Cyclic adsorption process for the recovery of ethane from a gaseous mixture consisting of methane and ethane

Claim 1

A METHOD OF REMOVING AND RECOVERING ETHANE FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONSISTING SUBSTANTIALLY OF METHANE AND ETHANE COMPRISING ROTATING A SERIES OF SEPARATED BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL DIRECTLY IN SUCCESSION AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY RELATIVE TO AND THROUGH A FIRST PURGING STAGE, AN ACTIVATION STAGE, A SECOND PURGING STAGE, AND AT LEAST ONE ADSORPTION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING A FLOW OF THE GAS TO BE TREATED UNDER HIGH PRESSURE AND IN SUCCESSION THROUGH THE ADSORPTION STAGES SO THAT THE ETHANE CONTENT THEREOF WILL BE ADSORBED BY THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN; CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING A FLOW OF CAPTIVE ACTIVATION GAS THROUGH A HEATING ZONE AND THERE HEATING THE CAPTIVE GAS, THEN DIRECTLY THROUGH SAID ACTIVATION STAGE TO DESORB THE ETHANE CONTAINED IN THE BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN, THEN DIRECTLY BACK TO SAID HEATING ZONE, WHEREBY THE RECYCLING CAPTIVE ACTIVATION GAS WILL BECOME HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN DESORBED ETHANE; CONTINUOUSLY DIVERTING A PORTION OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION GAS FOR USE ING ITS FLOW INTO THE FIRST PURGING STAGE AND CONTINUOUSLYNG DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFUENT GAS FROM THE FIRST PURGING STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE GAS BEING TREATED ON ITS WAY TO THE FIRST ADSORPTION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING A PORTION OF THE STRIPPED EFFUENT GAS FROM THE LAST ADSORPTION STAGE FOR USE AS THE SECOND PURGING GAS AND DIRECTING ITS FLOW INTO THE SECOND PURGING STAGE AND CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFUENT GAS FROM THE SECOND PURGING STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE CAPTIVE RECYCLING ACTIVATION GAS ON ITS WAY TO BE HEATED; AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE ACTIVATION GAS FROM ITS RECYCLING PATH AFTER IT HAS BECOME HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN ETHANE TO A PREDETERMINED DEGREE BY VOLUME, AS THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF REMOVING AND RECOVERING ETHANE FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONSISTING SUBSTANTIALLY OF METHANE AND ETHANE COMPRISING ROTATING A SERIES OF SEPARATED BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL DIRECTLY IN SUCCESSION AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY RELATIVE TO AND THROUGH A FIRST PURGING STAGE, AN ACTIVATION STAGE, A SECOND PURGING STAGE, AND AT LEAST ONE ADSORPTION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING A FLOW OF THE GAS TO BE TREATED UNDER HIGH PRESSURE AND IN SUCCESSION THROUGH THE ADSORPTION STAGES SO THAT THE ETHANE CONTENT THEREOF WILL BE ADSORBED BY THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN; CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING A FLOW OF CAPTIVE ACTIVATION GAS THROUGH A HEATING ZONE AND THERE HEATING THE CAPTIVE GAS, THEN DIRECTLY THROUGH SAID ACTIVATION STAGE TO DESORB THE ETHANE CONTAINED IN THE BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN, THEN DIRECTLY BACK TO SAID HEATING ZONE, WHEREBY THE RECYCLING CAPTIVE ACTIVATION GAS WILL BECOME HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN DESORBED ETHANE; CONTINUOUSLY DIVERTING A PORTION OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION GAS FOR USE ING ITS FLOW INTO THE FIRST PURGING STAGE AND CONTINUOUSLYNG DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFUENT GAS FROM THE FIRST PURGING STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE GAS BEING TREATED ON ITS WAY TO THE FIRST ADSORPTION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING A PORTION OF THE STRIPPED EFFUENT GAS FROM THE LAST ADSORPTION STAGE FOR USE AS THE SECOND PURGING GAS AND DIRECTING ITS FLOW INTO THE SECOND PURGING STAGE AND CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFUENT GAS FROM THE SECOND PURGING STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE CAPTIVE RECYCLING ACTIVATION GAS ON ITS WAY TO BE HEATED; AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE ACTIVATION GAS FROM ITS RECYCLING PATH AFTER IT HAS BECOME HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN ETHANE TO A PREDETERMINED DEGREE BY VOLUME, AS THE FINISHED PRODUCT.