One or more specific embodiments disclosed herein includes a method for separating hydrogen from an olefin hydrocarbon rich compressed effluent vapor stream, employing an integrated heat exchanger, multiple gas-liquid separators, external refrigeration systems, and a rectifier attached to a liquid product drum.

One or more specific embodiments disclosed herein includes a method for separating hydrogen from an olefin hydrocarbon rich compressed effluent vapor stream, employing a integrated heat exchanger, multiple gas-liquid separators, external refrigeration systems, and a rectifier attached to a liquid product drum.

A process for producing hydrocarbons includes providing a component mixture containing hydrocarbons and a feed mixture containing hydrocarbons having two or more carbon atoms and lower boiling compounds using a portion of the component mixture, and forming a heavy fraction and a light fraction using the feed mixture. The heavy fraction contains a portion of the hydrocarbons from the feed mixture and is at least poor in the lower boiling components. The light fraction contains a portion of the lower boiling components from the feed mixture and is at least poor in the hydrocarbons from the feed mixture. The heavy fraction and a first intermediate fraction are formed using some of the feed mixture in low-temperature separation. Some of the first intermediate fraction is subjected to non-cryogenic separation while obtaining the light fraction and a second intermediate fraction. A portion of the second intermediate fraction is recycled to the process.

One or more specific embodiments disclosed herein includes a method for separating hydrogen from an olefin hydrocarbon rich compressed effluent vapor stream, employing an integrated heat exchanger, multiple gas-liquid separators, external refrigeration systems, and a rectifier attached to a liquid product drum.

In a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) process, the purpose of the deethanizer and chilling train systems is to separate the cracked gas into a methane-rich tail gas product, a C2, and a C3 process stream. By the use of staged cooling, process-to-process inter-change against propane feed to the reactor and use of high efficiency heat exchangers and distributed distillation techniques, refrigeration power requirements are reduced and a simple and reliable design is provided by the process described herein.

One or more specific embodiments disclosed herein includes a method for separating hydrogen from an olefin hydrocarbon rich compressed effluent vapor stream, employing a single heat exchanger, multiple gas-liquid separators, multiple expander/compressor sets, and a rectifier attached to a liquid product drum.

A process for recovering hydrogen from dehydrogenation reactor effluent is disclosed. A feed stream comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen to a dehydrogenation reactor maintained at dehydrogenation conditions to provide a dehydrogenation reactor effluent. The dehydrogenation reactor effluent is passed to a cold box separation unit to provide a liquid hydrocarbon product stream and a recycle hydrogen stream. A return portion of the recycle hydrogen stream is passed to the reactor effluent compressor. The subject matter disclosed improved process and apparatus which enables the paraffin dehydrogenation reactor to run at reduced H.sub.2/HC ratio without requiring an investment in a resized compressor or resized turboexpanders or separators in the cold box.

Processes and systems for recovering hydrogen may include feeding a gas stream, comprising hydrogen and additional gases, to a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system and feeding a membrane permeate stream comprising hydrogen to the PSA system. In the PSA system, a portion of the hydrogen may be separated from the additional gases to recover a hydrogen product stream and a PSA tail gas stream comprising unseparated hydrogen and the additional gases. The PSA tail gas stream may be fed to a membrane separation unit for separating hydrogen from the additional gases and to recover (i) the membrane permeate stream comprising hydrogen fed to the PSA system and (ii) a membrane tail gas stream comprising the additional gases. Embodiments herein may additionally include a refrigeration system for partially condensing one or both of the feed gas stream and the PSA tail gas stream, enhancing the efficiency of the membrane separation unit.

A process and apparatus integrate a deethanizer column with a cryogenic heat exchanger by reboiling the deethanizer column with a refrigerant stream and/or cooling a deethanizer overhead line in the cryogenic heat exchanger. A single stage separator and a single deethanizer column may be used to obtain high purity hydrogen in the net gas stream and an ethane rich off-gas stream, whereas conventionally a dual stage separator and two deethanizer columns were necessary for equivalent purity, respectively.

A process and apparatus reboil a propylene splitter bottoms by heat exchange and/or a deethanizer bottoms stream with a compressed propylene splitter overhead stream. Use of single splitter compressor and operation of the propane-propylene splitter column at lower pressure are enabled, whereas conventionally two splitter compressors and higher splitter pressure were necessary to provide a propylene product stream and a propane recycle stream of equivalent quality.