High-Pressure Product Splitter for Low-Energy Propylene Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dehydrogenation processes for producing propylene from propane require high energy input, leading to increased operational costs and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a high pressure product splitter that utilizes exhaust steam from steam turbines to provide heat for reboiling, allowing the process to operate at higher pressures without external heat sources, thereby reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a conventional product splitter is used with external heat source, then propylene can be purified, but energy consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the product splitter with the deethanizer to form an integrated separation system. The splitter column is positioned to receive feed from the deethanizer, and the bottoms from the splitter are recycled to the dehydrogenation reactor. This integration eliminates the need for separate external heat sources by utilizing process internal heat recovery, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining purification efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat from the dehydrogenation reactor effluent into a beneficial resource. The hot effluent is used to preheat the feed to the deethanizer and provide reboiling duty for the splitter column. This heat recovery approach transforms energy waste into useful thermal energy, significantly reducing the need for external heating and lowering overall energy consumption.
2Manufacturing precision
If high pressure is used in product splitter, then separation efficiency improves, but equipment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the product splitter with the deethanizer system, where the splitter column receives feed from the deethanizer and its bottoms are recycled to the dehydrogenation reactor. This integrated configuration allows the system to operate at high pressure (typically 150-300 psig) to enhance separation efficiency between propylene and propane, while the combined structure reduces the number of independent equipment units needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pressure as a key parameter to improve separation efficiency. By operating the product splitter at elevated pressures (150-300 psig), the relative volatility differences between propylene and propane are enhanced, leading to better separation performance. The high pressure operation is made feasible through the integrated heat recovery system that provides necessary reboiling energy without proportionally increasing equipment complexity.
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
This approach reduces total energy consumption by 10-15% compared to conventional methods, such as the CATOFIN process, while maintaining high purity propylene production.
Implementation Method 1
The use of a high pressure splitter to separate propylene from propane provides a process for recovery of a high purity propylene product with lower energy consumption compared to prior art processes
Implementation Method 2
In a second distillation column, generally referred to as a product splitter, propylene product is recovered as overhead and propane from the bottoms is recycled back to the dehydrogenation step
Data Source
AI summary
An improved process for the production of olefins, and in particular for separation of olefins produced by a dehydrogenation process from paraffin feed stocks, is provided. A high pressure product splitter is used to separate olefins produced in a dehydrogenation plant from residual paraffin feed stocks. The use of a high pressure splitter to separate olefin products from paraffin feed stocks allows for recovery of a high purity olefin product with lower energy consumption compared to prior art processes. The process is particularly suited to separation of propylene from propane.