US4394219A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fractionating liquids
Assignee: Viasystems Corp
•
Filing: 1981-07-27
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Granted: 1983-07-19
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Expires: 2001-07-27
Abstract
Abstract In fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of modules including multi-stage segments, the improvement comprising the combination of a plurality of vaporizers for heating feed liquid to different temperatures to vaporize fractions of correspondingly different volatilities, means for feeding the vaporized fractions to different multi-stage segments of the tower, means for withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of the segments, temperature control means for limiting the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a module in which vapor is flashed, and means for separately feeding reflux liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas W. Mix
- 👤 Jay S. Dweck
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 18:55
CPC Classifications
C; C10; C10G; C10G7/00; B; B01; B01D; B01D3/00; B01D3/14; B01D3/143; B01D3/146; B01D3/42; B01D3/4211; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S203/00; Y10S203/19; Y10S208/00; Y10S208/01
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
155 words
A method of fractionating feed liquid containing fractions having different volatilities, said method being carried out in fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of multi-stage segments, heaters, and vaporizers, said method comprising heating said feed liquid, by means of said heaters and vaporizers, to different temperatures to flash vapor fractions of different volatilities, feeding said flashed vapor fractions to different multi-stage segments of said fractionating tower apparatus, fractions of higher volatilities being fed to higher segments, withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of said segments, separately feeding reflex liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it, and controlling the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a segment where vapor is flashed by limiting the temperature at which said vapor is flashed to below the temperature of the vapor in the tower whose composition most closely matches the composition of the flashed vapor.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
155 words
A method of fractionating feed liquid containing fractions having different volatilities, said method being carried out in fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of multi-stage segments, heaters, and vaporizers, said method comprising heating said feed liquid, by means of said heaters and vaporizers, to different temperatures to flash vapor fractions of different volatilities, feeding said flashed vapor fractions to different multi-stage segments of said fractionating tower apparatus, fractions of higher volatilities being fed to higher segments, withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of said segments, separately feeding reflex liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it, and controlling the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a segment where vapor is flashed by limiting the temperature at which said vapor is flashed to below the temperature of the vapor in the tower whose composition most closely matches the composition of the flashed vapor.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
155 words
A method of fractionating feed liquid containing fractions having different volatilities, said method being carried out in fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of multi-stage segments, heaters, and vaporizers, said method comprising heating said feed liquid, by means of said heaters and vaporizers, to different temperatures to flash vapor fractions of different volatilities, feeding said flashed vapor fractions to different multi-stage segments of said fractionating tower apparatus, fractions of higher volatilities being fed to higher segments, withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of said segments, separately feeding reflex liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it, and controlling the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a segment where vapor is flashed by limiting the temperature at which said vapor is flashed to below the temperature of the vapor in the lowest stage of the segment to which said flashed vapor is fed.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
155 words
A method of fractionating feed liquid containing fractions having different volatilities, said method being carried out in fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of multi-stage segments, heaters, and vaporizers, said method comprising heating said feed liquid, by means of said heaters and vaporizers, to different temperatures to flash vapor fractions of different volatilities, feeding said flashed vapor fractions to different multi-stage segments of said fractionating tower apparatus, fractions of higher volatilities being fed to higher segments, withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of said segments, separately feeding reflex liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it, and controlling the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a segment where vapor is flashed by limiting the temperature at which said vapor is flashed to below the temperature of the vapor in the lowest stage of the segment to which said flashed vapor is fed.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of fractionating feed liquid containing fractions having different volatilities, said method being carried out in fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of multi-stage segments, heaters, and vaporizers, said method comprising heating said feed liquid, by means of said heaters and vaporizers, to different temperatures to flash vapor fractions of different volatilities, feeding said flashed vapor fractions to different multi-stage segments of said fractionating tower apparatus, fractions of higher volatilities being fed to higher segments, withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of said segments, separately feeding reflex liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it, and controlling the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a segment where vapor is flashed by limiting the temperature at which said vapor is flashed to below the temperature required to produce vapor whose heaviest two volume percent has a boiling point equal to the boiling point of the heaviest two volume percent of the next lower liquid sidestream.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of fractionating feed liquid containing fractions having different volatilities, said method being carried out in fractionating tower apparatus including a plurality of multi-stage segments, heaters, and vaporizers, said method comprising heating said feed liquid, by means of said heaters and vaporizers, to different temperatures to flash vapor fractions of different volatilities, feeding said flashed vapor fractions to different multi-stage segments of said fractionating tower apparatus, fractions of higher volatilities being fed to higher segments, withdrawing liquid sidestreams from a plurality of said segments, separately feeding reflex liquid from at least one segment to a segment below it, and controlling the level of heavy components in at least one selected liquid sidestream withdrawn from a segment below a segment where vapor is flashed by limiting the temperature at which said vapor is flashed to below the temperature required to produce vapor whose heaviest two volume percent has a boiling point equal to the boiling point of the heaviest two volume percent of the next lower liquid sidestream.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
35 words
The method of any one of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the volatility of said reflex liquid generally matches the volatility of the liquid in the stage to which said reflex liquid is fed.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
30 words
The method of any one of claims 1, 2, or 3, further comprising separately condensing vapor from a plurality of said segments to form condensed liquid comprising said reflex liquid.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said vapor is condensed by liquid pumparounds in said segments.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
20 words
The method of any one of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said fractionating tower apparatus comprises an atmospheric tower.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the vaporizer associated with the lowest segment of said atmospheric tower comprises a source of steam.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-07-18 | 1987-01-17 | 1987-07-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-07-18 | 1991-01-17 | 1991-07-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-07-18 | 1995-01-17 | 1995-07-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |