Desulfurizing fluids utilizing pressure cycling technique

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL OF SULFUR COMPOUNDS FROM FLUID HYDROCARBON STREAMS CONTAINING THE SAME WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A PRIMARY ZONE UTILIZING TWO ADSORBENT BEDS EACH BED OF WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING A ONE END AND AN OTHER END, AND A HYDROFINING OPERATION, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FLOWING A FEED STREAM OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING SULFUR COMPOUNDS INTO SAID PRIMARY ZONE FROM THE ONE END TO THE OTHER END THROUGH A FORST BED OF AN ADSORBENT AT A PRESELECTED INITIALLY RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE AND IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION IN AN INITIAL CYCLE, SAID ADSORBENT HAVING A SELECTIVELY FOR SAID SULFUR COMPOUNDS, DISCHHARGING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE STREAM FROM SAID FIRST BED AS DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT, SEGREGATING A PORTION OF SAID DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AND WITHDRAWING SAME, PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW FROM THE OTHER END TO ONE END THROUGH A SECOND BED OF ADSORBENT AT A RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE WHICH ADSORBENT IS RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID SLUFUR COMPOUNDS AS COMPARED TO SAID FIRST BED AT THE START OF SAID INITIAL CYCLE, AND WITHDRAWING THE SAME AS A SECONDARY EFFLUENT, WHEREBY AS SAID INITIAL CYCLE CONTINUES, SAID FIRST BED BECOME RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID SULFUR COMPOUNDS PROGRESSIVELY FROM SAID ONE END TOWARD SAID OTHER END, AND WHEREBY SAID SECOND BED BECOMES RELATIVELY FREED FROM SAID SULFUR COMPOUNDS FROM SAID OTHER END TOWARD SAID ONE END, CONTINUING SAID INITIAL CYCLE FOR A TIME PERIOD LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE RELATIVELY SATURATION OF SAID FIRST BED AT SAID OTHER END AND THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE FREEDOM FROM SAID SULFUR COMPOUNDS OF SAID SECOND BED AT SAID ONE END, THEREAFTER INTRODUCING SAID FEED STREAM INTO SAID ONE END OF SAID SECOND BED IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION AT SAUID INITIAL RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE, DISCHARGING SAID GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID SECOND BED AS A DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT, SEGRATING A PORTION OF SAID LASR NAMED DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT STREAM AND WITHDRAWING SAME, PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID LAST NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW FROM SAID OTHER END TO SAID ONE END OF SAID FIRST BED OF ADSORBENT AT SAID RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE, WITHDRAWING THE SAME AS A SECONDARY EFFLUENT AND THEREAFTER CYCLICALLY CONTINUING THE OPERATION, PASSING SAID SECONDARY EFFLUENT AND HYDROGEN TO SAID HYDROFINING OPERATION WHEREIN SAID SULFUR COMPOUNDS ARE CONVERTED TO HYDROGEN SULFIDE, THEREAFTER SEPARATING SAID HYDROGEN SUFLIDE FROM SAID SECONDARY EFFLUENT AND COMBINING SAID DESULFURIZED SECONDARY EFFLUENT WITH SAID PRIMARY EFFLUENT OF SAID PRIMARY ZONE, PASSING SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND UNREACTED HYDROGEN TO A SECONDARY ZONE UTILIZING A THIRD AND FOURTH ADSORBENT BEDS EACH OF WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING A ONE END AND AN OTHER END, SAID PRESSURE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FLOWING SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND UNREACTED HYDROGEN FROM THE ONE END TO THE OTHER END THROUGH SAID THIRD BED OF AN ADSORBENT, OF SAID SECONDARY ZONE, AT A PRESELECTED INITIALLY RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE AND IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION IN AN INITIAL CYCLE, SAID ADSORBENT HAVING A SELECTIVELY FOR SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDE, DISCHARGING A STREAM COMPRISING HYDROGEN FROM SAID THIRD BED AS A DESUFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT, SEGREGATING A PORTION OF SAID DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AND RECYCLING THE SAME TO SAID HYDROFINING OPERATION, PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW FROM THE OTHER END TO THE ONE END THROUGH SAID FOURTH BED OF ADSORBENT AT A RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE WHICH ADSORBENT IS RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDE AS COMPOUND TO SAID FIRST BED AT THE START OF SAID INITIAL CYCLE, AND WITHDRAWING THE SAME AS A SECONDARY EFFLUENT, WHEREBY AS SAID INITIAL CYCLE CONTINUES, SAID THIRD BED BECOMES RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDE PROGRESSIVELY FROM SAID ONE END TOWARD SAOD OTHER END, AND WHEREBY SAID FOURTH BED BECOMES RELATIVELY FREED FROM HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM SAID OTHER END TOWARD SAID ONE END, CONTINUING SAID INITIAL CYCLE FOR A TIME PERIOD LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE RELATIVELY SATURATION OF SAID THIRD BED AT SAID OTHER END AND THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE FREEDOM FROM HYDROGEN SULFIDE OF SAID FOURTH BED AT SAID ONE END, THEREAFTER INTRODUCING SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND HYDROGEN INTO SAID ONE END OF SAID FOURTH BED IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION AT SAID INITIAL RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE DISCHARGING SAID GASEOUS STREAM COMPRISING HYDROGEN FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID FOURTH BED AS A DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT, SEGREGATING A PORTION OF SAID LAST NAMED DESULFURIZED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT STREAM AND RECYCLING THE SAME TO SAID HYDROFINING OPERATION, PASSING THE REMAINDER SAID LEAST NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW FROM SAID OTHER END TO SAID ONE END OF SAID THIRD BED OF ADSORBENT AT SAID RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE, WITHDRAWING THE SAME AS A SECONDARY EFFLUENT AND THEREAFTER CYCLICALLY CONTINUING THE OPERATION.