Absorption process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF WET HYDROCARBON GAS MIXTURES CONTAINING NORMALLY LIQUID AND LIQUEFIABLE CONSTITUTENTS WHICH COMPRISES COMPRESSING A WET HYDROCARBON FEED GAS TO A RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE, COOLING THE COMPRESSED FEED GAS TO EFFECT CONDENSATION OF THE HIGHER BOILING HYDROCARBONS, SEPARATING THIS FEED GAS CONDENSATE FROM THE COMPRESSED FED GAS, FLASHING SAID FEED GAS CONDENSATE INTO A CONDENSATE CONDITIONING ZONE AT A PESSURE MAINTAINED BETWEEN ABOUT -1 P.S.I.G. AND ABOUT -14 P.S.I.G. TO PRODUCE A LEAN CONDENSATE AND FLASHED VAPORS, COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING SAID LEAN CONDENSATE AND SAID COMPRESSED FEED GAS IN AN ABSORPTION ZONE AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 P.S.I.G. AND ABOUT 2500 P.S.I.G. TO FORM A RICH CONDENSATE AND A LEAN GAS SATURATED WITH VAPORS OF SAID LEAN CONDENSATE, REFRIGERATING SAID LEAN GAS TO A SUBATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL CHARGE IN PRESSURE FORMING A RECOVERED LEAN CONDENSATE FRACTION AND A LEAN CONDENSATE-FREE DRY GAS PRODUCT, SIMULTANEOUDLY FLASHING SAID RICH CONDENSATE AND SAID RECOVERED LEAN CONDENSATE FRACTION INTO A VENT ZONE AT A PRESSURE MAINTAINED BETWEEN ABOUT 25 P.S.I.G. AND ABOUT 250 P.S.I.G. TO FORM A FLASHED RICH CONDENSATE AND A FIRST VAPOR RECYCLE, COMPRESSING SAID FLASH VAPOR COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING THE COMPRESSED SAID FLASHED VAPOR WITH SAID FLASHED RICH CONDENSATE IN A LIQUID PRODUCT FRACTIONATION ZONE AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT / P.S.I.G. AND ABOUT 100 P.S.I.G. TO PRODUCE A LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT AND A SECOND VAPOR RECYCLE, COMBINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND VAPOR RECYCLE STREAMS WITH SAID WET HYDROCARBON FEED GAS, PASSING SAID LIQUID PRODUCT INTO A PRODUCT STORAGE ZONE AT A PRESSURE MAINTAINED BETWEEN ABOUT O P.S.I.G. AND ABOUT 70 P.S.I.G., COMBINING EVOLVED VAPOR FROM SAID STORAGE ZONE WITH SAID FLASHED VAPOR, AND REMOVING A LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT FROM SAID STORAGE ZONE.