Other

Latoka Engineering, Inc.

Black, Sivalls & Bryson, Inc.

Lecco, Inc.

Harold O Ebeling

Joseph D Honerkamp

Robert E McMinn

A method of low temperature regeneration of glycol used for dehydrating natural gas in a glycol dehydration system including the steps of passing natural gas against flowing glycol in an absorber vessel so that the glycol absorbs water from the gas, providing spent glycol and dehydrated gas, conducting the spent glycol into a reboiler vessel, feeding a portion of the dehydrated gas into a burner positioned within the reboiler vessel where the dehydrated gas is combusted to heat the spent glycol, conducting a first portion of dehydrated gas into a gas distributor located within a lower portion of the reboiler vessel, the gas distributor causing small bubbles of gas to move upwardly through the spent glycol within the reboiler to augment separation of water from the heated glycol, conducting a second portion of the dehydrated gas into an upper gas stripper vessel mounted within an upper portion of the reboiler vessel to contact the dehydrated gas with the spent glycol to further augment the separation of water from the glycol to provide dehydrated glycol followed by withdrawing the dehydrated glycol and passing the water vapor that has been removed from the spent glycol to the atmosphere, the dehydrated gas serving to gently but thoroughly agitate the heated spent glycol to augment the separation of water, thereby permitting the spent glycol to be thoroughly dehydrated without the glycol reaching its boiling point, thereby reducing evaporation of the glycol in the regeneration process.

Method of low temperature regeneration of glycol used for dehydrating

An improved bubble tray for use in a vertically or horizontally oriented absorber, contactor or fractionation vessel for intimately contacting a gas with a liquid, the gas traveling upwardly in the vessel while the liquid flows downwardly, including a horizontal tray dividing the vessel into an upper and lower zone, the tray having a plurality of spaced apart openings, a vertical tube for each opening, the lower end of each tube being secured to the horizontal tray, a horizontal washer received on each of the tubes at a location spaced below the tube upper end and above the horizontal tray and an inverted cup for each of the tubes, each cup having a closed upper portion and a open lower end that is affixed to a washer so that a tube upper end extends within each inverted cup. Each inverted cup has spaced apart elongated vertical openings therein that cause the formation of very small gas bubbles that percolate upwardly through the downwardly flowing liquid.

Bubble tray

A method of dehydrating natural gas and for reducing emissions of hydrocarbon aromatics including the steps of passing natural gas upwardly in an absorber against downwardly flowing liquid desiccant to provide treated gas, the desiccant absorbing water and hydrocarbon impurities from the gas and forming spent desiccant, passing a portion of the treated gas from the absorber through a desiccant stripper vessel, the balance of the treated gas being passed for distribution, heating the spent desiccant and passing it downwardly through the desiccant stripper vessel to purge the spent desiccant of hydrocarbon aromatics, conducting the spent desiccant from the stripper vessel into a reboiler to again heat the spent desiccant and conveying treated gas from the stripper vessel to a burner in the reboiler where the treated gas is combusted with air, the spent desiccant is being heated in the reboiler to boil off entrained water to provide a regenerated desiccant that is recirculated back to the absorber. The liquid desiccant can be recirculated by an electrically powered pump or by a glycol/gas powered pump.

Method of dehydrating natural gas for reducing emissions of hydrocarbon

An improved absorber for contacting gas having water entrained therein with a liquid desiccant the absorber being in the form of an upright vessel having a generally horizontal partition dividing the vessel interior into a treating zone and a collection zone. The partition has a collection bucket therein providing a reservoir below the level of the partition and the partition has small diameter opening spaced from the collection bucket. An upright tubular riser is positioned within the vessel treating zone having an open bottom extending within the partition bucket. A desiccant circulation conduit is in the upper portion of the treating zone for dispersing fresh liquid desiccant into the vessel. Packing is positioned within the vessel treating zone. Liquid desiccant filters downwardly through the packing as gas passing upwardly through the partition small diameter openings and upwardly through the desiccant flooded packing wherein water entrained in the gas is absorbed by the desiccant, the gas, being substantially free of water, pass out of the vessel at the upper end of the upper zone. A desiccant distribution conduit passes desiccant out of the bucket and into the vessel collection zone where the desiccant, having water absorbed therein, is removed from the vessel. In an alternate embodiment a second partition divides the vessel in second treating zone and a second collection zone both spaced above the first mentioned treating and collection zones. Liquid desiccant collected in the second cllection zone is passed downwardly into the first mentioned treating zone.

