Adsorption process and apparatus for gas dehydration and hydrocarbon recovery

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF RECOVERING LIQUID FRACTIONS FROM A MAIN GAS STREAM WHICH INCLUDES, PASSING THE MAIN GAS STREAM THROUGH A BED OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL TO EXTRACT LIQUID FRACTIONS FROM SAID GAS, THEREAFTER SUBJECTING THE BED TO A REGENERATION CYCLE BY PUMPING A REGENERATION STREAM THROUGH SAID BED, SAID REGENERATION CYCLE INCLUDING A HEATING PHASE DURING WHICH HEATED REGENERATION GAS IS CIRCULATED THROUGH SAID BED TO VAPORIZE AND PICK UP THE LIQUID FRACTIONS AND ALSO INCLUDING A COOLING PHASE DURING WHICH UNHEATED REGENERATION HAS IS CIRCULATED THROUGH THE BED TO COOL THE SAME, DIVERTING A PORTION OF THE MAIN GAS STREAM AND UTILIZING SUCH DIVERTED PORTION TO EFFECT THE PUMPING OF THE REGENERATION GAS THROUGH THE BED, WHEREBY THE RATE OF CIRCULATION OF THE REGENERATION GAS IS DEPENDENT UPON THE VOLUME OF GAS WHICH IS DIVERTED, AND CONTROLLING IN ACCORDANCE WITH CONDITIONS OBTAINING IN THE REGENERATION GAS CIRCUIT THE VOLUME OF GAS WHICH IS DIVERTED FROM THE MAIN GAS STREAM DURING THE HEATING PHASE OF THE REGENERATION CYCLE TO THEREBY CONTROL THE RATE OF CIRCULATION OF SAID REGENERATION GAS THROUGH THE BED DURING SAID HEATING PHASE.