Column

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9700831-B2
Application number	US-201213680227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2012
Priority date	Nov 22, 2011
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a column comprising a jacket that bounds at least a first jacket space (M) and a second jacket space arranged thereabove along the longitudinal axis (L). The e first jacket space is separated from the second jacket space by a gas-permeable first chimney tray. A gaseous phase flows upward into the first jacket space, through the first chimney tray into the second jacket space, and then flows upward into the second jacket space. In the first jacket space the gaseous phase (M), in counter-current flow, contacts a first liquid washing agent, and in the second jacket space the gaseous phase, in counter-current flow, contacts a second liquid washing agent. The first chimney tray has a separator for separating the second washing agent, which separates the second washing agent (W′) and directs it into the second jacket space. The invention further relates to an apparatus comprising the column and a method for separating CO 2 from a gaseous phase.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A column for separating CO 2 from a CO 2 -containing gaseous phase, said column comprising:
a jacket ( 10 ), which extends along a longitudinal axis (L),
wherein said jacket ( 10 ) bounds at least a first jacket space (M) and a second jacket space (M′) arranged above said first jacket space (M) along said longitudinal axis (L),
a gas-permeable first chimney tray ( 20 ) having a base ( 21 ) and at least one chimney ( 22 ), said base ( 21 ) extending in a direction crosswise to said longitudinal axis (L), said least one chimney ( 22 ) extending in the direction of said longitudinal axis (L), and a chimney top ( 26 ) that overlaps an opening (O) of said at least one chimney ( 22 ), wherein said first jacket space (M) is separated from said second jacket space (M′) by said gas-permeable first chimney tray ( 20 ) with said first jacket space (M) being positioned below said base ( 21 ) and said second jacket space (M′) being positioned above said base ( 21 ), whereby a gaseous phase (G) flowing upward through said first jacket space (M) along said longitudinal axis (L) can pass through said at least one chimney ( 22 ) of said first chimney tray ( 20 ) into said second jacket space (M′),
wherein said chimney top is arranged in the direction of longitudinal axis (L) some distance away from a front side ( 24 ) of said at least one chimney ( 22 ) and borders said opening (O) of said at least one chimney ( 22 ) in such a way that said at least one chimney ( 22 ) and said chimney top ( 26 ) define a circumferential gap (S),
wherein said column ( 1 ) is designed to contact a gaseous phase (G) in the first jacket space (M), in counter-current flow, with a first liquid washing agent (W) in the form of water in order to wash water-soluble components out of gaseous phase (G), and
said first chimney tray ( 20 ) having a separator ( 200 ) for separating a second washing agent (W′), flowing counter current to gaseous phase (G) in said second jacket space (M′), said separator being permeable to gaseous phase (G) flowing upward through the chimney from the first jacket space into the second jacket space and said separator being designed so that second washing agent (W′) is separated by the separator ( 200 ) and directed into said second jacket space (M′) and is suppressed from flowing into said first jacket space (M), and said separator ( 200 ) being positioned in said circumferential gap (S) and arranged in such a way that gaseous phase (G) can pass only through said separator ( 200 ) from said first jacket space (M) into said second jacket space (M′), and second washing agent (W′) that is separated by said separator ( 200 ) flows into said second jacket space (M′),
wherein said separator ( 200 ) goes around said chimney ( 26 ) crosswise to the longitudinal axis (L) of said column, and said separator ( 200 ) has an inner side ( 200 a ) that faces said at least one chimney ( 22 ), which inner side rests against an outer side ( 22 b ) of said at least one chimney ( 22 ), in such a way that in said separator ( 200 ), second washing agent (W′) flows downward along said outer side ( 22 b ) of said at least one chimney ( 22 ) into said second jacket space (M′),
wherein said chimney top ( 26 ) is connected to said at least one chimney ( 22 ) via at least one longitudinally extended fastening element ( 28 ), and said at least one fastening element ( 28 ) is surrounded by said separator ( 200 ), and
wherein said first chimney tray and said separator are adapted to direct the second washing agent separated from the separator into said second jacket space, and are adapted to suppress overflow of the second washing agent into said first jacket space.