Absorber for dehydrating gas with liquid desiccant

A reboiler for dehydrating glycol used in a gas dehydration system having improved thermal efficiency including a horizontal boiler vessel, a horizontal heater within the boiler vessel having a fuel burner therein, a heat exchange vessel extending downwardly from the boiler vessel including piping to receive heated glycol therein from the interior of the boiler vessel and a heat exchange conduit within the heat exchange vessel extending exteriorly of it, one end of the heat exchange conduit communicating with the interior of the boiler vessel to transfer wet glycol into the boiler vessel and a glycol inlet at one end of the conduit extending externally of the vessel and the heat exchange vessel having a dehydrated glycol outlet, hot dehydrated glycol from the boiler vessel passing downwardly through the heat exchange vessel to thoroughly exchange heat with the incoming wet glycol to thereby conserve heat applied to the glycol for dehydration.

Reboiler system for glycol dehydration having improved thermal efficiency

An improved absorber for dehydrating gas having water entrained therein utilizing liquid desiccants, the absorber being in the form of an upright cylindrical vessel having an upper and a lower partition dividing the vessel into an upper zone, a middle zone and a lower zone, the upper zone having a gas inlet therein and functioning as a desurging zone and the upper zone having a distribution gas outlet. A gas distribution conduit exteriorly of the vessel conducts the gas from the upper zone into the lower zone. A plurality of short length cylindrical members extend through the lower partition and are covered above the partition with cups. Above the lower partition is a quantity of packing and above the packing, in the middle zone, is a liquid desiccant inlet and above that, a dehydrated gas outlet. By means of a liquid desiccant outlet and an equalizer conduit connected to a branch fitting the level of liquid desiccant in the middle zone is controlled, the level being preferably less than the full height of the packing in the middle zone. Gas flows upwardly in the middle zone while liquid desiccant flows downwardly, the water in the gas being absorbed so that the gas flowing out the outlet is substantially dehydrated.

Absorber for dehydrating gas using desiccants

An improved absorber for extracting water or other liquid contaminants contained in gas including an upright vessel having a gas and a desiccant inlet, a gas outlet adjacent the top and a liquid desiccant outlet adjacent the bottom, a horizontal plate separating the interior of the vessel into an upper and lower chamber, a vertical mixing conduit within the vessel connected at its upper end with the vessel gas and desiccant inlets and passing downwardly through an opening in the plate, the vertical mixing conduit having a mixer element therein which intimately co-mingles the gas and liquid desiccant as they pass into the vessel and downwardly through the mixing conduit into the vessel lower chamber, a plurality of vertical cylindrical members supported in openings in the horizontal plate, the lower end extending below the plate and the upper end extending above the plate, a cap covering the upper portion of each of the cylindrical members, each cap having passageways in the lower edges thereof so that gas and liquid can flow upwardly through the vertical cylindrical members and under the caps and into the vessel upper chamber, packing within the vessel upper chamber, the lower chamber and the lower portion of the upper chamber having the packing therein being filled with liquid desiccant and means of maintaining the level of liquid desiccant and withdrawing the desiccant from the vessel so as to maintain the preselected level, the gas passing out the gas outlet in the upper portion of the vessel and the water in the gas being absorbed by the liquid desiccant and carried out of the vessel with the desiccant.

Absorber for dehydrating gas

An improved method of dehydrating wet gas including the steps of passing the wet gas into a pool of glycol contained within a vessel, the gas passing upwardly through the pool and through at least two zones within the vessel in which the gas is subjected to levels of glycol saturated packing within the zones, the gas passing upwardly within the vessel to a gas collection chamber for removal, the glycol being circulated from zone to zone within the vessel.

System of gas dehydration using liquid desiccants

A method of dehydrating wet gas including the steps of passing the wet gas downwardly through a vertical conduit, injecting anhydrous glycol into the vertical gas stream to intermix with the wet gas, passing the gas and glycol mixture downwardly within a vessel into a pool of glycol, the gas passing upwardly through the pool and into a gas collection chamber, the water entrained in the gas being absorbed by the glycol, the dry gas being passed out of the vessel, the glycol having water admixed therewith being conveyed to a water extraction means to provide a supply of anhydrous glycol and circulating the anhydrous glycol back to the vertical gas stream. The invention also encompasses a separator for extracting entrained water from a gas stream and including means for injecting the gas stream into a vertical conduit where it is mixed with glycol. The invention also includes an absorber wherein the gas stream is passed upwardly through a pool of glycol.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for generating a dehydrated inert gas stream. By the methods of the invention a mixture of fuel and air is combusted to generate a stream of hot inert gases containing water vapor. Heat is removed from the stream of hot inert gases so that the gases are cooled and the cooled inert gases are contacted with a stream of liquid absorbent having an affinity for water vapor thereby dehydrating the stream of inert gases. The heat removed from the stream of hot inert gases is utilized to reconcentrate the stream of liquid absorbent.

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Tulsa, OK, United States of America

Harold O Ebeling