METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING CONDITIONED ETHANE

摘要

In a method and an apparatus ethylene and an ethane stream are produced from a C2 hydrocarbon stream (510) comprising ethane and ethylene. The C2 hydrocarbon stream (510) is fractionated in a C2 fractionator (600) to provide a C2 overhead stream (610) comprising ethylene and a C2 bottoms stream (620) comprising ethane. A portion of the C2 bottoms stream (620) comprising ethane is conditioned, wherein expanding the portion (630) of the C2 bottoms stream (620) to form an expanded portion (710), and wherein removing a gaseous C2 stream (810) from the expanded portion (710) to provide a conditioned ethane stream (820). The conditioned ethane stream (820) is in the liquid state and at a pressure in the range of from about 1 to 2 bar, and at least 95 mol% thereof consists of ethane.