Method and system for separating a feed stream with a feed stream distribution mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10139158-B2
Application number	US-201414516709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a distillation tower for separating a feed stream. The distillation tower includes a controlled freeze zone section having a controlled freeze zone upper section and a controlled freeze zone lower section below the controlled freeze zone upper section. The controlled freeze zone section includes: (a) a spray assembly in the controlled freeze zone upper section; (b) a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone lower section; (c) a feed stream distribution mechanism between the spray assembly and the melt tray assembly. The feed stream distribution mechanism is constructed and arranged to uniformly distribute the feed stream in the controlled freeze zone section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A distillation tower for separating a feed stream, the distillation tower comprising:
a controlled freeze zone section having a controlled freeze zone upper section and a controlled freeze zone lower section below the controlled freeze zone upper section, wherein the controlled freeze zone section is constructed and arranged to form a solid from the feed stream,
wherein the controlled freeze zone section comprises:
(a) a spray assembly in the controlled freeze zone upper section;
(b) a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone lower section; and
(c) a feed stream distribution mechanism between the spray assembly and the melt tray assembly,

wherein the feed stream comprises a liquid portion and a vapor portion; a first inlet for directly introducing the vapor portion to the feed stream distribution mechanism
wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism is constructed and arranged to uniformly distribute the vapor portion of the feed stream, in the controlled freeze zone section;
wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism comprises a pipe header having a plurality of orifices that are distributed in pairs along a lower half of the pipe header, and wherein the upper half of the pipe header does not comprise orifices;
wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism is configured such that the plurality of orifices are angled downwards towards the controlled freeze zone lower section and such that the pairs of orifices operate to direct the feed stream vapor portion downward when the feed stream vapor portion first exits the orifices and then direct the feed stream vapor portion upwards along the outer surface of the lower half of the pipe header towards the spray assembly;
wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism operates to direct the vapor portion of the feed stream downward and toward the melt tray assembly; and
a second inlet, at a different location from the first inlet, for directly introducing the liquid portion into the distillation column at the melt tray assembly.

2. The distillation tower of claim 1 , wherein the pipe header is one of H-shaped and X-shaped.

3. The distillation tower of claim 1 , wherein the pipe header includes a first pipe and a second pipe that intersects the first pipe.

4. The distillation tower of claim 3 ,
wherein the controlled freeze zone section includes a controlled freeze zone wall,
wherein the first pipe extends from a first location of the controlled freeze zone wall to a second location of the controlled freeze zone wall, and
wherein the second pipe extends from a third location of the controlled freeze zone wall to a fourth location of the controlled freeze zone wall.

5. The distillation tower of claim 1 , wherein the pipe header includes:
a first pipe,
a second pipe that intersects the first pipe,
a third pipe that intersects the second pipe, and
a fourth pipe that intersects the second pipe and is parallel to the third pipe.

6. The distillation tower of claim 5 ,
wherein the controlled freeze zone section includes a controlled freeze zone wall, and
wherein the first pipe extends from the controlled freeze zone wall to the second pipe.

7. The distillation tower of claim 1 , wherein the distillation tower further comprises an inlet channel that extends from the controlled freeze zone section and transports the vapor portion of the feed stream into the controlled freeze zone section.

8. The distillation tower of claim 7 ,
wherein the feed stream comprises a hydrocarbon and a contaminant, and
wherein the feed stream contains less than or equal to 20% contaminant when transported into the controlled freeze zone section from the inlet channel.

9. The distillation tower of claim 1 , wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism has a shape that minimizes the cross-section of the feed stream distribution mechanism along a lateral axis of the controlled freeze zone section.

10. The distillation tower of claim 1 , wherein the distribution of the vapor portion of the feed stream through the orifices of the feed stream distribution mechanism and around the outer surface of the pipe header acts to prevent the formation of solids on the outer surface of the feed stream distribution mechanism.

11. A method of separating a feed stream in a distillation tower, the method comprising:
directly introducing the feed stream into the distillation tower via a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower, wherein the feed stream comprises a vapor portion and a liquid portion, and wherein the vapor portion and the liquid portion are directly introduced into the distillation tower at different locations;
operating the controlled freeze zone section at a temperature and pressure at which the liquid portion of the feed stream forms a solid in the controlled freeze zone section;
uniformly distributing the vapor portion of the feed stream introduced into the controlled freeze zone section with a feed stream distribution mechanism that is below a spray assembly of the controlled freeze zone section and is above a melt tray assembly of the controlled freeze zone section; and
forming a solid from the liquid portion of the feed stream in the controlled freeze zone section;
wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism comprises a pipe header having a plurality of orifices that are distributed in pairs along a length of a lower half of the pipe header, and wherein the upper half of the pipe header does not comprise orifices;
wherein the feed stream distribution mechanism is configured such that the plurality of orifices are angled downwards towards the controlled freeze zone lower section and such that the pairs of orifices operate to
direct the vapor portion of the feed stream vapor portion downward and toward the melt tray assembly when the vapor portion of the feed stream first exits the orifices and then
direct the vapor portion of the feed stream upwards along the outer surface of the lower half of the pipe header towards the spray assembly;

introducing the liquid portion of the feed stream into the distillation tower at the melt tray assembly; and
wherein the temperature of the feed stream that flows through the feed stream distribution mechanism is warmer than the solid that forms in the controlled freeze zone section.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising separating the vapor portion of the feed stream from the liquid portion of the feed stream before uniformly distributing the vapor portion of the feed stream.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising producing a hydrocarbon from the feed stream.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the temperature of the vapor portion of the feed stream within the feed stream distribution mechanism acts to prevent the formation of solids on the outer surface of the feed stream distribution mechanism.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the distribution of the vapor portion of the feed stream through the orifices of the feed stream distribution mechanism and around the outer surface of the pipe header acts to prevent the formation of solids on the outer surface of the feed stream distribution mechanism.

Assignees

• Valencia Jaime A
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Valencia Jaime A

Classifications

• F25J2200/50

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• C10L3/102

  of acid contaminants · CPC title

• F25J2220/66

  Separating acid gases, e.g. CO2, SO2, H2S or RSH · CPC title

• F25J2200/30

  using a side column in a single pressure column system · CPC title

• C10L2290/58

  Control or regulation of the fuel preparation of upgrading process · CPC title