Method and Apparatus for separating at least one CO isotope compound, especially isotope compound 13C16O, from natural CO, comprising: a rectification column system (110) comprising a plurality of rectification sections (112,114,116,118,120) arranged adjacent to one another in a chain-like manner, including an upper rectification section (112) and a plurality of lower rectification sections (114,116,118,120), each rectification section comprising a heating means (112a,114a,116a,118a,120a) to maintain evaporation of liquid present therein, provided that the heating means (112a) of the at least one of the plurality of rectification sections (112) is provided to comprise a heat pump cycle (112b).

A system and method for removing nitrogen from natural gas using two fractionating columns, that may be stacked, and a plurality of separators and heat exchangers, with horsepower requirements that are 50-80% of requirements for prior art systems. The fractionating columns operate at different pressures. A feed stream is separated with a vapor portion feeding the first column to produce a first column bottoms stream that is split into multiple portions at different pressures and first column overhead stream that is split or separated into two portions at least one of which is subcooled prior to feeding the top of the second column. Optional heat exchange between first column and second column streams provides first column reflux and reboil heat for a second column ascending vapor stream. Three sales gas streams are produced, each at a different pressure.

A system for conditioning a sour gas feed stream for a cryogenic distillation tower, comprising a dehydration unit configured to separate the sour gas feed stream into a first stream comprising water and a feed stream, and a sequential cooling assembly coupled to both the dehydration unit and the cryogenic distillation tower, wherein the sequential cooling assembly comprises a first stage configured to separate the feed stream into a partially cooled feed stream and a second stream comprising acid gas, a second stage configured to cool the partially cooled feed stream into a cooled feed stream and a third stream comprising acid gas, and a cooled feed stream header coupled to a cryogenic distillation tower feed inlet, wherein the first stage, the second stage, or both are configured to send at least one of the second and third streams to a bottom section of the cryogenic distillation tower.

A system for removing nitrogen from a natural gas fluid feed stream includes a main heat exchanger that receives the natural gas fluid feed stream. A distillation column receives a cooled fluid stream from the main heat exchanger and features a return vapor outlet and a side vapor outlet port. The return vapor outlet provides nitrogen vapor to the main heat exchanger which is warmed therein. The side vapor outlet port provides vapor to the main heat exchanger and a reflux compressor receives and compresses the resulting fluid from the main heat exchanger. A reflux aftercooler receives and cools fluid from the reflux compressor, directs cooled fluid to the main heat exchanger and the resulting fluid is directed to a reflux separation device. The reflux separation device has a vapor outlet and a liquid outlet. The vapor outlet of the reflux separation device directs fluid to the main heat exchanger so that fluid is directed to the first reflux inlet port of the distillation column. The liquid outlet of the reflux separation device directs fluid to a second reflux inlet port of the distillation column.

Process for efficiently operating a natural gas liquefaction system with integrated heavies removal/natural gas liquids recovery to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) and/or natural gas liquids (NGL) products with varying characteristics, such as, for example higher heating value (HHV) and/or propane content. Resulting LNG and/or NGL products are capable of meeting the significantly different specifications of two or more markets.

Enhancements to a dual column, nitrogen producing cryogenic air separation unit are provided. Such enhancements include an improved air separation cycle that uses multiple condenser-reboilers and recycles a portion of the vapor from one or more of the condenser-reboilers to the incoming feed stream and or the compressed purified air streams to yield improvements in such dual column, nitrogen producing cryogenic air separation units. The multiple condenser-reboilers preferably include an integrated condenser-reboiler arrangement comprising a heat exchanger having a set of nitrogen condensing passages, a first set and second set of boiling passages, and a phase separator.

The present disclosure provides a method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. The method may include forming solids in a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower; emitting radiation from a first radiation source in the controlled freeze zone section while the controlled freeze zone section forms no solids; detecting radiation emitted by the first radiation source as a first radiation level; detecting radiation emitted by the first radiation source as a second radiation level after detecting the first radiation level; and determining whether the solids adhered to at least one of on and around a first mechanical component included in the controlled freeze zone section based on the first radiation level and the second radiation level.

The present disclosure provides a method of dehydrating a feed stream processed in a distillation tower. The method may include (a) introducing a feed stream comprising a first contaminant stream into a distillation tower; (b) forming a solid from the feed stream in a controlled freeze zone section of the distillation tower; (c) feeding a second contaminant stream into the feed stream outside the distillation tower; and (d) removing water from the feed stream with a second contaminant stream by feeding the second contaminant stream.

Method and Apparatus for separating at least one CO isotope compound, especially isotope compound 13C16O, from natural CO, comprising: a rectification column system (110) comprising a plurality of rectification sections (112,114,116,118,120) arranged adjacent to one another in a chain-like manner, including an upper rectification section (112) and a plurality of lower rectification sections (114,116,118,120), each rectification section comprising a heating means (112a,114a,116a,118a,120a) to maintain evaporation of liquid present therein, provided that the heating means (112a) of the at least one of the plurality of rectification sections (112) is provided to comprise a heat pump cycle (112b).

This method envisions cooling the supply flow in a first heat exchanger, separation in a first separation flask in order to produce a light upper flow and a heavy lower flow and dividing the light upper flow into a supply fraction of a dynamic pressure reduction turbine and a supply fraction of a first distillation column. A cooled reflux flow is formed from an effluent from a dynamic pressure reduction turbine, the portion of the effluent being cooled and at least partially liquefied in a heat exchanger. The cooled reflux flow is introduced from the heat exchanger into the first distillation column.