Hydrogen recovery with condensate wash in heat exchanger path

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF A HYDROGEN CONCENTRATE FROM A DRIED GASEOUS MIXTURE AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE CONTAINING HYDROGEN AS ITS MAIN COMPONENT BY VOLUME AND CONTAINING ONE OR MORE HIGHER BOILING INORGANIC GASES WHICH CAN BE SEPARATED FROM HYDROGEN BY CONDENSATION AT LOW TEMPERATURES, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (A) COOLING THE GASEOUS MIXTURE AT THE ELEVATED PRESSURE BY PASSING IT THROUGH AT LEAST TWO HEAT EXCHANGERS WITH THE CONDENSATION OF COMPONENTS OTHER THAN HYDROGEN TAKING PLACE IN AT LEAST THE FINAL TWO HEAT EXCHANGERS, A PARTIALLY CONCENTRATED HYDROGEN LEAVING THE NEXT TO THE LAST HEAT EXCHANGER BEING PASSED UPWARDLY THROUGH THE FINAL HEAT EXCHANGER WITH CONDENSATE FORMED THEREIN FLOWING DOWNWARDS IN CONTACT WITH THE RISING STREAM AND A HYDROGEN CONCENTRATE LEAVING THE TOP OF THE FINAL HEAT EXCHANGER (B) SEPARATING THE CONDENSED LIQUID FRACTION AFTER EACH HEAT EXCHANGER IN WHICH CONDENSATION TAKES PLACE (C) PASSING THE HYDROGEN CONCENTRATE LEAVING THE TOP OF THE FINAL HEAT EXCHANGER DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A SEPARATE PATH IN THE FINAL HEAT EXCHANGER IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE PARTIALLY CONCENTRATED HYDROGEN PASSING UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH (D) EXPANDING AT LEAST A PART OF THE HYDROGEN CONCENTRATE LEAVING THE LOWER END OF THE FINAL HEAT EXCHANGER WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF EXTERNAL WORK TO PRODUCE REFRIGERATION FOR USE IN THE PROCESS (E) RETURNING THE EXPANDED AT LEAST PART OF THE HYDROGEN CONCENTRATE THROUGH ALL THE HEAT EXCHANGERS COUNTERCURRENT TO AND IN INDIRECT EXCHANGE WITH THE INCOMING GASEOUS MIXTURE (F) RETURNING ANY REMAINING PORTION OF HYDROGEN CONCENTRATE THROUGH ALL THE HEAT EXCHANGERS OTHER THAN THE FINAL HEAT EXCHANGER COUNTERCURRENT TO AND IN INDIRECT HEAT EXHANGE WITH THE INCOMING GASEOUS MIXTURE (G) EXPANDING THE LIQUEFIED CONDENSATE FROM EACH HEAT EXCHANGER AND RETURNING EACH EXPANDED LIQUID CONDENSATE THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER IN WHICH IT WAS FORMED AND THROUGH THE PRECEDING HEAT EXCHANGERS IN COUNTERCURRENT TO AND IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE INCOMING GASEOUS MIXTURE, THE CONDENSATES BEING EVAPORATED AND WARMED UP IN THEIR PASSAGE THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGERS.