Process and apparatus for plural distillation of hydrocarbon water feed

Claim 1

A PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A HYDROCARBON MIXTURE CONTAINING WATER TO A FRACTIONATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING A VAPOR PHASE FROM SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE, PARTICALLY CONDENSING SAID WITHDRAWN VAPOR PHASE, PASSING THE RESULTANT LIQUID-VAPOR MIXTURE TO A FIRST SEPARATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING A VAPOR PHASE FROM SAID SEPARATION ZONE AND PASSING THE SAID VAPOR PHASE THROUGH A FIRST RECTIFICATION ZONE, CONDENSING A FIRST HYDROCARBON CONTAINED WITHIN THE RESULTANT VAPOR PHASE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID RECTIFICATION ZONE, PASSING SAID CONDENSED FIRST HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID FIRST RECTIFICATION ZONE TO SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE, COMPRESSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID VAPOR PHASE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID RECTIFICATION ZONE, PASSING THE RESULTANT COMPRESSED VAPORS TO A SECOND SEPARATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING A VAPOR PHASE FROM SAID SECOND SEPARATION ZONE AND PASSING THE SAID VAPOR PHASE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID SECOND SEPARATION ZONE TO A SECOND RECTIFICATION ZONE, CONDENSING A SECOND HYDROCARBON CONTAINED WITHIN THE RESULTANT VAPOR PHASE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID SECOND RECTIFICATION ZONE, PASSING THE RESULTANT CONDENSED SAID SECOND HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID SECOND RECTIFICATION ZONE TO SAID SECOND SEPARATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING SAID SECOND HYDROCARBON FROM SAID SECOND SEPARATION ZONE, PASSING A LIQUID PHASE FROM SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE TO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING SAID FIRST HYDROCARBON FROM SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING WATER FROM SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE AND SAID SECOND SEPARATION ZONE.