Process for removing sulfur compounds from natural gas streams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9518239-B2
Application number	US-201414445502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Jul 29, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A process for the removal of sulfur compounds from a feed stream. A first separation zone removes sulfur compounds and produces a partially cleaned stream. A first adsorption zone adsorbs the remaining organic sulfur compounds on a regenerable adsorbent a produces a treated gas stream. A portion of the treated gas stream may regenerate the adsorbent in the first adsorption zone by removing organic sulfur compounds. The organic sulfur compound rich stream can be passed to a non-regenerable adsorption zone. The non-regenerable adsorption zone will separate out the organic sulfur compounds and provide a re-treated gas stream which may be recycled to a portion of the process. The non-regenerable adsorption zone may include regenerable adsorbent, but the zone is not operated to regenerate the adsorbent while it is in the non-regenerable adsorption zone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for the treatment of a natural gas feed stream comprising:
passing a natural gas feed stream to a separation zone to separate carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the natural gas feed stream to provide an at least partially cleaned stream;
passing the at least partially cleaned stream to a first adsorption zone to separate organic sulfur compounds and provide a treated gas stream, wherein the first adsorption zone comprises one or more beds with a regenerable adsorbent;
regenerating the regenerable adsorbent of the first adsorption zone with a portion of the treated gas stream to provide an organic sulfur rich stream; and,
passing the organic sulfur rich stream to a second adsorption zone to separate organic sulfur compounds and provide a re-treated gas stream.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second adsorption zone comprises a non-regenerable adsorption zone.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the non-regenerable adsorption zone comprises one or more beds with a regenerable adsorbent and the non-regenerable adsorption zone is operated in a non-regenerable manner.

4. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
passing the re-treated gas stream to the separation zone.

5. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
passing the re-treated gas stream to the first adsorption zone.

6. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
dehydrating the organic sulfur rich stream in a dehydration zone prior to passing the organic sulfur rich stream to the second adsorption zone.

7. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
passing the portion of the treated gas stream used to regenerate to a de-oxygenation zone to provide an oxygen lean stream.

8. The process of claim 7 further comprising:
passing the oxygen lean stream to a dehydration zone before passing the oxygen lean stream to the first adsorption zone.

9. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
regenerating the regenerable adsorbent of the first adsorption zone with at least a portion of the re-treated gas stream.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second adsorption zone comprises a metal oxide adsorbent.

11. The process of claim 10 further comprising:
disposing of the metal oxide adsorbent.

12. A process for the treatment of a natural gas feed stream comprising:
passing a natural gas feed stream to a first separation zone to separate hydrogen sulfide from the natural gas feed stream to provide an at least partially cleaned stream;
passing the at least partially cleaned stream to a first adsorption zone to separate organic sulfur compounds and provide a treated gas stream, wherein the first adsorption zone comprises one or more beds with a regenerable adsorbent;
recovering organic sulfur compounds from the first adsorption zone with a portion of the treated gas stream in an organic sulfur rich stream;
passing the organic sulfur rich stream to a second adsorption zone to separate organic sulfur compounds and provide a re-treated gas stream; and,
recycling the re-treated gas stream to a processing zone.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein the re-treated gas stream is recycled back to the first separation zone.

14. The process of claim 13 further comprising:
increasing a pressure of the re-treated gas stream before the re-treated gas stream is recycled to the first separation zone.

15. The process of claim 12 , wherein the re-treated gas stream is recycled back to the first adsorption zone.

16. The process of claim 12 further comprising:
dehydrating the organic sulfur rich stream in a dehydration zone prior to passing the organic sulfur rich stream to the second adsorption zone.

17. The process of claim 12 further comprising:
regenerating the regenerable adsorbent of the first adsorption zone with at least a portion of the re-treated gas stream.

18. The process of claim 12 , wherein the second adsorption zone comprises a metal oxide adsorbent.

19. The process of claim 18 further comprising:
disposing of the metal oxide adsorbent.

20. The process of claim 12 , wherein the second adsorption zone comprises one or more beds with a regenerable adsorbent and the second adsorption zone is operated in a non-regenerable manner.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Doong Shain-Jer
• Gorawara Jayant Kumar
• Zhou Lubo

Classifications

• C10L2290/08

  Drying or removing water · CPC title

• B01D2257/104

  Oxygen · CPC title

• Y02C10/06

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B01D2259/40083

  Regeneration of adsorbents in processes other than pressure or temperature swing adsorption · CPC title

• B01D2259/402

  using two beds · CPC title