Improved ethylene and LPG recovery through dephlegmator technology

G.A. Lucadamo,
Air Products

D.P. Bernhard and H.C. Rowles

Inc., Allentown, Pennsylvania 18195, USA

& Chemicals

Received 14 August

1987; revised 18 September

1987

High efficiency cryogenic processes using dephlegmators have been developed for the recovery of ethylene and heavier components from gases produced in refinery and petrochemical operations. These are characterized by high hydrocarbon recovery, low energy consumption, simplicity of operation, and modest capital investment. This paper discusses principles, arrangement, and benefits of some important dephlegmator cycles. Economics for one application are presented. Dephlegmators are specially designed brazed aluminium core heat exchangers in which liquid condensed from the rising feed vapour flows back as reflux. Superiorvapour and liquid product purities and recoveries follow from the action of the reflux on the vapour. The use of dephlegmators in commercial cryogenic plants has become possible through advances in understanding of the interacting heat, mass and momentum transfer processes which govern their performance.
Keywords: separation; dephlegmators; ethylene cryogenic distillation recovery; olefin recovery; LPG recovery; hydrocarbon

Dephlegmator technology
Dephlegmators, or fractionating condensers, have been available for many years to reduce power consumption in gas separation processes. Some of the earliest cryogenic gas separation plants utilized dephlegmators. The difficulty of accurately predicting the heat transfer and fractionating performance of dephlegmators, however, has delayed their broader use in a wide variety of potential applications. These predictions can now be made accurately, and since 1970 dephlegmators have been utilized as key units in several types of commercial cryogenic gas separation processes. In comparison with the conventional partial condensation processes, dephlegmator provides greatly enhanced separation capability while maintaining simplicity of equipment and operation. The modern dephlegmator is a cryogenic heat exchanger which is specially designed and constructed to also operate as a mass transfer device. Dephlegmators discussed in this paper are constructed as compact brazed aluminium (plate-fin or core) heat exchangers in which the feed vapour flows upward within the feed passages. Refrigeration is provided to the feed by indirect heat exchange with countercurrent returning product and refrigerant streams in adjacent passages. As the feed stream progresses upward, some of the vapour condenses on the heat transfer surface. The liquid formed flows downward within the feed passages, countercurrent to the feed vapour. Mass transfer between the liquid and vapour causes the liquid to become enriched in less volatile components as more volatile components are revapourized. Figure I illustrates the concept. The dephlegmator can also improve traditional
0950-4214/87/020094-09$03.00 0 1987 Butterworth Et Co (Publishers)
Ltd.

distillation processes by serving a dual function of rectifying column and condenser. This is particularly true where high recovery of heavy components from gas mixtures having high concentration of light components is desired, and where the relative volatility between light and heavy key components is two or more. Under these conditions, the dephlegmator is more effective than a conventional distillation column. Distillation columns usually have small mass transfer driving forces only near the feed and product trays. In other areas of the distillation column, the mass transfer driving forces are large, resulting in large irreversibilities (inefficiency). In addition, conventional distillation columns have all refrigeration supplied in the condenser, the coldest temperature point.

OVERHEAD + HEAT OUT REFLUX LIQUID

VAPOR

OUT

:.

:+

PASSAGE

WALL

~ CONDENSED LIQUID OUT

t
+ ,,y,&, IN concept

1: +

Figure 1

Dephlegmator

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METHANE F::L * DEMETHANIZED C2+ ETHYLENE

PRESEP-

DEMETH -

CONCENTRATED

Figure 2

Ethylene recovery from ethylene plant cracked gas

Multiple refluxes can be provided, but this leads to complexity in both equipment and control. In contrast, the dephlegmator provides continuous reflux generation throughout the mass transfer device. The lightest and coldest reflux is produced were the feed is lightest - at the top of the unit. Reflux generated near the bottom is warmer. In addition, the required refrigeration is obtained from warming product streams within the dephlegmator in such a way as to maintain low temperature differences throughout the length of the unit. This minimizes compression requirements for feed, products and auxiliary refrigeration. Suitable applications for dephlegmators include:

0 H,/N, synthesis gas separation from ammonia purge gas l Methane separation from hydrogen, carbon dioxide or nitrogen

Ethylene recovery from ethylene cracked gas

plant

Ethylene recovery from cracked gas14 Ethylene recovery from fluidized catalytic cracker (FCC) offgas4, Hydrocarbon recovery from demethanizer overheadb6 C3, C4 recovery from dehydrogenation offgas4. Cj+ recovery from refinery or natural gas streams HJCO synthesis gas separation from reformer (SMR) product gas

The technology for cryogenic separation of ethylene plant cracked gas has changed considerably since the early 1970s. Old @e-1970) ethylene plant technology, involved cooling of the cracked gas mixture, after removal of water and acid gases, to about - 100C prior to feeding the entire stream into a demethanizer column. Since all of the H,, CO and methane in the feed (typically 30-50 ~01%) exited in the demethanizer overhead, ethylene recovery higher than 90-95% was virtually impossible due to the large volume of gas leaving the column overhead. Refrigeration for cooling the feed and the demethanizer condenser was supplied by cascade systems employing propylene, ethylene and methane stages, providing refrigeration from + 10C for feed cooling to as low as

L.P. C2H4 SEPARATOR REFRlGERqNT

24

CONDENSER

DEPHLEGMATOR

(COMPANDER)

REFRIGERANT

DEMETHANIZER COLUMN

REBOILER

PRO&i&CT REFRIGERANT Figure 3

Dephlegmator

preseparation of ethylene plant cracked gas

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- 160C for the demethanizer condenser. Refrigeration power requirements at the lower temperatures were extremely high, and the demethanizer separation was very inefficient due to the wide boiling range of the major components in the column, ranging from H, to CO (below - 190C) to ethylene and heavier hydrocarbons (above - 100C). In the early 1970s, the major ethylene plant suppliers turned to partial preseparation of the light feed components to increase the efficiency of the fractionating system. A block diagram of an ethylene plant utilizing this approach is shown in Figure 2. By removing most of the H, and CO and part of the methane by partial condensation upstream of the fractionation system, the overall process efficiency was substantially improved. The demethanizer column, operating at - 3100-3800 kPa abs. pressure, then produced an overhead gas consisting mostly of methane. Therefore, methane condenser refrigeration (< - 100C) was no longer needed to achieve ethylene recovery above 95%. Essentially all ethylene plants built since 1970 employ this improved technology. Application of dephlegmator technology to cryogenic processing in ethylene plants resulted in the development of an improved process for preseparation of light components from cracked gas.. One such process was installed in 1978 in a 450 000 metric ton per year plant that has proven to be one of the most efficient world-scale ethylene plants in operation. A dephlegmator was used to achieve 99.5%+ ethylene recovery by improving the preseparation of methane and lighter gases from the feed gas upstream of the fractionation system. This recovery is N 1% higher than for conventional technology. Expanders were also incorporated to reduce the amount of cascade refrigeration required. With these two major improvements, a power reduction of 4500 kW (equal to roughly $l,OOO,OOO per year) was achieved in this plant, a 10% improvement over the best conventional cryogenic technology. In addition, significant savings in compressor and demethanizer system capital costs were realized. This process is illustrated in Figure 3.

Dephlegmator

retrofit for ethylene recovery

Recent rationalization of ethylene plant capacity (about a 2% reduction worldwide in 1986) has resulted in utilization rates of N 97%. High utilization rates exist particularly in the US (close to 99% in 1985) Japan and Western Europe. Expectations of a 2.5-3%/year (1.1-1.4 billion kg/year) rise in worldwide ethylene demand through 1995, and resulting shortages in the early 1990s, have spurred interest in upgrading and debottlenecking existing ethylene plants. lo. Figure 4 shows a dephlegmator process which can be added to a conventional cryogenic ethylene recovery unit to recover ethylene from the demethanizer overhead gas6. Since the overhead gas typically contains l-5% of the ethylene present in the demethanizer feed, substantial additional valuable product can be recovered. This process utilizes a dephlegmator to condense and concentrate the ethylene, using refrigeration obtained by expansion of the hydrogen and methane to fuel header pressure. With the dephlegmator, 80% or more of the ethylene previously lost in the demethanizer overhead gas can be recovered, with no increase in utilities or modification to the existing column or auxiliary equipment. Payout time for such retrofits is very short. The key to high ethylene recovery is the rectification of the condensed liquid achieved with the dephlegmator. The limited refrigeration available from the fuel gas expansion is utilized to achieve high ethylene recovery in an ethylene-enriched liquid, rather than a lower recovery in a liquid diluted by light components, such as would be obtained via partial condensation.

