Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company

David W Maher

Jaime A Valencia

Robert D Denton

Paul F Keusenkothen

Charles John Mart

Ransdall K Smith

John Scott Buchanan

P Scott Northrop

Arsam Behkish

Shwetha Ramkumar

Chad C Rasmussen

Gary F Teletzke

Michael W Lin

Richard Perry Connell

A cryogenic distillation tower for separating a feed stream. The tower includes a distillation section. A controlled freeze zone section is situated above the distillation section and forms a solid from the feed stream. The controlled freeze zone section includes a spray assembly in an upper section and a melt tray assembly in a lower section. The melt tray assembly includes at least one vapor stream riser that directs the vapor from the distillation section into liquid retained by the melt tray assembly, and one or more draw-off openings positioned to permit a portion of the liquid to exit the controlled freeze zone section. The portion of the liquid indirectly exchanges heat with a heating fluid. One or more return inlets return the portion of the liquid to the melt tray assembly after it has been heated in the heat exchanger.

Mixing and heat integration of melt tray liquids in a cryogenic distillation tower

A method of separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. Vapor is permitted to rise upwardly from a distillation section of the distillation tower. A feed stream is introduced into a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower, the controlled freeze zone section being situated above the distillation section. The feed stream is released above a level of a liquid retained by a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone section. Vapor from the distillation section is directed into the liquid retained by the melt tray assembly. A solid is formed from the feed stream in the controlled freeze zone section.

Hybrid tray for introducing a low CO2 feed stream into a distillation tower

A method of designing, constructing, and operating a hydrocarbon gas treatment plant is disclosed. A target hydrocarbon production range for a hydrocarbon gas meeting a required product specification is established. A cryogenic distillation column is designed and constructed with a vapor capacity to meet the target hydrocarbon production range. A variable feed refrigeration system is incorporated to cool an inlet feed of the hydrocarbon gas. The variable feed refrigeration system is designed to handle the target hydrocarbon production range and a wide range of contaminant concentrations in the inlet feed. A variable bottoms heating system is incorporated to handle heating duties associated with the wide range of contaminant concentrations in the inlet feed. A variable bottoms pumping system is incorporated to handle liquid flows associated with the wide range of contaminant concentrations in the inlet feed.

Treatment plant for hydrocarbon gas having variable contaminant levels

A method of separating impurities from a natural gas stream. The natural gas stream is cooled through heat exchange with one or more process streams to produce a chilled gas stream, which is contacted with a lean solvent stream in a contactor to separate hydrogen sulfide (HS) from the chilled gas stream, thereby producing a rich solvent stream and a partially-treated gas stream. Carbon dioxide (CO) and HS are separated from the partially-treated gas stream in a membrane separation system, thereby creating a fully-treated gas stream and a permeate gas stream, the permeate gas stream being comprised primarily of HS and CO, and the fully-treated gas stream being comprised primarily of natural gas. The fully-treated gas stream and the permeate gas stream are at a lower temperature than the partially-treated gas stream. The fully-treated gas stream and the permeate gas stream comprise the one or more process streams.

Integration of cold solvent and acid gas removal

Systems and methods are provided for conversion of light paraffinic gases to form liquid products in a process performed in a fixed bed radial-flow reactor. The light paraffins can correspond to Cparaffins. Examples of liquid products that can be formed include C-Caromatics, such as benzene, toluene, and xylene. The fixed bed radial-flow reactor can allow for improved control over the reaction conditions for paraffin conversion in spite of the fixed bed nature of the reactor. This can allow the process to operate with improved efficiency while reducing or minimizing the complexity of operation relative to non-fixed bed reactor systems.

Fixed bed radial flow reactor for light paraffin conversion

Disclosed techniques include a method of obtaining an enhanced oil recovery fluid from a hydrocarbon reservoir, comprising producing a hydrocarbon stream from the hydrocarbon reservoir, separating an associated gas stream from the hydrocarbon stream, and condensing at least a portion of the associated gas stream to obtain an enriched hydrocarbon fluid suitable for injecting into a liquid layer of the hydrocarbon reservoir to enhance recovery of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon reservoir.

Self-sourced reservoir fluid for enhanced oil recovery

A method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower comprising maintaining a controlled freeze zone (CFZ) section in the distillation tower, receiving a freezing zone liquid stream in a spray nozzle assembly in the CFZ section, wherein the spray nozzle assembly comprises a plurality of outer spray nozzles on an outer periphery of the spray nozzle assembly and at least one inner spray nozzle interior to the outer spray nozzles, wherein each outer spray nozzle is configured to spray the freezing zone liquid stream along a central spray axis, and wherein the central spray axis of at least one of the outer spray nozzles is not parallel to a CFZ wall, and spraying the freezing zone liquid stream through the spray nozzle assembly into the CFZ section to keep a temperature and pressure at which the solid and the hydrocarbon-enriched vapor stream form.

Method and device for separating hydrocarbons and contaminants with a spray assembly

The invention relates to converting non-aromatic hydrocarbon in the presence of COto produce aromatic hydrocarbon. COmethanation using molecular hydrogen produced during the aromatization increases aromatic hydrocarbon yield. The invention also relates to equipment and materials useful in such upgrading, to processes for carrying out such upgrading, and to the use of such processes for, e.g., natural gas upgrading.

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Spring, TX, United States of America

David W Maher