Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Preshit Dandekar

Ross E Dugas

Zubin B Kuvadia

German A Oliveros Patino

The present invention provides strategies to integrate adsorption and liquefaction techniques to separate hydrocarbon feed mixtures into purified light and heavy components, respectively. Initially, the hydrocarbon stream is separated into a light and heavy stream. The light stream can be integrated into a natural gas product. The heavy stream is partially liquefied. A first gas liquid separation of the partially liquefied heavy stream at an elevated pressure separates the liquid heavy stream from a methane-containing gas. The rejected methane component, which generally will include some rejected C2 and C3+ material, can be recycled to be combined with the feed mixture for re-processing. A further aspect of the strategy is then to practice at least one additional gas-liquid separation of the separated liquid heavy stream at a lower pressure effective to help further resolve the liquid heavy stream from C2-containing gas. The rejected C2 component, which generally will include some rejected C1 and C3+ material, can then be recycled back into the feed mixture for reprocessing or used as all or a portion of a light hydrocarbon product.

Methods and systems to separate hydrocarbon mixtures such as natural gas into light and heavy components

The present invention integrates adsorption and liquefaction techniques to separate hydrocarbon feed mixtures into light and heavy components. A feed is partially liquefied in two or more stages. A first stage occurs at higher pressure. A second stage occurs at lower pressure. At each stage, gas and liquid components are separated. The separated heavy components resulting from liquefaction provide a purified natural gas liquid product. The separated gas components may be further processed and/or handled to provide purified natural gas. Heavy streams resulting from the further processing of the separated gas streams may be recycled and incorporated into the feed mixture. By using separate liquefaction stages at different pressures to favor C1 and then C2 separation from the heavy stream, a natural gas liquid product with high C3+ purity results.

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Preshit Dandekar