Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Exxon Production Research Company

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Jaime A Valencia

David W Maher

Robert D Denton

Paul Scott Northrop

Charles John Mart

Ransdall K Smith

Paul F Keusenkothen

E Lawrence Kimble

Scott D Kelman

Donald J Victory

Harry William Deckman

John Scott Buchanan

P Scott Northrop

Arsam Behkish

Edward J Grave

Gary F Teletzke

J Tim Cullinane

Michael W Lin

James T Wilkins

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

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

A method and a system for feeding a feed gas including methane (CH) and carbon dioxide (CO) to a cryogenic distillation column are provided herein. The method includes flowing a freeze zone COvapor stream into a freezing section of the column to produce an overhead stream that exits the column. The method includes heating the overhead stream via a heating component to reduce or prevent solidification of the COin the overhead stream.

Heating component to reduce solidification in a cryogenic distillation system

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 system and method for an intermediate pressure vessel to receive a purge in a cryogenic distillation column system. The vessel operates at an intermediate pressure to reduce solidification of the purge. The cryogenic distillation column receives a natural gas having methane and acid gas. The column discharges an overhead stream rich in the methane, and a bottoms stream rich in the acid gas. An overhead system receives the overhead stream, and discharges a vapor methane product, and a cooled liquid for reflux to the cryogenic distillation column.

Purge to intermediate pressure in cryogenic distillation

The present disclosure provides a distillation tower for separating a feed stream. The distillation tower includes a controlled freeze zone section having a controlled freeze zone upper section and a controlled freeze zone lower section below the controlled freeze zone upper section. The controlled freeze zone section includes: (a) a spray assembly in the controlled freeze zone upper section; (b) a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone lower section; (c) a feed stream distribution mechanism between the spray assembly and the melt tray assembly. The feed stream distribution mechanism is constructed and arranged to uniformly distribute the feed stream in the controlled freeze zone section.

Method and system for separating a feed stream with a feed stream distribution mechanism

The present disclosure provides a method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower which includes separating a feed stream in a stripper section into an enriched contaminant bottom liquid stream and a freezing zone vapor stream; contacting the freezing zone vapor stream in the controlled freeze zone section with a freezing zone liquid stream at a temperature and pressure at which a solid and a hydrocarbon-enriched vapor stream form; directly applying heat to a controlled freeze zone wall of the controlled freeze zone section with a heating mechanism coupled to at least one of a controlled freeze zone internal surface of the controlled freeze zone wall and a controlled freeze zone external surface of the controlled freeze zone wall; and at least one of destabilizing and preventing adhesion of the solid to the controlled freeze zone wall with the heating mechanism.

Method and device for separating hydrocarbons and contaminants with a heating mechanism to destabilize and/or prevent adhesion of solids

The present disclosure provides a method for preventing accumulation of solids in a distillation tower. The method includes introducing a feed stream into a controlled freeze zone section of a distillation tower; forming solids in the controlled freeze zone section from the feed stream; discontinuously injecting a first freeze-inhibitor solution into the controlled freeze zone section toward a location in the controlled freeze zone section that accumulates the solids; and destabilizing accumulation of the solids from the location with the first freeze-inhibitor solution.

Method and system for preventing accumulation of solids in a distillation tower

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 present disclosure provides a method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. The method may include forming solids in a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower; emitting radiation from a first radiation source in the controlled freeze zone section while the controlled freeze zone section forms no solids; detecting radiation emitted by the first radiation source as a first radiation level; detecting radiation emitted by the first radiation source as a second radiation level after detecting the first radiation level; and determining whether the solids adhered to at least one of on and around a first mechanical component included in the controlled freeze zone section based on the first radiation level and the second radiation level.

Method and device for separating a feed stream using radiation detectors

The present disclosure provides a method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. The method includes operating a controlled freeze zone section in a distillation tower that separates a feed stream at a temperature and pressure at which the feed stream forms a solid in the controlled freeze zone section, wherein the feed stream includes a first contaminant; maintaining a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone section; introducing the feed stream to the controlled freeze zone section; and accumulating a liquid in the melt tray assembly until the liquid is at a predetermined liquid level in the controlled freeze zone section, by: feeding a second contaminant to the controlled freeze zone section; and adding the second contaminant to the melt tray assembly, wherein the liquid comprises the second contaminant.

Method and system of modifying a liquid level during start-up operations

The present disclosure provides a method of dehydrating a feed stream processed in a distillation tower. The method may include (a) introducing a feed stream comprising a first contaminant stream into a distillation tower; (b) forming a solid from the feed stream in a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower; (c) feeding a second contaminant stream into the feed stream outside the distillation tower; and (d) removing water from the feed stream with a second contaminant stream by feeding the second contaminant stream.

Method and system of dehydrating a feed stream processed in a distillation tower

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.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Jaime A Valencia