Apparatus and method for drying gas by glycol scrubbing

Claim 2

A method, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the absorbent is triethylene glycol and including cooling the dry absorbent passing into the drying zone to a temperature in the range of about 50* to 150*F.

Claim 3

A method, as set forth in claim 1, including lowering the water concentration of the liquid hydrocarbon stream in the drying zone to a value at least below about 0.1 wt. percent.

Claim 4

A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the absorbent is a glycol.

Claim 5

In a process for drying a hydrocarbon gas stream by passing said gas stream through an absorption zone, said absorption zone having an absorbent stream passing through the absorption zone, into a stripping zone, and being recycled to the absorption zone with hydrocarbons and water removed from the hydrocarbon gas stream by the absorbent stream and thereafter being separated from the absorbent stream in the stripping zone and being passed through a condensing zone and a separating zone for liquefying and separating the water and liquid hydrocarbons one from the other and separately passing the water and liquid hydrocarbon streams from the zeparating zone, the improvement comprising: passing at least a portion of the separated liquid hydrocarbon stream from the separator to and downwardly through the stripping zone in contact with the absorbent passing therethrough for drying the liquid hydrocarbon stream; vaporizing the hydrocarbon stream within a reboiling zone of the stripping zone; passing the vaporized hydrocarbon stream countercurrently through the stripping zone relative to and in contact with the absorbent passing therethrough for stripping water from the absorbent; and recycling the vaporized hydrocarbon and water streams to the condenser.

Claim 6

A method, as set forth in claim 6, including passing the liquid hydrocarbon and absorbent streams downwardly through the stripping zone for a time sufficient for increasing the temperature of said streams to a temperature at the elevation of the reboiling zone of the stripping zone of about a preselected temperature of the reboiling zone.

Claim 7

A method, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the temperature of the downwardly passing hydrocarbon stream at the elevation of the reboiling zone of the stripping zone is in the range of about 350* to about 405*F.

Claim 8

A method, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the absorbent is a glycol.

Claim 9

In an apparatus for drying a hydrocarbon gas stream by passing said gas stream upwardly through an absorber, said absorber having an absorbent stream passing downwardly therethrough in contact with the gas stream, discharging into a stripping column having a reboiler, and being recycled back to the upper portion of the absorber, a conduit connected to an upper portion of the stripping column and a condenser for passing hydrocarbons and water from the stripping column and into the condenser, and a separator connected to the condenser, the improvement comprising: a liquid hydrocarbon conduit connected to the separator for passing a liquid hydrocarbon stream therefrom; a drier having upper and lower portions and being connected to the absorbent stream between the reboiler and the upper portion of the absorber for passing absorbent thereinto and being connected at the lower portion to the liquid hydrocarbon conduit for passing liquid hydrocarbons thereinto; a first conduit connected to the upper portion of the drier and the reboiler of the stripping column for passing a dried liquid hydrocarbon stream from the uppeR portion of the drier into the reboiler; and a second conduit connected to the lower portion of the drier and the absorbent stream passing from the absorber to the stripping column for passing absorbent from the drier to the stripping column.