Natural gas processing

Patent · Tue Mar 30 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5451442

Bellinger, R M; Gray, M L

In accordance with the present invention a normally gaseous feed mixture, having a temperature of essentially atmospheric temperature and a pressure substantially above atmospheric pressure, is cooled to a lower temperature sufficient to liquefy a portion of the feed mixture. The cooled feed mixture is then separated into a first vapor phase and a first liquid phase. The first vapor phase is further cooled to a temperature sufficiently low to liquefy a portion of the first vapor phase. The cooled first vapor phase is separated into a second vapor phase and a second liquid phase, the pressures of the first liquid phase and the second liquid phase are separately reduced to a pressure sufficiently low to flash portions of the liquid phases. The reduced-pressure, first liquid phase is introduced into the lower portion of a third separation step while the reduced-pressure, second liquid phase is introduced into the upper portion of the third separation step, in which the reduced-pressure, first and second liquid phases are simultaneously separated to produce a third vapor phase and a third liquid phase. At least a portion of the second vapor phase is expanded to a pressure approximately the same as the reduced pressures of the first and second liquid phases but sufficiently low to liquefy a portion of the second vapor phase. The expanded second vapor phase, the remaining portion of the second vapor phase, if any, and the third vapor phase are introduced into the upper portion of a fourth separation step. The third liquid phase is introduced into the fourth separation step at a point below the previously mentioned upper portion of the fourth separation step and the streams introduced into the fourth separation step are simultaneously separated to produce a fourth liquid product enriched in higher boiling components and a fourth vapor product enriched in lower boiling components.

• Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Co
• Patent Number(s): US 4322225
• OSTI ID: 5451442
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030300* -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
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& Processing
ALKANES
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
COOLING
CRYOGENICS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
ETHANE
EVAPORATION
EXPANSION
FLASHING
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDROCARBONS
LIQUEFACTION
METHANE
MULTIPHASE FLOW
NATURAL GAS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PRESSURE REGULATORS
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES