Dividing wall column with vapor separation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10688408-B2
Application number	US-201816046149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2018
Priority date	Jul 26, 2018
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus for separating a feed stream into product streams. The apparatus includes an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section. The middle section has a dividing wall separating it into two portions. A liquid barrier blocks the flow of liquid from the upper section into the middle section and allows vapor to flow from the middle section to the upper section. A vapor and liquid barrier blocks both the flow of both vapor from the lower section to the middle section and the flow of liquid from the middle section to the lower section. Vapor conduits allow vapor to flow from the lower section to each of the middle portions in varying amounts. Also processes for separating a feed stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for separating a feed composition comprising a plurality of components, the apparatus comprising:
an upper section;
a middle section, the middle section comprising a dividing wall separating the middle section into two portions, each of the two portions of the middle section being separated from the upper section by a liquid barrier configured to block a flow of liquid from the upper section into the middle section and the liquid barrier configured to allow for vapor to flow from the middle section to the upper section; and,
a lower section, the lower section separated from the middle section by a vapor and liquid barrier configured to block both a flow of vapor from the lower section to the middle section and a flow of liquid from the middle section to the lower section such that a pressure in a first portion of the middle section is independent of a pressure in a second portion of the middle section,
wherein the dividing wall precludes liquid accumulating on a top of the vapor and liquid barrier within the two portions of the middle section from mixing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
at least one vapor conduit providing vapor flow from the lower section to the middle section.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:
at least one liquid conduit providing liquid flow from the middle section to the lower section.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a first vapor conduit providing vapor flow from the lower section to the first portion of the middle section; and,
a second vapor conduit providing vapor flow from the lower section to the second portion of the middle section.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:
a first control valve disposed in the first vapor conduit; and,
a second control valve disposed in the second vapor conduit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first and second control valves are configured to operate independently of each other.

7. A dividing wall distillation column comprising:
a first section having a tray for collecting a first liquid;
a second section disposed below the first section, the second section comprising two portions separated from each other by a wall, wherein the tray of the first section is configured to block the first liquid from flowing from the first section into either of the two portions of the second section; and,
a third section separated from the second section by a solid vapor and liquid barrier configured to block a flow of vapor from the third section to the second section and block a flow of liquid from the second section to the third section such that a pressure in a first portion of the second section is independent of a pressure in a second portion of the second section,
wherein the dividing wall precludes liquid accumulating on a top of the vapor and liquid barrier within the two portions of the middle section from mixing.

8. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 7 further comprising:
a first vapor conduit providing vapor flow from the third section to the first portion of the second section; and,
a second vapor conduit providing vapor flow from the third section to the second portion of the second section.

9. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 8 further comprising:
a first control valve disposed in the first vapor conduit; and,
a second control valve disposed in the second vapor conduit.

10. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 9 , wherein the first and second control valves are configured to operate independently of each other.

11. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 8 further comprising:
at least one liquid conduit for providing liquid from the second section to the third section.

12. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 7 , wherein the first section further comprises a first outlet for a first product stream.

13. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 12 , wherein the first portion of the second section further comprises an inlet for a feed composition, and the second portion of the second section further comprises a second outlet for a second product stream.

14. The dividing wall distillation column of claim 13 , wherein the third section further comprises a third outlet for a third product stream.

15. A process for separating a hydrocarbon feed stream comprising at least three different components into at least three product streams, the process comprising:
passing the hydrocarbon feed stream into a middle section of a dividing wall distillation column, the dividing wall distillation column further comprising an upper section disposed above the middle section and a lower section disposed below the lower section, and the middle section separated into two portions by a wall extending through the middle section from the upper section to the lower section;
blocking a flow of liquid from the upper section to the middle section with a liquid barrier;
blocking both a flow of liquid from the middle section to the lower section and a flow of vapor from the lower section to the middle section with a vapor and liquid barrier such that a pressure in a first portion of the middle section is independent of a pressure in a second portion of the middle section;
recovering a first product stream from the upper section;
recovering a second product stream from the middle section; and,
recovering a third product stream from the lower section,
wherein the dividing wall precludes liquid accumulating on a top of the vapor and liquid barrier within the two portions of the middle section from mixing.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream is passed into one of the two portions of the middle section, and wherein the second product stream is recovered from the other of the two portions of the middle section.

17. The process of claim 15 wherein a vapor is passed from the lower section to the middle section with at least two vapor flow conduits.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein a first vapor flow conduit passes the vapor from the lower section to the first portion of the middle section, and wherein the second vapor flow conduit passes the vapor from the lower section to the second portion of the middle section.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein a pressure of the first portion is different than a pressure of the second portion.

20. The process of claim 15 , further comprising at least one of:
sensing at least one parameter of the process and generating a signal or data from the sensing; and
transmitting the signal; or
transmitting the data.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Goyal Amit
• Ghosh Sudipta
• Haas Joe R

Classifications

• C10G7/12

  Controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B01D3/4261

  Side stream · CPC title

• B01D3/141 Primary

  where at least one distillation column contains at least one dividing wall · CPC title

• C10G7/00 Primary

  Distillation of hydrocarbon oils · CPC title