Cryogenic gas processing

Patent · Tue Apr 24 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6522929

Perez, E P

Higher boiling constituents are separated from a normally gaseous feed mixture, predominating in lower boiling constituents and containing significant amounts of such higher boiling constituents, such as natural gas by fractionally distilling a feed mixture having a temperature substantially below atmospheric temperature at a pressure substantially above atmospheric pressure at which temperature and pressure the feed mixture comprises both vapor and liquid phases to produce a first vapor phase substantially enriched in lower boiling constituents and a first liquid phase substantially enriched in higher boiling constituents, expanding at least a part of the first vapor phase to reduce the pressure and temperature and produce an expanded fluid stream comprising a second vapor phase and a second liquid phase, separating the second vapor phase from the second liquid phase, recycling the second liquid phase to the fractional distillation step as a reflux, recovering the second vapor phase as a product and recovering the first liquid phase as a product. In another embodiment, at least a part of the feed mixture is expanded prior to fractional distillation. In other embodiments, the feed mixture is separated into a vapor phase and a liquid phase and at least a part of the vapor phase is expanded and/or the feed mixture is first cooled by indirect heat exchange with the second vapor phase prior to recovery of the latter as a product.

• Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
• Patent Number(s): US 4444577
• OSTI ID: 6522929
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030300* -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
BOILING POINTS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DECOMPOSITION
DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION
DESULFURIZATION
DISTILLATION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LIQUIDS
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING PLANTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE