Compact Gas Processing Assembly for C5+ Hydrocarbon Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current natural gas liquefaction processes require significant space and capital investment due to the need for multiple equipment items and extensive piping, which also leads to potential environmental emissions from flanged connections.
Innovation Solution
A compact processing assembly that integrates multiple equipment items into a single housing, reducing the footprint and capital costs, and eliminates interconnecting piping to minimize leak sources and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple equipment items and extensive piping are used in traditional natural gas liquefaction processes, then the processing capability and hydrocarbon recovery are maintained, but the space footprint and capital investment increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate equipment items (heat exchangers, separators, fractionation columns) into a single integrated processing assembly. This merging of functions into one compact unit reduces the overall space footprint while maintaining the necessary processing capabilities for hydrocarbon recovery and natural gas liquefaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing assembly employs a nested configuration where equipment components are arranged concentrically or in overlapping spatial arrangements. This allows multiple processing functions to occupy overlapping or nested spatial volumes, significantly reducing the external footprint while preserving internal processing capacity.
2Productivity
If multiple equipment items and extensive piping are used in traditional natural gas liquefaction processes, then the processing capability is maintained, but the capital investment increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate equipment items (heat exchangers, separators, fractionation columns) into a single integrated processing assembly. This merging of functions into one compact unit reduces the overall space footprint while maintaining the necessary processing capabilities for hydrocarbon recovery and natural gas liquefaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated processing assembly performs multiple functions simultaneously - heat exchange, phase separation, fractionation, and product withdrawal - within a single unit. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated equipment for each function, reducing total capital investment while maintaining full processing capability.
3Ease of operation
If extensive piping with flanged connections is used in traditional natural gas liquefaction processes, then the equipment interconnection is achieved, but potential environmental emissions from leak sources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate equipment items (heat exchangers, separators, fractionation columns) into a single integrated processing assembly. This merging of functions into one compact unit reduces the overall space footprint while maintaining the necessary processing capabilities for hydrocarbon recovery and natural gas liquefaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the extensive external piping network and flanged connections from the traditional process configuration. By integrating functions internally within the processing assembly, the design removes the leak-prone flanged interfaces that connect separate equipment items, thereby reducing potential environmental emissions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compact design maintains efficient hydrocarbon recovery while reducing capital costs and environmental emissions, achieving similar energy consumption and recovery rates as traditional processes with fewer equipment items and flanged connections.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchange means in feed cooling section (116a) inside processing assembly (116) configured to provide heat exchange between the inlet gas stream and flash expanded separator liquids and a residue gas stream from condensing section (116b)
Implementation Method 2
The liquid stream is expanded by expansion valve 15 to slightly above the operating pressure (470 psia (3,238 kPa(a))) of stripping section 116d inside processing assembly 116, cooling stream 35a to −17° F. (−27° C.)
Implementation Method 3
The vapor (stream 34) from separator section 116e enters a work expansion machine 13 in which mechanical energy is extracted from this portion of the high pressure feed. The machine 13 expands the vapor substantially isentropically to the operating pressure of rectifying section 116c inside processing assembly 116, with the work expansion cooling the expanded stream 34a to a temperature of approximately −59° F. (−51° C.)
Implementation Method 4
A mass transfer means inside stripping section (116d) and an absorbing means inside rectifying section (116c) of processing assembly (116)
Data Source
AI summary
A process and an apparatus are disclosed for a compact processing assembly to remove C5 and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The hydrocarbon gas stream is expanded to lower pressure and supplied to the processing assembly between an absorbing means and a mass transfer means. A distillation vapor stream is collected from the upper region of the absorbing means and cooled in a first heat and mass transfer means inside the processing assembly to partially condense it, forming a residual vapor stream and a condensed stream. The condensed stream is supplied to the absorbing means at its top feed point. A distillation liquid stream is collected from the lower region of the mass transfer means and directed into a second heat and mass transfer means inside the processing assembly to heat it and strip out its volatile components.