System and process for removal of organic carboxylates from mono ethylene glycol (MEG) water streams by acidification and vaporization under vacuum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10934237-B2
Application number	US-201916380023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2019
Priority date	Oct 10, 2013
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A system and method for removing organic carboxylates from a mono ethylene glycol (“MEG”) stream includes a reaction vessel; means for cooling and diluting the MEG stream being routed to the reaction vessel; means for acidifying the cooled and diluted MEG stream during its residence time within the reaction vessel; and means for removing an acetic-rich overhead stream from the reaction vessel. The acidification of the cooled and diluted MEG stream occurs under a vacuum. The reaction vessel may be located downstream of a calcium removal vessel and receive a filtered bottom stream from that vessel, or it may be a single reaction vessel that cycles between a calcium removal mode and an acetate removal mode, with the pressure of the single vessel being greater during the calcium removal mode than during the acetate removal mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for separating organic carboxylates from a mono ethylene glycol (“MEG”) stream, the process comprising:
routing a MEG stream having organic carboxylates in solution to a reaction vessel;
acidifying the MEG stream to convert the organic carboxylates to carboxylic acid;
removing divalent species from the MEG stream by raising the alkalinity of the MEG stream; and
separating the carboxylic acid from the MEG stream.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the MEG stream being routed to the reaction vessel.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising diluting the MEG stream being routed to the reaction vessel.

4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising raising the alkalinity of the MEG stream.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein raising the alkalinity of the MEG stream comprises adding at least one of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide to the MEG stream.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid is separated from the MEG stream in the reaction vessel.

7. A process for removal of organic carboxylates from a hydrocarbon well in a mono ethylene glycol (“MEG”) stream, the process comprising:
acidifying the MEG stream within a reaction vessel to convert the organic carboxylates to carboxylic acid; and
removing the carboxylic acid, in a vapor phase, from the reaction vessel.

8. The process of claim 7 , further comprising cooling the MEG stream being routed to the reaction vessel.

9. The process of claim 7 , further comprising diluting the MEG stream being routed to the reaction vessel.

10. The process of claim 7 , wherein acidifying the MEG stream occurs during a residence time of the MEG stream in the reaction vessel.

11. The process of claim 7 , further comprising raising the alkalinity of the MEG stream.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein raising the alkalinity of the MEG stream comprises adding at least one of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide to the MEG stream.

13. The process of claim 7 , further comprising removing divalent species from the MEG stream.

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein the divalent species includes calcium.

15. A process for removal of organic carboxylates and divalent species from a hydrocarbon well in a mono ethylene glycol (“MEG”) stream, the process comprising:
routing the MEG stream to a reaction vessel;
converting the organic carboxylates to carboxylic acids by acidifying the MEG stream;
removing the carboxylic acids, in a vapor phase, from the vessel;
converting the divalent species to carbonates by raising the alkalinity of the MEG stream; and
removing the carbonates from the MEG stream.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the divalent species includes calcium.

17. The process of claim 15 , wherein the vaporization occurs in the reaction vessel.

18. The process of claim 15 , wherein acidifying the MEG stream occurs in the reaction vessel.

19. The process of claim 15 , wherein removing the carbonates from the MEG stream occurs before converting the organic carboxylates to carboxylic acids by acidifying the MEG stream.

Assignees

• Cameron Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Messenger Brian E

Classifications

• C10L2290/12

  Regeneration of a solvent, catalyst, adsorbent or any other component used to treat or prepare a fuel · CPC title

• C07C29/50

  with molecular oxygen only · CPC title

• C10L2290/54

  Specific separation steps for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel · CPC title

• C10L3/107

  Limiting or prohibiting hydrate formation · CPC title

• B01D3/009

  in combination with chemical reactions · CPC title