Process for using alkyl substituted C8-C10 aromatic hydrocarbons as preferential physical solvents for selective processing of hydrocarbon gas streams

Patent · Tue Sep 08 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:5836245

Mehra, Y R

This patent describes a process for the removal of hydrocarbon gas liquids, comprising hydrocarbons heavier than methane, from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The improvement consists of selectively extracting the hydrocarbon gas liquids from the hydrocarbon gas stream with a preferential physical solvent which provides selective capability for recovery according to the selected degree of (a) ethane in amounts ranging from 2-98%, (b) propane in amounts ranging from 2-99%, (c) butane in amounts ranging from 2-100%, or (d) pentanes and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons in amounts ranging up to 100% which comprises: A. selectively extracting and stripping the hydrocarbon gas stream with the physical solvent to produce a residue hydrocarbon gas stream of pipeline specifications and a rich solvent stream containing ethane and heavier hydrocarbon components, the preferential physical solvent being: (1) rich in C/sub 8/-C/sub 10/ aromatic compounds having methyl, ethyl, or propyl aliphatic groups and (2) selective for ethane and heavier hydrocarbon components of the gas stream such that: (a) the relative volatility of methane over ethane is at least 5.0 and the hydrocarbon loading capacity, defined as solubility of ethane in solvent, is at least 0.25 standard cubic feet of ethane per gallon of solvent, or (b) the preferential factor determined by the multiplication of relative volatility of methane over ethane by the solubility of ethane in solvent, in standard cubic feet of ethane per gallon of solvent, of at least 1.25; and B. distilling the rich solvent to produce the hydrocarbon gas liquids and the physical solvent.

• Assignee: Advanced Extraction Technologies, Inc., Houston, TX
• Patent Number(s): US 4692179
• OSTI ID: 5836245
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020400* -- Petroleum-- Processing
ALKANES
ALKYL RADICALS
AROMATICS
BUTANE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
DISTILLATION
ETHANE
EXTRACTION
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GAS FLOW
HYDROCARBONS
LIQUID FLOW
LIQUIDS
METHANE
METHYL RADICALS
MIXTURES
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PENTANE
PROCESS SOLUTIONS
PROPANE
PROPYL RADICALS
QUANTITY RATIO
RADICALS
RECOVERY
REMOVAL
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUBILITY
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENTS
VOLATILITY