Gas purification process

Claim 2

In a continuous process for removing gaseous impurities contained in a gaseous mixture comprising absorbing the gaseous impurities in an absorbent liquid in a pressurized absorption zone by intimately and directly contacting the gaseous mixture with the absorbent liquid, regenerating the absorbent liquid having the gaseous impurities absorbed therein in a regeneration zone operating at a pressure lower than that existing in the absorption zone by expulsion of the previously absorbed gaseous impurities from the absorbent liquid, and recycling the regenerated absorbent liquid to the absorption zone, the improvement which comprises: a. removing the absorbent liquid with the absorbed gaseous impurities from the pressurized absorption zone and, prior to introducing the absorbent liquid into the regeneration zone, passing said liquid through an ejector to expand said liquid, said passage of liquid through the ejector creating a sub-atmospheric pressure in an expansion zone of the regeneration zone communicating with the ejector; b. introducing the expanded liquid into a separating zone whereby at least part of the absorbed gaseous impurities are separated from the absorbent liquid; c. removing the absorbent liquid from the separating zone and pasSing it to a preheating zone where the absorbent liquid is preheated by the absorbent liquid emerging from the expansion zone; d. passing the absorbent liquid from said preheating zone to the expansion zone whereby further absorbed gaseous impurities in the absorbent liquid, subjected to the sub-atmospheric pressure of the expansion zone, are removed from the absorbent liquid and drawn into the ejector; e. heating the absorbent liquid in said expansion zone by supplying heat from outside said expansion zone; f. removing the heated absorbent liquid from said expansion zone and passing it to said preheating zone whereby the absorbent liquid derived from the separating zone is heated; g. passing the absorbent liquid from said preheating zone to the pressurized absorption zone; and h. removing the gaseous impurities from the system.

Claim 3

In a continuous process for removing gaseous impurities contained in a gaseous mixture comprising absorbing the gaseous impurities in an absorbent liquid in a pressurized absorption zone by intimately and directly contacting the gaseous mixture with the absorbent liquid, regenerating the absorbent liquid having the gaseous impurities absorbed therein in a regeneration zone operating at a pressure lower than that existing in the absorption zone by expulsion of the previously absorbed gaseous impurities from the absorbent liquid, and recycling the regenerated absorbent liquid to the absorption zone, the improvement which comprises: a. removing the absorbent liquid with the absorbed gaseous impurities from the pressurized absorption zone and, prior to introducing the absorbent liquid into the regeneration zone, passing said liquid through an ejector to expand said liquid, said passage of liquid through the ejector creating a sub-atmospheric pressure in an expansion zone of the regeneration zone communicating with the ejector; b. introducing the expanded liquid into a separating zone whereby at least part of the absorbed gaseous impurities are separated from the absorbent liquid; c. removing the absorbent liquid from the separating zone and passing it to a preheating zone where the absorbent liquid is preheated by the absorbent liquid emerging from the expansion zone; d. passing said preheated absorbent liquid to the expansion zone; e. supplying external heat to the absorbent liquid in the expansion zone to bring it to its boiling point whereby the absorbed gaseous impurities contained in the absorbent liquid are eliminated therefrom by means of vapors produced by the boiling in said expansion zone and, subjected to the sub-atmospheric pressure existing in the expansion zone, removed from the absorbent liquid and drawn into the ejector; f. removing the heated absorbent liquid from said expansion zone and passing it to said preheating zone whereby the absorbent liquid derived from the separating zone is heated; g. passing the absorbent liquid from said preheating zone to the pressurized absorption zone; and h. removing the gaseous impurities from the system.

Claim 4

In a continuous process for removing gaseous impurities contained in a gaseous mixture comprising absorbing the gaseous impurities in an absorbent liquid in a pressurized absorption zone by intimately and directly contacting the gaseous mixture with the absorbent liquid, regenerating the absorbent liquid having the gaseous impurities absorbed therein in a regeneration zone operating at a pressure lower than that existing in the absorption zone by expulsion of the previously absorbed gaseous impurities from the absorbent liquid, and recycling the regenerated absorbent liquid to the absorption zone, the improvement which comprises: a. removing the absorbent liquid with the absorbed gaseous impurities from the pressurized absorption zone and, prior to introducing the absorbent liquid into the regeneration zone, passing said liquid through an ejector to expand said liquid, said passage of liquid through the ejector creating a sub-aTmospheric pressure in an expansion zone of the regeneration zone communicating with the ejector; b. introducing the expanded liquid into a first regeneration zone whereby at least part of the absorbed gaseous impurities are separated from the absorbent liquid; c. removing the at least partially regenerated absorbent liquid from the first regeneration zone and introducing the at least partially regenerated absorbent liquid into said expansion zone, whereby further absorbed gaseous impurities in the absorbent liquid, subjected to the sub-atmospheric pressure existing in the expansion zone, are removed from the absorbent liquid and drawn into the ejector; and d. removing the gaseous impurities from the system.

