Natural gas liquid fractionation plant cooling capacity and potable water generation using integrated vapor compression-ejector cycle and modified multi-effect distillation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10443453-B2
Application number	US-201715842160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2017
Priority date	Aug 8, 2017
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

Certain aspects of natural gas liquid fractionation plant cooling capacity and potable water generation using integrated vapor compression-ejector cycle and modified multi-effect distillation system can be implemented as a system. The system includes a waste heat recovery heat exchanger network thermally coupled to multiple heat sources of a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant. The heat exchanger network is configured to recover at least a portion of heat generated at the multiple heat sources. The system includes a first sub-system thermally coupled to the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to receive at least a first portion of heat recovered by the heat exchanger network. The first sub-system is configured to perform one or more operations using at least the first portion of heat recovered by the heat exchanger network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a waste heat recovery heat exchanger network comprising heat exchangers thermally coupled to a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) fractionation plant, the heat exchanger network configured to recover at least a portion of heat generated at the NGL fractionation plant, wherein the NGL plant comprises a propane de-hydration section comprising a propane dehydrator column, a de-propanizer section comprising a de-propanizer distillation column, a butane de-hydrator section comprising a butane dehydrator column, and de-butanizer section comprising a de-butanizer distillation column, and wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a first heat exchanger thermally coupled to the propane dehydration section, the first heat exchanger configured to heat a first buffer stream using heat carried by a propane de-hydration outlet stream from the propane de-hydration section;
a second heat exchanger thermally coupled to the de-propanizer section, the second heat exchanger configured to heat a second buffer stream using heat carried by a de-propanizer overhead outlet stream from the de-propanizer section; and

a multi-effect-distillation (MED) system thermally coupled to the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to receive at least a first portion of heat recovered by the heat exchanger network, the MED system configured to produce potable water using at least the first portion of heat recovered by the heat exchanger network, wherein the MED system comprises train distillation effects.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a compression-ejector cycle thermally coupled to the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to receive at least a second portion of heat recovered by the heat exchanger network, the compression-ejector cycle comprising a compressor and an ejector, the compression-ejector cycle configured to generate cooling capacity.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a flow control system comprising one or more flow pumps, one or more flow pipes, and one or more valves, wherein the flow control system is connected to the heat exchanger network and the MED system or to the heat exchanger network and the compression-ejector cycle or to the heat exchanger network, the MED system and the compression-ejector cycle, the flow control system configured to flow fluids between the NGL fractionation plant, the heat exchanger network, and one or both of the MED system or the compression-ejector cycle.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the fluids comprise one or more of a NGL fractionation plant stream or a buffer fluid.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the compression-ejector cycle is configured to generate the cooling capacity to cool at least a portion of the NGL fractionation plant, and wherein the compressor comprises a propane compressor.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the compression-ejector cycle comprises a mono-refrigerant dual vapor compressor-ejector cycle.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the compressor-ejector cycle comprises a propane stream that is vaporized to generate the cooling capacity.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the heat exchangers comprises a seventeenth heat exchanger thermally coupled to a de-ethanizer section of the NGL fractionation plant, the de-ethanizer section comprising a de-ethanizer distillation column, the seventeenth heat exchanger configured to heat the propane stream using heat carried by a de-ethanizer refrigeration compressor outlet stream from the de-ethanizer section.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the NGL fractionation plant comprises:
a de-pentanizer section comprising a de-pentanizer distillation column, an Amine-Di-Iso-Propanol (ADIP) regeneration section comprising an ADIP regenerator distillation column, a natural gas de-colorizing section comprising a natural-gas de-colorizer distillation column, a propane vapor recovery section comprising a propane vapor recovery compressor and a propane condenser heat-exchanger, and a propane product refrigeration section comprising a propane refrigeration compressor.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a sixth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the de-pentanizer section, the sixth heat exchanger configured to heat a sixth buffer stream using heat carried by a de-pentanizer overhead outlet stream from the de-pentanizer section; and
a seventh heat exchanger thermally coupled to the ADIP regeneration section, the seventh heat exchanger configured to heat a seventh buffer stream using heat carried by an ADIP regeneration section overhead outlet stream.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
an eighth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the ADIP regeneration section, the eighth heat exchanger configured to heat an eighth buffer stream using heat carried by an ADIP regeneration section bottoms outlet stream; and
a ninth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the natural gas de-colorizing section, the ninth heat exchanger configured to heat a ninth buffer stream using heat carried by a natural gas de-colorizing section pre-flash drum overhead outlet stream.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a tenth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the natural gas de-colorizing section, the tenth heat exchanger configured to heat a tenth buffer stream using heat carried by a natural gas de-colorizer overhead outlet stream;
an eleventh heat exchanger thermally coupled to the propane vapor recovery section, the eleventh heat exchanger configured to heat an eleventh buffer stream using heat carried by a propane vapor recovery compressor outlet stream; and
a twelfth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the propane product refrigeration section, the twelfth heat exchanger configured to heat a twelfth buffer stream using heat carried by a propane refrigeration compressor outlet stream from the propane product refrigeration section.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the NGL fractionation plant comprises a propane product sub-cooling section comprising a compressor and a propane condenser heat-exchanger, a butane product refrigeration section comprising a butane refrigeration compressor, an ethane production section comprising an ethane dryer vessel, and a Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) control section comprising a RVP distillation column.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a thirteenth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the propane product sub-cooling section, the thirteenth heat exchanger configured to heat a thirteenth buffer stream using heat carried by a propane main compressor outlet stream from the propane product sub-cooling section; and
a fourteenth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the butane product refrigeration section, the fourteenth heat exchanger configured to heat a fourteenth buffer stream using heat carried by a butane refrigeration compressor outlet stream from the butane product refrigeration section.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a fifteenth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the ethane production section, the fifteenth heat exchanger configured to heat a fifteenth buffer stream using heat carried by an ethane dryer outlet stream; and
a sixteenth heat exchanger thermally coupled to the RVP control section, the sixteenth heat exchanger configured to heat a sixteenth buffer stream using heat carried by a RVP control column overhead outlet stream.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a third heat exchanger thermally coupled to the butane de-hydrator section, the third heat exchanger configure

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Saudi Araabian Oil Company

Inventors

• Noureldin Mahmoud Bahy Mahmoud
• Kamel Akram Hamed Mohamed

Classifications

• F25J2270/902

  Details about the refrigeration cycle used, e.g. composition of refrigerant, arrangement of compressors or cascade, make up sources, use of reflux exchangers etc. · CPC title

• F25J2240/60

  Expansion by ejector or injector, e.g. "Gasstrahlpumpe", "venturi mixing", "jet pumps" · CPC title

• F25J3/0242

  separation of CnHm with 3 carbon atoms or more · CPC title

• B01D3/146

  Multiple effect distillation · CPC title

• B01D1/0082

  Regulation; Control · CPC title