Hydrocarbon gas processing

摘要

A process and an apparatus are disclosed for the recovery of ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream in a compact processing assembly. The gas stream is cooled and divided into first and second streams. The first stream is further cooled to condense substantially all of it and is thereafter expanded to lower pressure and supplied as the top feed to an absorbing means inside the processing assembly. The second stream is also expanded to lower pressure and supplied as the bottom feed to the absorbing means. A distillation vapor stream is collected from the upper region of the absorbing means and directed into one or more heat exchange means inside the processing assembly to heat it while cooling the gas stream and the first stream. A distillation liquid stream is collected from the lower region of the absorbing means and directed into a heat and mass transfer means inside the processing assembly to heat it and strip out its volatile components while cooling the gas stream. The quantities and temperatures of the feeds to the absorbing means are effective to maintain the temperature of the upper region of the absorbing means at a temperature whereby the major portions of the desired components are recovered in the stripped distillation liquid stream.

主权项

1. A process for the separation of a gas stream containing methane, C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components into a volatile residue gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction containing a major portion of said C2 components, C3 components, and heavier hydrocarbon components or said C3 components and heavier hydrocarbon components wherein
(1) said gas stream is divided into first and second portions; (2) said first portion is cooled; (3) said second portion is cooled; (4) said cooled first portion is combined with said cooled second portion to form a cooled gas stream; (5) said cooled gas stream is divided into first and second streams; (6) said first stream is cooled to condense substantially all of said first stream and is thereafter expanded to lower pressure whereby said first stream is further cooled; (7) said expanded cooled first stream is supplied as a top feed to an absorbing means housed in a single equipment item processing assembly; (8) said second stream is expanded to said lower pressure and is supplied as a bottom feed to said absorbing means; (9) a distillation vapor stream is collected from an upper region of said absorbing means and heated in one or more heat exchange means housed in said processing assembly, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of steps (2) and (6), and thereafter discharging said heated distillation vapor stream from said processing assembly as said volatile residue gas fraction; (10) a distillation liquid stream is collected from a lower region of said absorbing means and heated in a heat and mass transfer means housed in said processing assembly, thereby to supply at least a portion of the cooling of step (3) while simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from said distillation liquid stream, and thereafter discharging said heated and stripped distillation liquid stream from said processing assembly as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (11) the quantities and temperatures of said feed streams to said absorbing means are effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said absorbing means at a temperature whereby the major portions of the components in said relatively less volatile fraction are recovered.