Hydrocarbon separation

Abstract

Abstract AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF HYDROCARBONS FROM A FEED STOCK WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES THE ADSORPTION OF A SELECTED FEED COMPONENT FOLLOWED BY THE DE SORPTION OF A SELECTED FEED COMPONENT FROM A SOLIF ADSORBENT THROUGH THE USE OF A DESORBENT MATERIAL. THE ADSORPTION IS PREFORMED IN A DESORPTION ZONE. THE ADSORPTION ZONE IS PREFORMED IS A DESORPTION ZONE. THE ADSORPTION ZONE AND DESORPTION ZONES ARE SEPARATED BY A PURIFICATION ZONE IN WHICH THE ADSORBED COMPONENT OF THE FEED STOCK IS EFFECTIVELY PURIFIED AND ALLOWED TO BECOME MORE CONCENTRATED ON THE ADSORBENT AS IT ENTERS THE DESORPTION ZONE. THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE PROCESS COMPRISES THE USE OF A BUFFER ZONE WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY A QUANTITY OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL LOCATED BETWEEN AN ADSORPTION ZONE AND A DESORPTION ZONE AND WHICH ALLOWS RAFFINATE MATERIAL WHICH NORMALLY WOULD BE WITHDRAWN FROM AN ADSORPTION ZONE TO BE PARTIALLY DIVERTED AND PASSED INTO THE BUFFER ZONE TP DISPLACE DESORBENT MATERIAL IN THAT ZONE WHICH DISPLACED DESORBENT MATERIAL PASSES INTO A DESORPTION ZONE. THE IMPROVEMENT ALLOWS THE PREVENT OF CONTAMINATION OF THE EXTRACT PRODUCT BY RAFFINATE COMPONENTS AND ALSO ALLOWS THE MORE EFFEICIENT USE OF DESORBENT BY REDUCING THE ABSOLUTE QUANTITY OF DESORBENT NEEDED FOR A GIVEN SEPARATION AT GIVEN FEED RATES.

Inventors

• 👤 D Broughton

Bibliographic Details