Claim 5

In a continuous process for removing gaseous impurities contained in a gaseous mixture comprising absorbing the gaseous impurities in an absorbent liquid in a pressurized absorption zone by intimately and directly contacting the gaseous mixture with the absorbent liquid, regenerating the absorbent liquid having the gaseous impurities absorbed therein in a regeneration zone operating at a pressure lower than that existing in the absorption zone by expulsion of the previously absorbed gaseous impurities from the absorbent liquid, and recycling the regenerated absorbent liquid to the absorption zone, the improvement which comprises: a. removing the absorbent liquid with the absorbed gaseous impurities from the pressurized absorption zone and, prior to introducing the absorbent liquid into the regeneration zone, passing said liquid through an ejector to expand said liquid, said passage of liquid through the ejector creating a sub-atmospheric pressure in an expansion zone of the regeneration zone communicating with the ejector; b. extracting, by means of the sub-atmospheric pressure created by the ejector, vapor and gaseous impurities from said expansion zone into the ejector; c. bringing said vapor into direct contact with the absorbent liquid passed through the ejector in a heating zone whereby the absorbent liquid is heated and the vapor is condensed; d. passing said absorbent liquid into the regenerating zone and heating it to boiling therein by supplying external heat; e. eliminating gaseous impurities contained in the absorbent liquid by means of vapors produced by said boiling; f. removing the hot, boiling absorbent liquid from the regenerating zone and passing it to the expansion zone, whereby more of the absorbed gaseous impurities and vapors from the absorbent liquid being subjected to the sub-atmospheric pressure of the expansion zone are removed from the absorbent liquid and drawn into the ejector, and g. removing the gaseous impurities from the system.

Claim 6

In a continuous process for removing gaseous impurities contained in a gaseous mixture comprising absorbing the gaseous impurities in an absorbent liquid in a pressurized absorption zone by intimately and directly contacting the gaseous mixture with the absorbent liquid, regenerating the absorbent liquid having the gaseous impurities absorbed therein in a regeneration zone operating at a pressure lower than that existing in the absorption zone by expulsion of the previously absorbed gaseous impurities from the absorbent liquid, and recycling the regenerated absorbent liquid to the absorption zone, the improvement which comprises: a. removing the absorbent liquid with the absorbed gaseous impurities from the pressurized absorption zone and, prior to introducing the absorbent liquid into the regeneration zone, passing said liquid through an ejector to expand said liquid, said passage of liquid through the ejector creating a sub-atmospheric pressure in an expansion zone of the regeneration zone communicating with the ejector; b. passing said absorbent liquid into the regenerating zone and heating it to boiling by supplying external heat thereto; c. eliminating the gaseous impurities contained therein by means of vapors produced by boiling; d. rEmoving the hot and boiling liquid from the regenerating zone and passing it into the expansion zone, whereby further absorbed gaseous impurities in the absorbent liquid, subjected to the sub-atmospheric pressure of the expansion zone, are removed from the absorbent liquid and drawn toward the ejector; e. removing a stream of vapor and gaseous impurities from said expansion zone and cooling said stream whereby the vapor is condensed and the residual gaseous impurities are passed to the ejector; and f. removing the gaseous impurities from the system.

Claim 7

In a process of purifying gaseous mixtures and of eliminating and recovering gaseous impurities therein by means of an absorbent liquid which is caused to circulate between an absorption zone functioning under pressure and in which the absorbent liquid is brought into intimate and direct contact with the gaseous mixture and eliminating the gaseous impurities contained therein, and a regenerating zone functioning under a pressure substantially below that of absorption and in which the liquid is regenerated by expulsion, the improvement which comprises: extracting the absorbent liquid containing the gaseous impurities therein from the pressurized absorption zone, passing said absorbent liquid into an ejector thereby creating a sub-atmospheric pressure in a conduit connected to the ejector, drawing in through said conduit air or other gases, passing the absorbent liquid originating from the ejector together with said air or other gases into the regenerating zone, contacting said air or other gases with the absorbent liquid in said regenerating zone and eliminating the gaseous impurities contained in the absorbent liquid and removing the gaseous impurities from the system.

Claim 8

The process of claim 8 wherein the liquid is regenerated by transformation of the gaseous impurities previously absorbed.