Absorptive separation of hydrocarbon gases

Claim 1

METHOD OF SEPARATING A NORMALLY GASEOUS MIXTURE OF RELATIVLEY LOW AND HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING THE GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO THE LOWER PART OF AN ABSORPTION TOWER, PASSING THE MIXTURE UPWARDLY COUNTERCURRENT TO AN ABSORPTION MEDIUM UNDER TEMPARATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS ADAPTED TO ABSORB A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE RELATIVLEY HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON, WITHDRAWING FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE TOWER A PORTION OF THE LOW BOILING HYDROCARBON PRESENT IN SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE, PASSING THE RICH ABSORPTION MEDIUM FROM THE BASE OF SAID ABSORPTION TOWER DIRECTLY TO A SECOND TOWER AND INTRODUCING IT THEREIN AT AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, PASSING ADDITIONAL ABSORPTION MEDIUM INTO THE UPPER PART OF SAID SECOND TOWER AND DOWNWARDLY THERETHROUGH, REMOVING FROM THE BASE OF SAID SECOND TOWER ABSORPTION MEDIUM CONTAINING DISSOLVED HYDROCARBON AND INTRODUCING IT DIRECTLY INTO A FLASH ZONE, MAINTAINING SAID FLASH ZONE UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE THEREBY PARTIALLY VAPORIZING THE DISSOLVED HYDROCARBON, PASSING THE VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON DIRECT-