Bp Corporation North America Inc.

Amoco Corporation

Ineos USA LLC

Bp Amoco Corporation

Michael J Foral

Rian Reyneke

Guang-Chung Lee

Alakananda A Bhattacharyya

William J Reagan

Wayne W Y Eng

Christos G Papadopoulos

Jeff Logsdon

Jeffery S Logsdon

Wayne W Eng

Larry C Satek

Ian Sinclair

Jeffrey S Logsdon

Iain Sinclair

Diadema N Ventura

Jeffery S Lodgson

A process for the recovery and purification of ethylene and optionally propylene from a stream containing lighter and heavier components that employs an ethylene distributor column and a partially thermally coupled distributed distillation system.

Recovery and purification of ethylene

This invention is an improved distillation sequence for the separation and purification of ethylene from a cracked gas. A hydrocarbon feed enters a C2 distributor column. The top of the C2 distributor column is thermally coupled to an ethylene distributor column, and the bottoms liquid of a C2 distributor column feeds a deethanizer column. The C2 distributor column utilizes a conventional reboiler. The top of the ethylene distributor is thermally coupled with a demethanizer column, and the bottoms liquid of the ethylene distributor feeds a C2 splitter column. The ethylene distributor column utilizes a conventional reboiler. The deethanizer and C2 splitter columns are also thermally coupled and operated at a substantially lower pressure than the C2 distributor column, the ethylene distributor column, and the demethanizer column. Alternatively, a hydrocarbon feed enters a deethanizer column. The top of the deethanizer is thermally coupled to an ethylene distributor column, and the ethylene distributor column utilizes a conventional reboiler. The top of the ethylene distributor column is thermally coupled with a demethanizer column, and the bottoms liquid of the ethylene distributor column feeds a C2 splitter column. The C2 splitter column operates at a pressure substantially lower than the ethylene distributor column, the demethanizer column, and the deethanizer column.

Distillation sequence for the purification and recovery of hydrocarbons

A refrigeration process is disclosed that employs a mixed refrigerant to chill a process gas stream in which a second stream is cooled against rewarming vaporized mixed refrigerant at low pressure and subsequently is at least partially vaporized against at least partially condensed mixed refrigerant at a higher pressure.

Refrigeration system

An apparatus for recovering ethylene from a hydrocarbon feed stream, where the apparatus is a single distillation column pressure shell encasing an upper region and a lower region. The upper region houses an ethylene distributor rectifying section and the lower region houses a C2 distributor section and an ethylene distributor stripping section. Vapor passes from the lower region into the upper region, and liquid passes from the upper region to the lower region. The process for recovering the ethylene is also disclosed. The hydrocarbon feed stream is introduced into the C2 distributor section, and after a series of stripping and refluxing steps, distinct hydrocarbon products are recovered from the C2 distributor section, the ethylene distributor stripping section, and the ethylene distributor rectifying section, respectively.

Low capital implementation of distributed distillation in ethylene recovery

The recovery of ethylene from light gases at low temperature by the use of a mixed refrigeration system comprising methane, ehtylene and/or ethane, and propylene and/or propane.

Processes using heterogeneous adsorbents are disclosed for purification of olefins such as are typically produced by thermal cracking of suitable hydrocarbon feedstocks, by providing a impure mixture comprising at least one olefin of from 2 to about 8 carbon atoms, acetylenic impurities having the same or similar carbon content in an amount of up to about 1 percent by volume base upon the total amount of olefin present and optionally saturated hydrocarbon gases; admixing a source of dihydrogen with the impure mixture to form a feedstream comprising a sub-stoichiometric amount of dihydrogen based upon conversion of the total amount of acetylenic impurities present to their olefinic analogs; and passing the feedstream through a particulate bed of adsorbent comprising predominantly a support material on which is dispersed at least one metallic element in the zero valent state, to effect, under conditions suitable for adsorption within the bed, selective adsorption and/or complexing of the contained acetylenic contaminants with the adsorbent, and thereby obtain purified olefinic product which contains less than about 1 part per million by volume of the acetylenic impurities. Thereafter the resulting bed of adsorbent is regenerated in the presence of a reducing gas containing dihydrogen to effect release of the contained acetylenic impurities from the adsorbent.

Process enhancing adsorbent capacity for acetylenic compounds

A collapsed composition is described which is substantially composed of microcrystallites collectively of the formula:

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Aurora, IL, United States of America

Michael J Foral