Ethylene offgases

recovery from FCC, RCC and other

The offgas streams from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units, reduced crude conversion (RCC) units and other cracking processes are similar to the cracked gas streams produced in ethylene plants. Several dephlegmator processes are available to recover ethylene and/or heavier hydrocarbons from this type of gas stream.

EXPANDER

COLD BOX

DEPHLEGMATOR

DEMETHANIZER

COLUMN

Figure 4

Ethylene recovery from demethanizer overhead gas

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Dephlegmator

preseparation

process

Figure 5 illustrates how a dephlegmator preseparation process was combined with a conventional cascade refrigerated fractionation system to produce high-purity ethylene from a refinery gas such as FCC offgas. Feed to this process has been treated for removal of acid gases and water and compressed to 2100 kPa abs. The dephlegmator process, contained within the cold box, rejects methane and lighter components from the feed gas, maximizes the recovery of ethylene, and provides an ethylene-enriched stream to the downstream fractionation steps. As shown in Table 1, the cold box recovers 99% of the feed ethylene and concentrates the ethylene from 19 mole % in the cold box feed up to 39 mole % in the cold box product, by removing 99% of the H,-N,-CO fraction and 60% of the methane. The concentrated ethylene product exiting the cold box contains less than 1 mole % of light gases (H, + N, + CO). Rejected light gas components are compressed to fuel header pressure in the fuel compressor, which is driven by a fuel expander. This compander arrangement provides additional process refrigeration by work expansion of the fuel stream. The remaining refrigeration required for operation of the cold box is supplied by Joule-Thomson expansion of the concentrated ethylene product.
Table 1 Cold box refinery gas

The concentrated ethylene stream from the cold box is compressed, then totally condensed in the demethanizer feed cooler against the demethanizer column overhead fuel gas and multiple levels of propane and ethylene refrigeration. Intermediate liquids are removed in two separators and fed to the demethanizer, along with the final cold liquid. The demethanizer, operating at 3100 kPa abs., recovers > 99% of its feed ethylene as bottoms product with a methane impurity level of 300 ppm. Demethanizer overhead is combined with the compressed cold box fuel product and routed to the plant fuel header. The demethanizer bottoms liquid is further fractionated in conventional de-ethanizer and splitter columns to produce LPG, ethane and ethylene products. Overall ethylene recovery with the dephlegmator preseparatiom fractionation process is 98%, with a final ethylene product purity of 99.9 mole %. Conventional process Figure 6 shows a conventional preseparation/fractionation process for the same ethylene purification duty. Feed must now be compressed to 4100 kPa abs. It is then cooled in the demethanizer feed cooler against the combined fuel gas streams and multiple levels of propane/ethylene refrigerant. Condensed liquids are removed in two separators at - 30C and -95C and fed to the demethanizer column. Vapour from the - 95C separator is further cooled to - 135C to condense residual ethylene, which is then reheated before entering the demethanizer. Vapour from the - 135C separator is expanded and combined with overhead vapour from the demethanizer. About 100 kg-moles per hour of additional liquid from the demethanizer overhead condenser is utilized in the demethanizer feed cooler to achieve the final feed separator temperature of - 135C. This additional liquid represents an increase of 40% over the condenser duty required just to supply reflux liquid to the column. The demethanizer, operating at 3800 kPa abs. and an overhead temperature of - 98C recovers 97% of the feed

material balance for ethylene recovery from

Feed gas Fuel Concentrated ethylene 550 7 167.3 285.5 197.9 75.1 725.8

Pressure (kPa abs.) 2100 Temp. (C) 21 Component Flows (kg-moles h-l) H,-N,-CO-CH, 943.3 Ethylene 288.2 Ethane 198.4 Propylene-C,+ 75.1 Total 1505.1

950 27 776.1 2.7 0.5 0.01 779.3

FUEL EXPANDER (COYPANDER)

