Temperature swing adsorption process for heavy hydrocarbon removal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10821394-B2
Application number	US-201816013747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2018
Priority date	Jun 20, 2018
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A process is provided to treat a natural gas stream by removing heavier hydrocarbons comprising C5, C6 and heavier hydrocarbons. The process involves sending a natural gas stream through an adsorbent bed to remove heavier hydrocarbons and producing a product stream comprising C1 to C4 hydrocarbons. A portion of the product stream is sent through a regeneration heater to produce a heated regeneration gas stream which is sent through the adsorbent bed to desorb the heavier hydrocarbons. Then the regeneration gas stream is cooled and sent to a separation unit such as a distillation column to divide the regeneration gas stream into a liquid stream comprising heavier hydrocarbons and a recovered regeneration gas stream.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process to treat a natural gas stream by removing heavier hydrocarbons comprising C5, C6 and heavier hydrocarbons, said process comprising:
sending said natural gas stream through an adsorbent bed to remove said heavier hydrocarbons and producing a product stream comprising C1 to C4 hydrocarbons;
sending a portion of said product stream through a regeneration heater to produce a heated regeneration gas stream;
sending said heated regeneration gas stream through said adsorbent bed to desorb said heavier hydrocarbons; and
cooling said regeneration gas stream and sending a cooled regeneration gas stream to a separation unit to divide said regeneration gas stream into a liquid stream comprising heavier hydrocarbons and a recovered regeneration gas stream, wherein said separation unit comprises a reflux absorber or a distillation column.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said recovered regeneration gas stream is combined with said product stream.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said natural gas stream passes through a filter coalescer before entering said adsorbent bed.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said recovered regeneration gas stream is sent through a chiller or condenser.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said chiller or condenser produces a liquid stream to be returned to said separation unit.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said liquid stream comprising heavier hydrocarbons is sent to a reboiler of the distillation column to produce a liquid heavy hydrocarbon stream and a lighter gas stream.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said lighter gas stream is returned to said distillation column.

8. A process for treating a natural gas stream comprising sending said natural gas stream through an adsorbent bed containing an adsorbent to remove C5, C6 and heavier hydrocarbons and producing a product gas stream comprising C1 to C4 hydrocarbons; regenerating said adsorbent bed by sending a regeneration gas stream through said adsorbent bed to produce a contaminated gas stream; cooling said contaminated gas stream; and sending a cooled contaminated gas stream to a reflux absorber or to a distillation column without chilling said cooled contaminated gas stream by a refrigeration means.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein a recovered regeneration gas stream exits said reflux absorber or said distillation column.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein said recovered regeneration gas stream is sent through a chiller or condenser to recycle a liquid stream.

11. The process of claim 9 wherein said recovered regeneration gas stream is combined with said product gas stream.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Doong Shain-Jer

Classifications

• C10L2290/10

  Recycling of a stream within the process or apparatus to reuse elsewhere therein · CPC title

• C10L2290/06

  Heat exchange, direct or indirect · CPC title

• C10L2290/542

  Adsorption of impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel · CPC title

• B01D2257/702

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title

• B01D2259/401

  using a single bed · CPC title