The present invention provides a method to separate CO2 from a contaminated hydrocarbon-containing stream. The method comprises obtaining a multiphase contaminated hydrocarbon-containing stream (100) containing at least a vapour phase, a liquid phase and a solid phase, creating a slurry stream (120) from the multiphase stream. The slurry stream is fed to a crystallization chamber comprising CO2 seed particles. A liquid hydrocarbon stream (170) is obtained from the crystallization chamber (91) and a concentrated slurry (140) is obtained. The concentrated slurry (140) is removed from the crystallization chamber (91) by means of an extruder (142), thereby obtaining solid CO2. A feedback stream (141) is obtained from the solid CO2 comprising CO2 seed particles having an average size greater than 100 micron. The feedback stream (141) is passed into the crystallization chamber (91).

A process for removing a foulant from a gas stream is disclosed. The gas stream is cooled in a series of heat exchangers, causing a portion of the foulant to desublimate and become entrained in a cryogenic liquid. This foulant slurry stream is pressurized, cooled, and separated into a pressurized foulant solid stream and the cryogenic liquid stream. The pressurized foulant solid stream is melted to produce a liquid foulant stream. Heat exchange processes, both internal and external, are provided that close the heat balance of the process. In this manner, the foulant is removed from the gas stream.

A hydrocyclone for separating a vapor from a carrier gas is disclosed. The hydrocyclone comprises one or more nozzles. A cryogenic liquid is injected to a tangential feed inlet at a velocity that induces a tangential flow and a cyclone vortex in the hydrocyclone. The carrier gas is injected into the cryogenic liquid, causing the vapor to dissolve, condense, desublimate, or a combination thereof, forming a vapor-depleted carrier gas and a vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid. The vapor-depleted carrier gas is drawn through a vortex finder and the vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid is drawn through an apex nozzle outlet. In this manner, the vapor is removed from the carrier gas.

An air-sparged hydrocyclone for separating a vapor from a carrier gas is disclosed. The cyclone comprises a porous sparger covered by an outer gas plenum. A cryogenic liquid is injected to a tangential feed inlet at a velocity that induces a tangential flow and a cyclone vortex in the air-sparged hydrocyclone. The carrier gas is injected into the cyclone through the porous sparger. The vapor dissolves, condenses, desublimates, or a combination thereof, forming a vapor-depleted carrier gas and a vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid. The vapor-depleted carrier gas is drawn through a vortex finder and the vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid is drawn through an apex nozzle outlet. In this manner, the vapor is removed from the carrier gas.

A method for separating a vapor from a carrier gas is disclosed. A hydrocyclone is provided with one or more nozzles on the wall of the hydrocyclone. A cryogenic liquid is provided to the tangential feed inlet at a velocity that induces a tangential flow and a cyclone vortex in the hydrocyclone. The carrier gas is injected into the hydrocyclone through the one or more nozzles. The vapor dissolves, condenses, desublimates, or a combination thereof, forming a vapor-depleted carrier gas and a vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid. The vapor-depleted gas is drawn through the vortex finder while the vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid is drawn through the apex nozzle outlet. In this manner, the vapor is removed from the carrier gas.

Condensable vapors such as carbon dioxide are separated from light gases in a process stream. The systems and methods employ a circulating fluidized particle bed cooled by an out-bed heat exchanger to desublimate the solid form of condensable vapors from the process stream. Gas and solids may be sorted in a separator, and the solids may then be subcooled in a heat exchanger. The condensable vapors may be condensed on the bed particles or in the heat exchanger while the light gases from the process stream, which are not condensed, form a separated light-gas stream.

A plant for energy storage, comprises: a basin (2) for a work fluid having a critical temperature (T.sub.c) lower than 0?; a tank (3) configured to store the work fluid in at least partly liquid or super-critical phase with a storage temperature (T.sub.s) close to the critical temperature (T.sub.c); an expander (4); a compressor (5); an operating/drive machine (6) operatively connected to the expander (4) and to the compressor (5); a thermal store (8) operatively interposed between the compressor (5) and the tank (3) and between the tank (3) and the expander (4). The plant (1) is configured for actuating a Cyclic Thermodynamic Transformation (TTC) with the work fluid, first in a storage configuration and then in a discharge configuration. The thermal store (8), in the storage configuration, is configured for absorbing sensible heat and subsequently latent heat from the work fluid and, in the discharge configuration, it is configured for transferring latent heat and subsequently sensible heat to the work fluid.

The invention relates to a method for separating a liquefiable gas mixture consisting of a plurality of components, comprising at least one first component (K1) and one second component (K2), wherein, under an increased pressure p.sub.1, the first component (K1) has a melting point T*.sub.K1 that is higher than the melting point T*.sub.K2 of the second component (K2). In order to realise a configuration that is as compact as possible, it is provided in accordance with the invention that the method comprises the following steps: converting the gas mixture to a liquid state at a temperature T.sub.0 and a pressure p.sub.0, wherein T*.sub.K2<T.sub.0T*.sub.K1 and p.sub.0<p.sub.1 applies, and wherein the first component (K1) is present in an initial concentration (C0); producing a pressure gradient in the liquefied gas mixture, wherein the increased pressure p.sub.1 prevails at least in a limited spatial region (3) of the liquefied gas mixture, and freeze separation of the first component (K1) occurs.

A hydrocarbon vapor capture and processing system is disclosed to reduce both carbon emissions and conventional pollution, while producing financial returns by turning waste vapors into high quality NGLs. In one embodiment, the hydrocarbon vapor is sent to a compressor for compression. Compressed vapor is then cooled via an air cooler, before being condensed by a refrigerator to form a liquid. The resulting two-phase flow is then separated into a dry gas stream and a liquid stream using a cyclonic separator. The dry gas stream may be transmitted as a light gas to sales line. The resulting liquid stream is passed to a stripping column to produce NGLs. The system offers great benefits to the environment and public health, by providing a technology that drastically cuts carbon emissions and noxious pollution, while incentivizing drillers to implement such measures through its ability to produce revenue.

A method for the separation of liquid CO.sub.2 from a 2 phase feed stream, the process comprising the steps of: cooling the feed stream to a cryogenic temperature; expanding the cooled stream so as to further lower the temperature of the feed through expansion; mechanically separating the expanded stream, using a mechanical separator, into a gas phase and a liquid CO.sub.2 phase, and; venting the gas phase and outflowing the liquid CO.sub.2.