Separation of low boiling constituents from a mixed gas

Patent · Tue Jun 26 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6784701

Perez, E P

Lower boiling constituents are separated from a normally gaseous feed mixture predominating in higher boiling constituents and containing significant amounts of such lower boiling constituents and having a first pressure substantially above atmospheric pressure and a first temperature substantially below atmospheric temperature and at which first pressure and first temperature. Feed mixture includes both vapor and liquid phases, including introducing at least a portion of the vapor of the feed mixture representing a second vapor phase into a separation contacting zone adjacent the top thereof at a second pressure substantially lower than the first pressure and a second temperature substantially lower than the first temperature and introducing at least a portion of the liquid of the feed mixture representing a second liquid phase into the separation-contacting zone at a lower intermediate point at a third pressure and a third temperature approximately equal to the first pressure and the first temperature, respectively. The second pressure thus being substantially lower than the third pressure and the second temperature thus being substantially lower than the third temperature, separating the second vapor phase and the second liquid phase in the separation-contacting zone to produce a third vapor phase substantially enriched in the higher boiling constituents and a third liquid phase substantially enriched in the lower boiling constituents, introducing the third vapor phase into a fractional distillation zone adjacent the top thereof and introducing the third liquid phase into the fractional distillation zone at an upper intermediate point, fractionally distilling the third vapor phase and the third liquid phase to produce a fourth vapor phase substantially enriched in the higher boiling constituents.

• Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Co. (United Kingdom)
• Patent Number(s): US 4456461
• OSTI ID: 6784701
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030300* -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
ALKANES
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
BOILING POINTS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DISTILLATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ETHANE
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTIONATION
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FLOW
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
METHANE
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING PLANTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PIPELINES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE