Process and apparatus for recovering hydrocarbons from gas streams

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF RECOVERING HYDROCARBON LIQUID FRACTIONS FROM A MAIN GAS STREAM INCLUDING, FLOWING THE MAIN GAS STREAM THROUGH A BED OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL TO REMOVE ADSORBABLE HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS THEREFROM, DISCHARGING THE STRIPPED MAIN GAS STREAM FROM THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL BED, STOPPING THE FLOW OF THE MAIN GAS STREAM THROUGH THE BED, CIRCULATING A REGENERATION GAS THROUGH A REGENERATION CURCUIT WHICH INCLUDES THE BED AND ALSO INCLUDES A CONDENSING AND SEPARATING ZONE, HEATING THE REGENERATING GAS AT A POINT DOWNSTREAM OF THE CONDENSING AND SEPARATING ZONE AND UPSTREAM OF THE DISCHARGE FROM THE BED WHEREBY AS SAID GAS CIRCULATES THROUGH ITS CIRCUIT THE GAS REGENERATES THE BED AND PICKS UP THE HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS WHICH FRACTIONS ARE SUBSEQUENTLY CONDENSED AND SEPARATED AS THE REGENERATION GAS PASSES THROUGH THE CONDENSING AND SEPARATING ZONE, DISCONTINUING THE HEATING OF THE REGENERATION GAS WHEREBY AS SAID GAS CIRCULATES THROUGH ITS CIRCUIT THE GAS COOLS THE REGENERATED BED TO INCREASE ITS ADSORPTIVE CAPACITY IN PREPARATION FOR A SUBSEQUENT ADSORBING CYCLE, ESTABLISHING A FIRST COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE REGENERATION CIRCUIT AND THE MAIN GAS STREAM BEFORE THE MAIN GAS FLOWS THROUGH A BED TO PASS REGENERATION GAS DISCHARGED FROM THE HEATED REGENERATION CIRCUIT THROUGH A BED, AND ESTABLISHING A SECOND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE REGENERATION CIRCUIT AND THE MAIN GAS STREAM AFTER THE MAIN GAS FLOWS THROUGH A BED TO PASS PROCESSED GAS INTO THE REGENERATION CIRCUIT WHEN THE HEATING IS DISCONTINUED TO REPLACE THE GAS DISCHARGED.