Separation and recovery of hydrocarbons from gaseous mixtures thereof

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR TREATING A VAPOROUS MIXTURE OF NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS AND EASILY VAPORIZED NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS COMPRISING SEPARATING SAID MIXTURE AT A SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO A VAPOR PHASE AND A LIQUID PHASE, INTIMATELY CONTACTING IN A DEMETHANIZING OPERATION SAID VAPOR PHASE WITH A BOTTOMS MATERIAL AS SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCES, WITHDRAWING AN OVERHEAD VAPOROUS MATERIAL AND A LIQUID BOTTOMS MATERIAL FROM SAID DEMETHANIZING OPERATION, DEPROPANIZING THIS WITHDRAWN LIQUID BOTTOMS MATERIAL AND WITHDRAWING AN OVERHEAD VAPOROUS STREAM COMPRISING PROPANE AND ETHANE, DEETHANIZING THIS LATTER OVER HEAD STEAM AND FROM THIS DEETHANIZING OPERATION RECOVERNG A FIRST PRODUCT COMPRISING ETHANE AND A SECOND PRODUCT COMPRISING PROPANE, STABILIZING THE AFOREMENTIONED LIQUID PHASE AND FROM THIS STABILIZING OPERATION REMOVING VAPOROUS MATERIAL AND CONDENSING SAME, INTRODUCING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE CONDENSATE INTO SAID DEMETHANIZING OPERATION, WITHDRAWING STABILIZED GASOLINE FROM SAID STABILIZING OPERATION, REMOVING ONE PORTION THEREOF AS ANOTHER PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS AND CONTACTING THE OTHER PORTION WITH SAID OVERHEAD VAPOROUS MATERIAL IN AN ABSORBING OPERATION, FROM THIS LATTER ABSORBING OPERATING REMOVING AN OVERHEAD GASEOUS MATERIAL AS ANOTHER PRODUCT, INTRODUCING GASOLINE CONTAINING ABSORBED HYDROCARBNS FROM SAID LATTER ABSORPTION OPERATION INTO SAID STABILIZING OPERATION, PASSING A PORTION OF THE BOTTOMS FROM THE DEPROPANIZING OPERATION INTO SAID DEMETHANIZING OPERATION AS SAID BOTTOMS MATERIAL AS SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCED AND REMOVING THE REMAINDER AS ANOTHER PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR TREATING A VAPOROUS MIXTURE OF NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS AND EASILY VAPORIZED NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS COMPRISING SEPARATING SAID MIXTURE AT A SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO A VAPOR PHASE AND A LIQUID PHASE, INTIMATELY CONTACTING IN A DEMETHANIZING OPERATION SAID VAPOR PHASE WITH A BOTTOMS MATERIAL AS SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCES, WITHDRAWING AN OVERHEAD VAPOROUS MATERIAL AND A LIQUID BOTTOMS MATERIAL FROM SAID DEMETHANIZING OPERATION, DEPROPANIZING THIS WITHDRAWN LIQUID BOTTOMS MATERIAL AND WITHDRAWING AN OVERHEAD VAPOROUS STREAM COMPRISING PROPANE AND ETHANE, DEETHANIZING THIS LATTER OVER HEAD STEAM AND FROM THIS DEETHANIZING OPERATION RECOVERNG A FIRST PRODUCT COMPRISING ETHANE AND A SECOND PRODUCT COMPRISING PROPANE, STABILIZING THE AFOREMENTIONED LIQUID PHASE AND FROM THIS STABILIZING OPERATION REMOVING VAPOROUS MATERIAL AND CONDENSING SAME, INTRODUCING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE CONDENSATE INTO SAID DEMETHANIZING OPERATION, WITHDRAWING STABILIZED GASOLINE FROM SAID STABILIZING OPERATION, REMOVING ONE PORTION THEREOF AS ANOTHER PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS AND CONTACTING THE OTHER PORTION WITH SAID OVERHEAD VAPOROUS MATERIAL IN AN ABSORBING OPERATION, FROM THIS LATTER ABSORBING OPERATING REMOVING AN OVERHEAD GASEOUS MATERIAL AS ANOTHER PRODUCT, INTRODUCING GASOLINE CONTAINING ABSORBED HYDROCARBNS FROM SAID LATTER ABSORPTION OPERATION INTO SAID STABILIZING OPERATION, PASSING A PORTION OF THE BOTTOMS FROM THE DEPROPANIZING OPERATION INTO SAID DEMETHANIZING OPERATION AS SAID BOTTOMS MATERIAL AS SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCED AND REMOVING THE REMAINDER AS ANOTHER PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.