C3 = PROPANE REFRIGERANT C2 = ETHYLENEREFRIGERANT

Figure 5

Ethylene recovery from refinery gas using cascade refrigerated system with dephlegmator

preseparation

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ethylene with a methane impurity level of 300 ppm. The demethanizer bottoms liquid is further fractionated in the de-ethanizer and splitter columns. The maximum ethylene recovery which can be attained economically with the conventional process is - 96%. The de-ethanizer and splitter columns are the same as with the dephlegmator preseparation process, except for minor differences in flow rates due to the lower ethylene recovery. Advantages of the dephlegmatorpreseparation process

In the conventional preseparation process, the feed is compressed to 4100 kPa abs. for cooling prior to entering the demethanizer column. With the dephlegmator preseparation. process, the feed is compressed to only 2100 kPa abs. but the concentrated ethylene from the cold box is compressed to 3300 kPa abs. The total process gas compression power is essentially the same for both processes. Since the total refrigeration power requirements for the de-ethanizer and splitter columns are also the same for both processes, the difference in power requirement between the two processes is in the demethanizer cooler/column section. The substantial power saving for dephlegmator preseparation is illustrated in Table 2 for a 68 000 metric tons per year ethylene plant. The total refrigerant power requirement to cool the feed and supply demethanizer condenser refrigeration is 3322 kW for the conventional process. Because of the high level of hydrogen, methane and inerts in the feed, the ethylene condenses at relatively low temperature and with a high level of methane impurity in the liquid. This requires large amounts of expensive ethylene refrigeration in the feed cooler and in the demethanizer condenser. The dephlegmator preseparation process removes more than 80% of these light feed impurities upstream of the feed cooler. As a result, the dephlegmator process requires only 1562 kW for demethanizer feed cooler and

condenser refrigeration. Most of the ethylene is condensed at relatively high temperatures using less expensive propane refrigeration above - 35C. No low level ethylene refrigeration is required for feed cooling. The demethanizer condenser duty is less than one-half that of the conventional cycle because of the lower operating pressure (3 100 vs. 3800 kPa abs.), lower overhead vapour rate, and elimination of the necessity to condense additional methane for use as refrigerant in the feed cooler. Due to the smaller quantity of light components in the demethanizer column, the overhead temperature is also warmer. The low level ethylene refrigeration temperature can be increased from - 100C (120 kPa abs.) for the conventional process to -98C (140 kPa abs.) with the dephlegmator preseparation process, for additional power savings. For this example, the dephlegmator preseparation process therefore saves - 1800 kW compared to the
Table 2 Feed cooling and demethanizer ethylene recovery from refinery gas condenser duties for

\
Conventional process Dephlegmator preseparation process Power (kW) 27 145 287 877 932 1054 3322 Duty (lOJ/s) Power (kW) 28 448 235 269 209 373 1562

Refrigeration temperature (C) 15 - 15 -35 -60 -80 - 100 Total C,H, &Ha C,Hs CzH, C,H, CzH,

Duty (lOJ/s)

0.21 0.39 0.54 0.80 0.69 0.66 3.29

0.22 1.21 0.44 0.25 0.16 0.23 2.51

Power difference = 1760 kW

ACETYLENE CONVERTER

DEMETHANIZER FEED COOLER

REFRIGERATION RECOVERY C3 = PROPANE

C2 = ETHYLENE REFRiGERANT REFRIGERANT

Figure 6

Ethylene recovery from refinery gas using cascade refrigerated system with conventional preseparation

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conventional process and provides an overall ethylene recovery of 98% compared to 96% for the conventional process. Based on an estimated total power requirement of 7800 kW including feed compression and fractionation refrigeration, the dephlegmator preseparation process provides a 20% power savings overall. Furthermore, with dephlegmator preseparation, the feed flow to the demethanizer cooling section is reduced by 50%; the demethanizer reflux and overhead vapour flows are reduced by 40-50%; and the column operating pressure is reduced from 3800 to 3100 kPa abs. since the higher pressure is not necessary for high ethylene recovery. These differences provide significant additional capital savings in the demethanizer cooler, condenser and column. By incorporating dephlegmation technology in place of conventional technology, the net benefit is a total present value increase of approximately $3,500,000 for a 68 000 metric tons per year ethylene facility.
Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit off-gas process Figure 7 is a process which is now operating to recover

