a first CO2-enriched stream in a distillation column;
- (c) feeding a liquid stream comprising CO2 to the top of the distillation column, thereby washing at least a portion of the one or more intermediate components into the first CO2-enriched stream;
- and
- (d) separating the first helium-enriched stream to form a helium-rich product stream and a helium-lean stream,
- wherein the concentration of at least one of the intermediate components in the helium-rich product stream is lower than its concentration in the feed stream, wherein at least part of the separation in step (b) is effected by contacting a vapor with a liquid, wherein at least part of the feed stream enters the distillation column at an intermediate stage, and wherein the temperature at the coldest part of method steps (a) through (d) is greater than −56.6° C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.