Apparatus for removing an acid gas from a gas stream

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017050141-A1
Application number	US-201615346796-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 2, 2011
Publication date	Feb 23, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus removes acidic gases from a gas stream. The apparatus remove acid gas from a gas stream in a manner that generates a product gas stream at a higher temperature while consuming less energy than the existing technology. The apparatus enables the positive gas temperature differential to be maintained by manipulating the absorber column operating conditions and/or the solvent chemistry to increase the amount of absorption and reaction in the absorber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for removing an acid gas from a gas stream using a CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream comprising an aqueous amine-based solvent solution, the apparatus comprising:
an absorber column; a first feed line for introducing the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream into the absorber column; a first temperature measurement device for measuring a lean solvent temperature of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream introduced into the absorber column; a second feed line for introducing the gas stream into the absorber column; a second temperature measurement device configured to:
measure a product gas temperature of a product gas of the gas stream depleted of the acid gas by the aqueous amine-based solvent solution in the absorber column, and
measure the product gas temperature of the product gas proximate to a location where the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream initially contacts the gas stream;
a control system configured to:
adjust at least one operational parameter selected from the group consisting of the lean solvent temperature, a recirculation rate of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream, and a solvent-to-water ratio of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream, in response to a product gas temperature elevation,
be in communication with the first temperature measurement device and the second temperature measurement device to determine the product gas temperature elevation, wherein the product gas temperature elevation is the difference between the product gas temperature and the lean solvent solution temperature; and
maintain the product gas temperature elevation greater than 5° C.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to receive data from the first temperature measurement device and the second temperature measurement device and to monitor the lean solvent temperature and the product gas temperature.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control system further comprises a lean solvent temperature control for adjusting the lean solvent temperature of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control system further comprises a solvent solution recirculation rate control for adjusting the recirculation rate of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the solvent solution recirculation rate control comprises a circulation pump regulated by the control system for adjusting the recirculation rate of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control system further comprises a solvent-to-water ratio control for adjusting the solvent-to-water ratio of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the solvent-to-water ratio control further comprises a metering system for adjusting the solvent-to-water ratio of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a regenerator for receiving a CO 2 -rich solvent solution stream from the absorber column and removing the acid gas from the CO 2 -rich solvent solution stream to produce a regenerated solvent solution stream.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a heat exchanger for receiving the regenerated solvent solution stream.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a heating unit configured to provide a heating fluid to the heat exchanger to heat the regenerated solvent solution stream by a heat exchange relationship with the heating fluid.

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a lean solvent solution discharge line configured to supply the regenerated solvent solution stream to the first feed line.

12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one operational parameter includes the lean solvent temperature.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one operational parameter includes the recirculation rate of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one operational parameter includes the solvent-to-water ratio of the CO 2 -lean solvent solution stream.

Assignees

• General Electric Technology Gmbh
• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Vitse Frederic
• Schubert Craig Norman

Classifications

• B01D2252/20405

  Monoamines · CPC title

• B01D2252/504

  Mixtures of two or more absorbents · CPC title

• B01D2252/20421

  Primary amines · CPC title

• B01D2252/20484

  with one hydroxyl group · CPC title

• B01D53/1462 Primary

  Removing mixtures of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide · CPC title