compared to N 36% obtained by a conventional partial condensation process with similar C,+ recovery. A C,+ stream recovered via partial condensation would require removal of methane to.meet the methane specification in the ethane/ethylene product. This would result in a substantial power and capital penalty as compared to the dephlegmator process shown. The concentrated C,+ stream from the cold box is compressed for separation in a de-ethanizer column. A portion of the C,+ may also be recovered as liquid and pumped to the fractionation section. The gas from the C,+ compressor is cooled against the C2 product vapour stream from the overhead of the de-ethanizer column, and with propane refrigerant. These cooling steps partially condense the de-ethanizer feed to reduce the de-ethanizer condenser duty. The partially condensed C,+ stream is fed to the deethanizer column, operated at 2200 kPa abs.. The overhead product of this column is a C2 fraction containing < 2 mole % propylene and propane. The C, product vapour is used to precool the de-ethanizer feed and is
Table 3 balance FCC offgas

ethane, ethylene and heavier hydrocarbons from fluid catalytic cracking unit offgas. The dephlegmator process separates the feed gas into a C,+ fraction for further separation in the de-ethanizer column, and a residue fraction which is compressed into the fuel header via a cornpander arrangement. The dephlegmator process recovers a substantially higher-purity (lower methane content) C,+ product that could be obtained without dephlegmation. The C,+ recovered in the cold box contains over 91% of the ethylene present in the plant feed, as indicated in Table 3. Over 99% recovery of ethane and 100% recovery of heavier hydrocarbons is achieved. The methane and lighter content of the combined C,+ streams is < 12 vol%,
FUEL EXPANDER

ethane/ethylene

recovery process material

Cold box Feed C,+ Fuel -

De-ethanizer C,s (gas) LPG

Press. (kPa abs.) 2200 Temp. (C) 14 Component Flows (kg-moles h-l) Ii,-N,-CO-CH, 671.1 55.2 Ethylene 119.8 109.0 Ethane 172.4 171.7 Propylene-C, + 131.8 131.8 -Total 1095.0 467.7

150 24 615.9 10.7 0.7 627.3

2150 35 55.2 109.0 171.6 5.8 -341.6

2200 60 0.1 126.0 126.1

COLD BOI DEPHLEGMATOR SEPARATOR

FUEL COMPRESSOR (COMPANDER)

COMPiESSOR Y

C;

FUEL

(ZJ-1
recovery dephlegmator process

C3 =PROPANE REFRIGERANT

Figure 7

FCC offgas ethane/ethylene

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recovered at 2150 kPa abs. The bottoms product is a C,+ LPG fraction containing 400 ppm by volume of ethane. Reflux to the column is provided by propane refrigerant. Reboiler heat is supplied by low pressure steam. Very little ethylene or ethane is lost in the de-ethanizer bottoms. Ethylene recovery exceeds 91%, and ethane recovery is 99.6% for the combined cold box and deethanizer section. Economics of olefin recovery from FCC offgas Typical values of the products recovered from the cold box/de-ethanizer system of Figure 7 are shown in Table 4. To arrive at the net values of the de-ethanizer products, the costs for separating the C2 fraction into liquid ethylene (for sale) and ethane, and for recovery of liquid propylene and heavier products from the C,+ fraction have been subtracted from typical spot market prices for pure commercial grade ethylene and propylene. The feed gas, including its ethylene and propylene components is valued at fuel value of $2.OO/k.l. Table 4 shows a high return on investment for a unit designed to recover 25 500 metric tons per year of ethylene and 3 1000 metric tons per year of propylene and heavier hydrocarbons from FCC unit offgas via dephlegmator preseparation. Product cost is less than half the net product value. For a 1Cmonth project begun during 1987 with a 12% discount rate and a 15-year plant life, the $S,OOO,OOO capital investment would be recovered in only 10 months. The investment covers the design, manufacturing, and installation of the cold box and de-ethanizer system, including tie-ins to existing utilities and off-site systems for supply of feed gas, steam and power.

