Method and system of dehydrating a feed stream processed in a distillation tower

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9803918-B2
Application number	US-201414516705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method of dehydrating a feed stream processed in a distillation tower. The method may include (a) introducing a feed stream comprising a first contaminant stream into a distillation tower; (b) forming a solid from the feed stream in a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower; (c) feeding a second contaminant stream into the feed stream outside the distillation tower; and (d) removing water from the feed stream with a second contaminant stream by feeding the second contaminant stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of dehydrating a feed stream processed in a distillation tower, the method comprising:
(a) providing the feed stream comprising a first contaminant from a gas reservoir;
(b) determining the concentration of the first contaminant in the feed stream;
(c) feeding a second contaminant stream into the feed stream outside of the distillation tower until the total amount of the first and second contaminant in the feed stream is greater than 25%;
(d) after the second contaminant has been introduced into the feed stream, processing the feed stream in a dehydration unit to produce a dehydrated feed stream; and
(e) introducing the dehydrated feed stream to a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower and forming a solid from the feed stream.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first contaminant in the feed stream is a different type of contaminant than the contaminant in the second contaminant stream.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first contaminant stream and the second contaminant stream comprise carbon dioxide.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dehydration unit comprises one of a glycol-based unit and a molecular sieve unit.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein feeding the second contaminant stream comprises at least one of (i) transporting the second contaminant stream from the distillation tower to the feed stream and (ii) transporting the second contaminant stream from a second contaminant storage tank to the feed stream.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second contaminant storage tank is outside of the distillation tower.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second contaminant stream is fed to the feed stream before the feed stream enters a heat exchanger.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second contaminant stream is fed into the feed stream outside of the distillation tower until the total amount of the first and second contaminant in the feed stream is between about 25 to 35 percent.

9. A method of producing hydrocarbons, the method comprising:
(a) providing a feed stream from a gas reservoir comprising a hydrocarbon and a first contaminant;
(b) determining the concentration of the first contaminant in the feed stream;
(c) processing the feed stream in a dehydration unit to produce a dehydrated feed stream;
(d) feeding a second contaminant stream into the dehydrated feed stream outside of the distillation tower until the total amount of the first and second contaminant in the dehydrated feed stream is greater than 25%;
(e) introducing the dehydrated feed stream that comprises the first contaminant and the second contaminant to a heat exchanger;
(f) introducing the cooled dehydrated feed stream to the controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower and forming a solid from the feed stream; and
(g) producing the hydrocarbon from the distillation tower after forming the solid.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first contaminant stream comprises a different type of contaminant from the second contaminant stream.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first contaminant stream and the second contaminant stream comprises carbon dioxide.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the dehydration unit comprises one of a glycol-based unit and a molecular sieve.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein feeding the second contaminant stream comprises at least one of (i) transporting the second contaminant stream from the distillation tower to the feed stream and (ii) transporting the second contaminant stream from a second contaminant storage tank to the feed stream.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second contaminant storage tank is outside of the distillation tower.

Assignees

• Valencia Jaime A
• Northrop Paul Scott
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Valencia Jaime A
• Northrop Paul Scott

Classifications

• F25J2205/20

  using solidification of components · CPC title

• C10L2290/541

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

• C10L3/101

  Removal of contaminants · CPC title

• F25J2290/40

  Vertical layout or arrangement of cold equipments within in the cold box, e.g. columns, condensers, heat exchangers etc. · CPC title

• F25J3/0635

  separation of CnHm with 1 carbon atom or more · CPC title