Separation of gases

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF HYDROGEN FROM A GAS CONTAINING LOW-BOILING HYDROCARBONS INCLUDING METHANE, ETHANE, AND ETHYLENE WHICH COMPRISES COOLING SAID GAS TO A TEMPERATURE AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE SUCH THAT A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE ETHYLENE IS CONDENSED, SEPARATING THE CONDENSATE FROM SAID GAS, PASSING THE CONDENSATE TO A ZONE IN WHICH DEMETANIZATION THEREOF IS EFFECTED, PASSING METHANE GAS OBTAINED FROM SAID CONDENSATE IN SAID ZONE INTO HEAT EXCHANGE WITH FEED AND OTHER GASEOUS STREAMS IN THE PROCESS, COOLING GAS FROM WHICH CONDENSATE HAS BEEN SEPARATED TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY THE REMAINDER OF THE ETHANE, ETHYLENE AND A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE METHANE ARE CONDENSED, SEPARATING CONDENSED ETHANE, ETHYLENE AND METHANE FROM SAID LAST MENTIONED GAS, PASSING CONDENSED ETHANE, ETHYLENE AND METHANE, THUS OBTAINED, IN HEAT EXCHANGE WITH FEED TO THE LAST MENTIONED SEPARATING AND WITH FEED TO THE PROCESS, PASSING THE REMAINDER OF GAS, FROM WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL ETHYLENE, ETHANE AND METHANE HAVE BEEN SEPARATED AND WHICH IS A STREAM CONTAINING ESSENTIALLY HYDROGEN WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY METHANE-FREE, INTO HEAT EXCHANGE WITH FEED TO THE LAST MENTIONED SEPARATING PROCESS, THEN EXPANDING SAID REMAINDER OF THE GAS, FROM WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL ETHYLENE, ETHANE AND METHANE HAVE NOW BEEN SEPARATED, THUS PRODUCING A REFRIGERANT STREAM AND PASSING SAID REFRIGERANT STREAM IN HEAT EXCHANGE WITH FEED TO THE LAST MENTIONED SEPARATING AND WITH FEED TO THE PROCESS.