Hydrocarbon unit off-gas

recovery from dehydrogenation

Dephlegmator processes are also utilized for recovery of C&hydrocarbons from offgases from processes such as
Table 4 Profitability of olefins recovery from FCC unit offgas Ethylene Propylene and heavier

Product value ($/kg) Commercial grade price Fractionation charge (to provide commercial grade products) Net value Mixed net product value (ethylene/propylene = 0.82 37.4 (6.6) 30.8 32.6 38.5 (4.4) 34.1

CatofinTM and Catadiene. These low pressure catalytic dehydrogenation processes selectively produce a range of C& unsaturates. The Catolin process produces single or mixed C3-C5 mono-olefins from a C3-C5 single or mixed paraffin feed. It is used to produce isobutylene for use in the production of the octane enhancer methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). The Catadiene process produces butadiene and/or butylenes for petrochemicals production, using butane as a feedstock. After initial cooling and separation of olelins from the Catofin or Catadiene reactor product, the cryogenic dephlegmator process is employed for recovery of additional valuable components from the remaining gas stream. The dephlegmator prefractionation process provides very high C,+ product recovery while rejecting 93-97% of the undesirable lighter hydrocarbons from the recovered product. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the low temperature recovery section currently being built for a typical Catolin unit for C4 hydrocarbon recovery. Offgas from the reactor section is compressed and cooled, and condensed hydrocarbons and water are separated. Remaining water is then removed in molecular sieve driers prior to cryogenic separation. The feed is further cooled in the dephlegmator, and the C, fraction is condensed, partially purified and recovered as a liquid. The vapour from the overhead of the dephlegmator is rewarmed in the dephlegmator and then expanded in the expander section of the cornpander. This expanded fuel gas is then also rewarmed in the dephlegmator to provide the cold refrigeration necessary to effect the separation of C4 components in the feed gas. The C4 liquid from the cold box is combined with the liquid from the warm end separator and sent to the depropanizer column. The fuel gas from the cold box is finally compressed in the cornpander and delivered to the fuel header. In the case of C4 recovery, high purity (low lights content) of the C4 liquids exiting the cold box results in economical operation of the downstream depropanizer system. Removal of C3 and lighter impurities serves to (1) reduce the size of the depropanizer column and overhead condenser; (2) maintain an economically high temperature in the depropanizer condenser; and (3) minimize the flow of light gas recycle streams, thereby conserving feed compressor investment. The dephlegmator prefractionation process is a safe, reliable, efficient and easy-to-operate system. In a typical C4 Catadiene unit, 99.6% overall C4 recovery can be achieved with a C4 liquids purity of 69 mole %, as shown in Table 5. In a typical CatofinTM unit, 99.6% overall C, recovery can be achieved with a C4 liquids purity of 86

bv wt.1
Product cost (g/kg) Utilities Labour Raw materials Investment Total product cost Net income before taxes @/kg) Capital investment Basis: 25 500 metric tons&r Ethylene 31 000 metric tons/yr Propylene + Simple payout period 2.2 1 .o 10.0 2.2 15.4 17.2 $8 000 000 Temp. (C) Pressure (kPa abs.) Table 5 Material balance for Catadiene C,-diene recovery section Feed gas from compressor 38 3000 C, liquids Fuel to depropanizer

11 2900 7.9 8.3 35.1 115.6 166.9

38 800 623.6 40.6 31.1 0.5 695.8

Component flows (kg-moles h-) CH, and lighter 631.5 C,s 48.9 C,s 66.2 c,s 116.1 Total 862.7

10 months

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MOLE SIEVE DRIERS

COLD BOX

REFRIGERANT

PRECOOLER

STEAM

rr
REGENERATION GAS

FUEL COMPRESSOR I I v

C_,V.

Figure 8

Low temperature

recovery system for dehydrogenation

unit offgas

mole %, as shown in Table 6. This is achieved in a single process unit utilizing only the refrigeration produced by work expansion of the rejected light gases. No auxiliary refrigeration is required for cold box operation, and no flash drums or distillation columns are necessary.

Dephlegmator

design

reliability

Various dephlegmator sizes and arrangements are utilized to fit the spectrum of applications described in this paper. A typical block size for a dephlegmator is 3 X 3 X 12 feet. This may be installed within a cold box enclosure as a single unit or in a multi-unit parallel arrangement, to suit the flow capacity and heat transfer requirements of the process.

