Temperature swing adsorption process and apparatus with closed loop regeneration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399007-B2
Application number	US-201715687221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Nov 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A temperature swing adsorption apparatuses and process is disclosed comprising passing a feed stream to a first adsorption bed to adsorb one or more contaminants from the feed stream to produce a product stream. A regeneration gas separator overhead stream is passed to a second adsorption bed to provide a second adsorption bed effluent stream. The second adsorption bed effluent stream is passed to a heater to generate a hot regeneration effluent stream. The hot regeneration effluent stream is passed to a third adsorption bed to regenerate the third adsorption bed and provide a regeneration effluent stream. At least a portion of the regeneration effluent stream is passed to a guard bed to remove sulfur and oxygen compounds to provide a treated regeneration effluent stream. The treated regeneration effluent stream is passed to a regeneration gas separator to provide the regeneration gas separator overhead stream.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A temperature swing adsorption process comprising:
passing a feed stream to a first adsorption bed to adsorb one or more contaminants comprising heavy hydrocarbons from the feed stream to produce a product stream;
passing a regeneration gas separator overhead stream to a second adsorption bed to reduce a temperature of the second adsorption bed and provide a second adsorption bed effluent stream;
passing the second adsorption bed effluent stream to a heater to increase a temperature of the second adsorption bed effluent stream to generate a hot regeneration effluent stream;
passing the hot regeneration effluent stream to a third adsorption bed to regenerate the third adsorption bed via an increase in a temperature of the third adsorption bed and provide a regeneration effluent stream;
passing at least a portion of the regeneration effluent stream to a guard bed to remove one or more impurities comprising sulfur and oxygen compounds to provide a treated regeneration effluent stream; and
passing the treated regeneration effluent stream to a regeneration gas separator to separate a liquid stream and provide the regeneration gas separator overhead stream.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein a substantial portion of the oxygen impurities are removed before the third adsorption bed achieves the temperature of about 150° C.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein about 100% of the oxygen impurities are removed before the third adsorption bed achieves the temperature of about 150° C.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the entire regeneration effluent stream is passed to the guard bed.

5. The process of claim 1 further comprises passing a remaining portion of the regeneration effluent stream to a regeneration gas cooler to provide a cooled regeneration effluent, the cooled regeneration effluent being passed to the regeneration gas separator.

6. The process of claim 1 further comprising passing the regeneration gas separator overhead stream through a regeneration gas blower to increase a pressure of the regeneration gas separator overhead stream prior to passing through the second adsorption bed.

7. The process of claim 1 further comprising passing the product stream through a particle filter to remove particles to provide a clean gas stream.

8. The process of claim 7 further comprising taking a portion of clean gas stream as a make-up regeneration gas line and passing the make-up regeneration gas through the regeneration gas separator.

9. The process of claim 1 further comprising passing the feed stream through a filter coalescer to separate liquid from the feed stream.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the guard bed comprises a copper based adsorbent to remove one or more impurities comprising sulfur and oxygen compounds from the regeneration effluent stream.

11. A temperature swing adsorption apparatus comprising:
a first adsorption bed configured to receive a feed stream and adsorb one or more contaminants from the feed stream to produce a product stream;
a second adsorption bed in downstream communication with a regeneration gas separator overhead line comprising a regeneration gas separator overhead stream to reduce a temperature of the second adsorption bed and provide a second adsorption bed effluent stream;
a heater in downstream communication with the second adsorption bed and configured to increase a temperature of the second adsorption bed effluent stream to generate a hot regeneration effluent stream;
a third adsorption bed in downstream communication with the second adsorption bed and configured to receive the hot regeneration effluent stream to regenerate the third adsorption bed via an increase a temperature of the third adsorption bed and provide a regeneration effluent stream in a regeneration effluent line;
a guard bed in downstream communication with the regeneration effluent line configured to remove one or more impurities comprising sulfur and oxygen compounds to provide a treated regeneration effluent stream in a treated regeneration effluent line; and
a regeneration gas separator in downstream communication with the treated regeneration effluent line to separate a liquid stream and provide the regeneration gas separator overhead stream.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising an auxiliary regeneration effluent line in downstream communication with the regeneration effluent line, the auxiliary regeneration effluent line comprising a portion of the regeneration effluent stream.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , herein the regeneration gas cooler being in downstream communication with the auxiliary regeneration effluent line to provide a cooled regenerated effluent in a cooled regeneration effluent line, the regeneration gas separator being in downstream communication with the cooled regeneration effluent line.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a particle filter in communication with the first adsorption bed to provide a clean gas stream in a clean gas line.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a make-up regen gas line in downstream communication with clean gas line, the make-up regen gas line comprising a portion of the clean gas stream.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the regeneration gas separator is in downstream communication with the make-up regen gas line.

17. A temperature swing adsorption process comprising:
passing a feed stream to a first adsorption bed to adsorb one or more contaminants comprising heavy hydrocarbons from the feed stream to produce a product stream;
passing a first portion of the product stream to a guard bed to remove one or more impurities comprising oxygen and sulfur compounds to provide a treated product stream;
passing the treated product stream to a second adsorption bed to reduce a temperature of the second adsorption bed and provide a second adsorption bed effluent stream;
passing the second adsorption bed effluent stream to a heater to increase a temperature of the second adsorption bed effluent stream to generate a hot regeneration effluent stream;
passing the hot regeneration effluent stream to a third adsorption bed to regenerate the third adsorption bed via an increase in a temperature of the third adsorption bed and provide a regeneration effluent stream;
passing the regeneration effluent stream to a regeneration gas cooler to provide a cooled regeneration effluent;
passing the cooled regeneration effluent to the regeneration gas separator to provide a regeneration gas separator overhead stream and liquid stream; and
passing the regeneration gas separator overhead stream to the first adsorption bed.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein the first adsorption bed removes a one or more mercaptan compounds present in the feed stream.

19. The process of claim 17 further comprising passing a remaining portion of the product stream through a particle filter to provide a clean gas stream.

20. The process of claim 17 , wherein adsorbing the one more contaminants from the feed stream comprises adsorbing the contaminants on a silicon gel adsorbent.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Doong Shain-Jer
• Mcilroy Christopher B

Classifications

• B01D2257/306

  Organic sulfur compounds, e.g. mercaptans · CPC title

• B01D2257/30

  Sulfur compounds · CPC title

• B01D2259/403

  using three beds · CPC title

• B01D2256/24

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title

• B01D53/0462 Primary

  Temperature swing adsorption · CPC title