The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 07, 2017
Filed:
Oct. 17, 2014
Jaime A. Valencia, Houston, TX (US);
Paul Scott Northrop, Spring, TX (US);
Jaime A. Valencia, Houston, TX (US);
Paul Scott Northrop, Spring, TX (US);
ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Spring, TX (US);
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a method of separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. The method includes maintaining a controlled freeze zone section in a distillation tower; maintaining a melt tray assembly within the controlled freeze zone section that operates at a temperature and pressure at which solid melts; forming solids in a controlled freeze zone section; raising a liquid level of a liquid in the melt tray assembly when the solids accumulate on a mechanical component in the controlled freeze zone section; raising a liquid temperature of the liquid while raising the liquid level; and lowering the liquid level after at least one of (a) a predetermined time period has passed and (b) an alternative temperature of the mechanical component is within an expected temperature range of a baseline temperature of the mechanical component.