2. The column according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one chimney ( 22 ) has a circumferential edge area ( 25 ) that bounds said opening (O) of said at least one chimney ( 22 ), and said circumferential edge area is made in the shape of a flat frustum jacket.

3. The column according to claim 1 , wherein said jacket ( 10 ) also bounds a third jacket space (M″), which is arranged in the direction of said longitudinal axis (L) above said second jacket space (M′), wherein said second jacket space (M′) is separated by a gas-permeable second chimney tray ( 30 ) from said third jacket space (M″), and wherein said column ( 1 ) is designed for directing gaseous phase (G) from said second jacket space (M′) through said second chimney tray ( 30 ) into said third jacket space (M″) and directing gaseous phase (G) upward in said third jacket space (M″) along said longitudinal axis (L), and wherein said column ( 1 ) is designed to contact gaseous phase (G) in said third jacket space (M″), in counter-current flow, with a third liquid washing agent (W″) in the form of water, and wherein said second chimney tray ( 30 ) has a further separator ( 300 ) for separating third washing agent (W″), said further separator ( 300 ) being designed in such a way that a third washing agent (W″) that is separated by said separator ( 300 ) is directed into said third jacket space (M″), for gaseous phase (G) to flow from said second jacket space (M′) into said third jacket space (M″) wherein said second chimney tray ( 30 ) has at least one chimney ( 32 ), extended along said longitudinal axis (L), with a chimney top ( 36 ) that overlaps an opening (O′) of said at least one chimney ( 32 ), which chimney top is arranged in the direction of said longitudinal axis (L) at some distance from a front side ( 34 ) of said at least one chimney ( 32 ) that borders said opening (O′) of said at least one chimney ( 32 ), in such a way that said at least one chimney ( 32 ) and said chimney top ( 36 ) define a circumferential gap (S′), and said separator ( 300 ) is arranged in such a way that gaseous phase (G) can pass only through said separator ( 300 ) from said second jacket space (M′) into said third jacket space (M″), and a third washing agent (W″) that is separated by said separator ( 300 ) flows into said third jacket space (M″).

4. An apparatus comprising a column according to claim 1 , wherein said column is arranged on a buoyant carrier.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said buoyant carrier is a platform or a vessel.

6. A method for separating CO 2 from a CO 2 -containing gaseous phase in a column according to claim 1 , said method comprising:
contacting a CO 2 -containing gaseous phase (G) in said first jacket space (M) of said column, in counter-current flow, with a first liquid washing agent (W) in the form of water to wash water-soluble components out of said gaseous phase (G), wherein said gaseous phase is directed from the bottom to the top of said first jacket space (M),
directing said gaseous phase from said first jacket space into said second jacket space (M′) of said column wherein said gaseous phase (G) is contacted, in counter-current flow, with a second liquid washing agent (W′) to wash CO 2 out of said gaseous phase (G),
wherein said first jacket space (M) and said second jacket space (M′) are connected via said separator ( 200 ) for separating said second washing agent (W′) in such a way that, during idling, second washing agent (W′) that is entrained in another gas stream (G′), which has a direction of flow that is opposite to the flow of said gaseous phase (G), is separated by said separator ( 200 ) and flows into said second jacket space (M′).

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said CO 2 -containing gaseous phase contains hydrocarbons.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said CO 2 -containing gaseous phase is natural gas.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said second washing agent (W′) contains methyl diethanolamine.

10. The method according to c

Assignees

• Linde Ag

Inventors

• Matten Christian
• Pfeiffer Christian

Classifications

• B01D53/1475 Primary

  Removing carbon dioxide · CPC title

• B01D53/1406 Primary

  Multiple stage absorption · CPC title

• Y02P70/34

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02C10/06

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B01D3/16

  Fractionating columns in which vapour bubbles through liquid (packing elements B01J19/30, B01J19/32) · CPC title