Preparation of reactor effluent for recovery of acetylene and the like therefrom

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR QUENCHING AND SCRUBBING A HIGH TEMPERATURE CRACKED GAS CONTAINED ACETYLENE RECOVERED FROM THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS TO PRODUCE ACETYLENE, WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID HIGH TEMPERATURE CRACKED GAS INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF A TWO-STAGE QUENCHING ZONE, INITIALLY CONTACTING SAID CRACKED GAS IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SIAD QUENCHING ZONE WITH RELATIVELY COOLER QUENCH OIL IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW, FINALLY CONTACTING SAID CRACKED GAS WITH QUENCH WATER IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID QUENCHING ZONE IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW, WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING QUENCHING, RELATIVELY TAR-FREE CRACKED GAS CONTAINING ACETYLENE AS OVERHEAD FROM SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID QUENCHING ZONE, WITHDRAWING LIQUID CONDENSTATE FROM SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID QUENCHING ZONE, WITHDRAWING SPENT OIL FROM SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID QUENCHING ZONE, PASSING SAID LIQUID CONDENSATE AND SPENT OIL TO THE LOWER PORTION OF A SUB-ATMOSPHERIC FLASHING ZONE TO EFFECT EVAPORATION OF A MINOR PORTION OF SAID LIQUID CONDENSATE AND CAUSE SAID SPENT OIL AND A MAJOR PORTION OF SAIOD LIQUID CONDENSATE TO SETTLE IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FLASHING ZONE, CONDENSING THE RESULTING WATER VAPOR IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FLASHING ZONE, WITHDRAWING WATER AND SAID SETTLED SPENT OIL FROM SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FLASHING ZONE AND CONVEYING THE SAME TO A LIQUID SEPARATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING OIL FROM THE LATTER ZONE AND PASSING THE SME TO THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID QUENCHING ZONE FOR USE AS SAID QUENCH OIL, COLLECTING LIQUID CONDENSATE ACCUMULATING IN THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID FLASHING ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING SAID LAST-MENTIONED CONDENSATE FROM SAID FLASHING ZONE FOR USE AS QUENCH AND SCRUBBING A GAS RE

Claim 3

APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING AND SCRUBBING A GAS RECOVERED FROM THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS FROM A THERMAL REACTOR, WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION A TWO-STAGE GAS-LIQUID CONTACT TOWER INTERMEDIATELY DIVIDED BY LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS, HAVING A GAS PASSAGE THEREIN, INTO LOWER AND UPPER QUENCHING ZONES, GAS-INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF SAID LOWER QUENCHING ZONE, GASOUTLET MEANS IN THE UPPER PART OF SAID UPPER QUENCHING ZONE, FIRST LIQUID INLET MEANS IN THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER QUENCHING ZONE, SECOND LIQUID INLET MEANS IN THE UPPER END OF SAID UPPER QUENCHING XONE, FIRST LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID LOWER QUENCHING ZONE, SECOND LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER QUENCHING ZONE AND ADAPTED TO WITHDRAW LIQUID FROM SAID LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS, FRIST CONDUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO FIRST AND SECOND LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS, A SUB-ATMOSPHERIC FLASH TOWER INTERMEDIATELY DIVIDED BY LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS INTO AND UPPER AND LOWER ZONES, LIQUID INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF SAID LOWER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRS CONDUIT MEANS, AN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGER DISPOSED IN SAID UPPER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER, THIRD LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID LOWER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER, FOURTH LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER AND OPERATIVELY ADAPTED TO WITHDRAW LIQUID FROM SAID LAST-MENTIONED LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS, SECOND CONDUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS, A LIQUID SETTLING TANK OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID LASTMENTIONED CONDUIT MEANS, THIRD CONDUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SETTLING TANK AND SAID FRIST LIQUID INLET MEANS AND ADAPTED TO SUPPLY THE SAME WITH QUENCH MEDIA, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FOURTH LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS AND ADAPTED TO RETURN QUENCH MEDIA THEREFORM TO THE SYSTEM.

Claim 4

APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING AND SCRUBBING A GAS RECOVERED FROM THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS FROM A THERMAL REACTOR, WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION A TWO-STAGE GAS-LIQUID CONTACT TOWER INTERMEDIATELY DIVIDED BY LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS, HAVING A GAS PASSAGE THEREIN, INTO LOWER AND UPPER QUENCHING ZONES, GAS-INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF SAID LOWER QUENCHING ZONE, GASOUTLET MEANS IN THE UPPER PART OF SAID UPPER QUENCHING ZONE, FIRST LIQUID INLET MEANS IN THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER QUENCHING ZONE, SECOND LIQUID INLET MEANS IN THE UPPER END OF SAID UPPER QUENCHING XONE, FIRST LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID LOWER QUENCHING ZONE, SECOND LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER QUENCHING ZONE AND ADAPTED TO WITHDRAW LIQUID FROM SAID LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS, FRIST CONDUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO FIRST AND SECOND LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS, A SUB-ATMOSPHERIC FLASH TOWER INTERMEDIATELY DIVIDED BY LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS INTO AND UPPER AND LOWER ZONES, LIQUID INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF SAID LOWER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRS CONDUIT MEANS, AN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGER DISPOSED IN SAID UPPER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER, THIRD LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID LOWER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER, FOURTH LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER ZONE OF SAID FLASH TOWER AND OPERATIVELY ADAPTED TO WITHDRAW LIQUID FROM SAID LAST-MENTIONED LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS, SECOND CONDUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS, A LIQUID SETTLING TANK OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID LASTMENTIONED CONDUIT MEANS, THIRD CONDUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SETTLING TANK AND SAID FRIST LIQUID INLET MEANS AND ADAPTED TO SUPPLY THE SAME WITH QUENCH MEDIA, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FOURTH LIQUID WITHDRAWAL OUTLET MEANS AND ADAPTED TO RETURN QUENCH MEDIA THEREFORM TO THE SYSTEM.