Computer programs have been developed for the design and rigorous, passage-by-passage simulation of brazed aluminium heat exchangers. In addition, correlations are available for two-phase multicomponent heat transfer, pressure drop, flow distribution and hydraulic (stability) With accurate thermodynamic and calculations. transport property data13, and heat transfer and friction factor data14, highly optimized and reliable dephlegmator designs can be developed. Extensive tests covering a wide range of compositions and operating conditions have been conducted to simulate dephlegmator operation. These tests have verified thermodynamic data as well as the heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid hydraulics characteristics of dephlegmators. Together with the results of successful commercial applications, these test data assure highly reliable predictions of dephlegmator performance.
Table 8 Material balance for Catofin C,-olefin recovery section Feed gas from compressor 38 Temp. (C) 3000 Pressure (kPa abs.) Component flows (kg-moles hh) 451.2 CH, and lighter 2.6 C,s 17.8 C,s 105.1 C,s Total 576.7 Fuel C, liquids to depropanizer

Conclusions
Dephlegmator processes have proven to be effective, easy to operate, safe, and economical. This technology has been applied in a wide variety of commercial cryogenic applications. Dephlegmators are separation gas particularly useful for preseparating hydrocarbons prior to further fractionation to high purity products. Dephlegmator technology is extremely attractive for the recovery of high value ethylene from FCC offgas or ethylene plant cracked gas, and in recovery of C,+ or C,+ components from dehydrogenation unit offgases. Dephlegmators are an economical alternative both for new facilities and for retrofits to improve recovery, efficiency, or capacity of conventional plants. Accurate thermodynamics and correlations for heat transfer, mass transfer and fluid flow, combined with rigorous cycle simulation techniques, allow reliable, optimized gas processing using dephlegmation as a key unit operation.

References
1 Pryor, J.A. and Rowles, H.C. Recovery of Cl+ Hydrocarbons by Plural Stage Rectification and First Stage Dephlegmation, US Pat. 4 002 042 Chiu, C.H., Rowles, H.C., Nahmias, D. and Geist, J.M. Dephlegmator Cycle for Ethylene Plants Application, Znrer-

11 2900 4.7 0.5 11.2 104.7 121.1

38 600 446.5 2.1 ::: 455.6

national Congress of Refrigeration, Venice, Italy, A3-31, September 1979 3

Rowles, H.C., Bernhard, D.P. and Goodwin, T.W. Recovery of Hydrocarbon Liquids Using Dephlegmator Technology,

NPRA Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, California, March 1986

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11 Anselmo, ICJ. and Hersh, D.J. Computer Simulation and Experimental Verification of Core Heat Exchangers, National AZChE Meeting Los Angeles, California, November I972 12 Weimer, R.F. and Hartzog, D.G. Effects of Maldistribution on the Performance of Multi-Stream, Multi-Passage Exchangers, 13th National Heat Transfer Conference, Denver, Colorado, August 1972 13 Zellner, M.G., Claitor, L.C. and Prausnitz, J.M. Prediction of Vapor-Liquid Equilibria and Enthalpies of Mixtures at Low Temperatures Znd. Eng. Chem. Fundam. (1970) 9 549-564 14 Miller, E.J. and Geist, J.M. Impact of Recent Development in Thermodynamics on Chemical Process Design, Joint Meeting of the Chemical Industry Engineering Society of China and theAZChE, Beijing China, September 1982

8 9 10

Bernhard, D.P. and Rowles, H.C. Recovery of Valuable Hydrocarbons Using Dephlegmator Technology, Cryogenic Engineering Conference St. Charles, Blinois, June 1987 ECN Chemscope Process Review, October 1986 6-8 Rowles, H.C. and Tsao, T.C. Recovery of C, Hydrocarbons from Demethanizer Overhead, US Pat. 4 270 940 Bernhard, D.P., Rowles, H.C. and Teichman, R.L. Process for Recovering C,+ Hydrocarbons Using a Dephlegmator, US Pat. 4 519 825 Rowles, H.C. and Woodward, D.W. Separation of Hydrogen Containing Gas Mixtures, US Pat. 4 270 939 Oil Gas J. (1986) 84 (27) 30 Oil Gas J (1986) 84 (35) 39-44

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