Apache Corporation

Coldstream Energy IP, LLC

Solid State Separation Holdings, LLC

Jason G S Ho

J Calvin Cooper

Pedro T Santos

Xuepei Yuan

Gerald Bowen Gump

James A Ritter

Armin D Ebner

A natural gas adsorptive separation system and method is described. A method of separating natural gas includes directing a natural gas mixture through an activated carbon adsorption tower until the adsorption tower is saturated, collecting methane from the output of the adsorption tower, heating the saturated carbon adsorption tower with adsorbate using a heater and/or a vacuum pump in a closed loop circuit with the carbon adsorption tower until the input to the vacuum pump is within a specified temperature of the output of the heater, lowering the pressure in the heated activated carbon adsorption tower using the vacuum pump to desorb at least one hydrocarbon compound of the plurality of different hydrocarbon compounds, compressing and cooling the desorbed hydrocarbon compound, separating the cooled and compressed hydrocarbon compound into gas and liquid in a fluid separator, and collecting the liquid from the fluid separator.

Natural gas adsorptive separation system and method

A portable pressure swing adsorption method and system for fuel gas conditioning. A fuel gas conditioning system includes a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system fluidly coupled to a rich gas stream, the PSA system including a plurality of adsorbent beds and configured to condition the rich natural gas stream and produce therefrom a high-quality fuel gas and gaseous separated heavier hydrocarbons, a product end of the adsorbent beds fluidly coupled to a fuel gas line, wherein the high-quality fuel gas is discharged from the product end and supplied to the fuel gas line, and a feed end of the adsorbent beds configured to be fluidly coupled to the rich natural gas stream or a raw natural gas stream, wherein the produced gaseous separated heavier hydrocarbons are recirculated into the rich natural gas stream or the raw natural gas stream.

Portable pressure swing adsorption method and system for fuel gas conditioning

A method for continuous pressure swing adsorption separation of a pressurized feed gas stream, including separating hydrocarbons heavier than methane from the pressurized feed gas stream by applying an adsorbent porous material to produce at least two product streams, a first product stream being substantially pure methane suitable for transport by natural gas pipeline, and a second product stream being substantially comprised of components with a greater molecular weight than methane.

Porous materials for natural gas liquids separations

Methods and systems for continuous pressure swing adsorption separation of a pressurized feed gas stream, the method including separating hydrocarbons heavier than methane from the pressurized feed gas stream to produce at least two product streams, a first product stream being substantially pure methane, and a second product stream being substantially comprised of components with a greater molecular weight than methane.

Natural gas liquids recovery from pressure swing adsorption and vacuum swing adsorption

Methods and systems of enhanced carbon dioxide recovery from an inlet gas stream are provided, by introducing the gas stream to one or more membrane-based separation units to produce a permeate byproduct gas stream having increased concentration of carbon dioxide compared to the inlet gas stream and then introducing the permeate byproduct gas stream to one or more pressure swing adsorption units or trains to enhance recovery of hydrocarbons, such as methane, lost in the byproduct stream and to produce a substantially pure carbon dioxide stream, while minimizing process compression and eliminating process heat for process regeneration. The methods introduced herein are for enhancing product recovery by enhancing carbon dioxide recovery from gas streams with pressures greater than atmospheric conditions. Further refinement to the methods would be the introduction of hydrogen sulfide polishing units within the process to produce product that meets or exceeds sales quality specifications.

Methods and systems of enhanced carbon dioxide recovery

A pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system and a PSA process including a PSA cycle schedule are disclosed. The PSA cycle schedule includes an unlimited number of equalization steps, no idle steps, no dead time and a minimum number of three PSA adsorbent beds assisted with two or more equalization tanks. The PSA system, process and cycle schedule include the following sequence of cycle steps: a feed step, two or more down equalization steps either between beds or between a bed and a tank, an optional forced cocurrent depressurization step coupled with a forced intermediary light end pressurization step, a countercurrent depressurization step, a light reflux step, two or more up equalization steps between beds or between a bed and a tank, an optional forced intermediary light end pressurization step coupled with the forced cocurrent depressurization step, and a light product pressurization step.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Jason G S Ho