Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Linde Gmbh

Torben Höfel

Martin Dieterle

Helmut Fritz

Mathieu Zellhuber

Heinrich Laib

Florina Corina Patcas

Heinz Zimmermann

Tuat Pham Duc

Josef Kunkel

Sonja Giesa

Benedikt Kurz

David Bruder

Duc Tuat Pham

Anne Spindelndreher

Martin Kamann

Richard Koller

Michael Scholch

Karlheinz Brudi

Sean McCracken

Matthias Andre

Gunther Kracker-Semler

Christine Tögel

Stefan Kotrel

Sean Mccracken

A process for separating a component mixture comprising essentially hydrocarbons having two or two or more carbon atoms, methane and hydrogen using a distillation apparatus () is proposed. Fluid (a, c, e, g, i) from the component mixture is cooled stepwise to a first pressure level, with separation of first condensates (b, d, f, h, j) out of the fluid (a, c, e, g, i) in each case. Fluid (k) from the component mixture that remains in gaseous form thereafter is expanded to a second pressure level in an expander, giving a second condensate (l). Fluid from the first condensates (b, d, f, h, j) is expanded from the first pressure level to the second pressure level and fed together with the fluid from the second condensates into the distillation apparatus () which is being operated at the second pressure level. The present invention likewise provides a corresponding separation apparatus.

Process for separating a component mixture and separation apparatus

A process () for the production of ethylene is proposed in which a first feed gas (A) and a second feed gas (B) are fed to a reactor () and processed therein by vapour cracking to obtain a product mixture (C), the first feed gas (A) comprising more than 90 weight percent saturated hydrocarbons and more than 80 weight percent ethane, and wherein the product mixture (C) or a part thereof is subjected to a treatment () and the resulting mixture (F) or a part thereof is subjected to a separation () to obtain a resulting mixture (F) containing hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene and hydrocarbons having three, four and at least five carbon atoms. The separation () being provided in that it comprises an ethylene separation step () to which at least the ethane, the ethylene and the hydrocarbons having three carbon atoms from the succeeding mixture (F) or a part thereof are fed unseparated from each other in a common separation insert (S, V, X), in which in the ethylene separation step () a light fraction (K) containing more than 95 mole percent ethylene is fed, and a heavy fraction (T, W, Y) containing at least a portion of the ethane from the separation insert (S, V, X) and at least 15% by weight of the hydrocarbons having three and four carbon atoms from the separation insert (S, V, X), and wherein the heavy separation product (T, W, Y) from the ethylene separation step () or a portion thereof is used as part or to form the second feed gas (B). A corresponding annex is also the subject of this invention.

Method and apparatus for the production of ethylene

A method () is proposed for the manufacture of benzene, in which a first feedstock mixture is formed, which contains alkylated aromatics and hydrogen, and in which the alkylated aromatics contained in the first feedstock mixture are partially converted with the hydrogen contained in the first feedstock mixture to the benzene through hydrodealkylation (), thereby obtaining a first product mixture, wherein the first product mixture contains the benzene, the unconverted alkylated aromatics, alkanes with one to three carbon atoms formed in the conversion of the alkylated aromatics to the benzene, and the unconverted hydrogen, and wherein at least a part of the alkanes with one to three carbon atoms and of the hydrogen are separated from the first product mixture, thereby obtaining a light-gas fraction. It is proposed that the hydrogen contained in the first feedstock mixture is provided at least in part with the use of a low-temperature separation (), to which at least a part of a second product mixture is supplied, wherein the second product mixture is formed at least in part through steam cracking () of a second feedstock mixture, and that the light-gas fraction is also supplied at least in part to the low-temperature separation (). A corresponding plant also forms the subject matter of the invention.

Method and system for producing benzene

Proposed is a process () for producing ethylene in which ethane in a reaction input is partly catalytically converted by oxidative dehydrogenation () in the presence of oxygen to obtain a gaseous first component mixture containing at least ethane, ethylene, acetic acid and water. It is provided that at least a portion of the gaseous first component mixture is subjected to a scrubbing operation with a scrubbing liquid to obtain a liquid second component mixture containing water and acetic acid, that a first proportion of the second component mixture is used for forming the scrubbing liquid, that a second proportion of the second component mixture is subjected to a solvent extraction to obtain a liquid third component mixture containing at least one organic solvent and acetic acid and that at least a portion of the liquid third component mixture is heated and subjected to a distillation to obtain a liquid containing predominantly or exclusively acetic acid. The heating of the third component mixture or the portion thereof subjected to the distillation is performed at least partly in heat exchange with the first component mixture and/or with the first and/or with the second proportion of the second component mixture. A corresponding plant likewise forms part of the subject matter of the present invention.

Process and plant for producing olefins

A method for separating a hydrogen-containing hydrocarbon mixture (C2minus), which in addition to the hydrogen essentially contains hydrocarbons with two carbon atoms and methane, using a distillation column (). Fluid (a, c, e) of the hydrocarbon mixture (C2minus) is cooled stepwise at a first pressure level, during which time first condensates (b, d) are separated from the fluid (a, c, e). Fluid (e) from the hydrocarbon mixture (C2minus) which remains gaseous after this is fed at the first pressure level into a C2 absorber (), to which a liquid reflux (r) is added at the top, while a second condensate (f) is drawn off from the sump of the C2 absorber () and a gaseous top stream (g) containing predominantly methane and hydrogen is drawn off at the top of the C2 absorber (). Fluid of the above-mentioned gaseous top stream (g) from the top of the C2 absorber () is cooled to a third temperature level and transferred at the first pressure level into a hydrogen separator () in which a methane-rich third condensate (i) is separated from the fluid of the gaseous top stream (g), leaving behind a gaseous, hydrogen-rich stream (h). Fluid of the first condensates (b, d) and fluid of the second condensate (f) is depressurized from the first pressure level to a second pressure level below the first pressure level and fed into the distillation column () which is operated at the second pressure level. Fluid (e) of the third condensate (i) which is separated in the hydrogen separator () from the fluid of the gaseous top stream (g) from the top of the C2 absorber is used as the reflux (r) added at the top of the C2 absorber () and transferred from the hydrogen separator to the C2 absorber solely by gravity. The invention also relates to a corresponding separating unit and a corresponding olefin apparatus.

Method for separating a hydrocarbon mixture containing hydrogen, separating device, and olefin plant

A method for obtaining an ethylene product in a supercritical state is proposed, in which method a gas mixture containing predominantly or exclusively ethylene and ethane is separated in a distillation column (), which is operated at a distillation pressure level of from 5 to 15 bar, into an overhead product containing predominantly or exclusively ethylene and a bottom product containing predominantly or exclusively ethane, the overhead product being withdrawn in the gaseous state from the head of the distillation column () and a first portion thereof being liquefied and returned as reflux to the distillation column () and a second portion thereof being converted into a supercritical state and being used as the ethylene product. Provision is made that, for converting the second portion into the supercritical state, multi-stage compression from the distillation pressure level via a plurality of intermediate pressure levels to a supercritical pressure level is carried out, the second portion in the multi-stage compression being converted predominantly or exclusively from the gaseous into the supercritical state. A corresponding installation is likewise a subject of the invention.

Process and plant for obtaining an ethylene product in a supercritical state

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Munich, Germany

Torben Höfel