A natural gas liquid plant is retrofitted with a bolt-on unit that includes an absorber that is coupled to an existing demethanizer by refrigeration produced at least in part by compression and expansion of the residue gas, wherein ethane recovery can be increased to at least 99% and propane recovery is at least 99%, and where a lower ethane recovery of 96% is required, the bolt-on unit does not require the absorber, which could be optimum solution for revamping an existing facility. Contemplated configurations are especially advantageous to be used as bolt-on upgrades to existing plants.

The invention relates to a method (100) for the recovery of a separation product which contains predominantly hydrocarbons with two carbon atoms, with the use of a separation feedstock which contains predominantly methane, hydrogen and hydrocarbons with two carbon atoms, wherein the methane content of the separation feedstock is up to 20%, and the separation feedstock is provided in a gaseous state. It is provided that, at a first pressure level, the separation feedstock is partially condensed in a single step by cooling from a first temperature level to a second temperature level, thereby obtaining precisely one first liquid fraction and precisely one first gaseous fraction; at least one part of the first gaseous fraction is partially condensed in a single step through further cooling from the second temperature level to a third temperature level, thereby obtaining precisely one second liquid fraction and precisely one second gaseous fraction; at least one part of the second gaseous fraction at the second pressure level is subjected to a contraflow absorption in the contraflow to an absorption liquid containing predominantly methane, thereby obtaining precisely one third liquid fraction and precisely one third gaseous fraction; the first, the second and the third liquid fraction are at least partially combined and, at least partially, at a second pressure level above the first pressure level, subjected to a low-temperature rectification, thereby obtaining a sump liquid and an overhead gas; at least one part of the overhead gas at the second pressure level is partially condensed in a single step through further cooling from the second temperature level to the third temperature level, thereby obtaining a fourth liquid fraction and a fourth gaseous fraction; and the absorption liquid containing predominantly methane is formed through further cooling of at least a part of the fourth gaseous fraction to a fourth temperature level. A corresponding plant also forms the subject matter of the invention.

This specification relates to operating industrial facilities, for example, crude oil refining facilities or other industrial facilities that include operating plants that process natural gas or recover natural gas liquids.

Disclosed is a re-liquefying device using a boil-off gas as a cooling fluid so as to re-liquefy the boil-off gas generated from a liquefied gas storage tank provided in a ship. A boil-off gas re-liquefying device for a ship comprises: a multi-stage compression unit for compressing boil-off gas generated from a liquefied gas storage tank; a heat exchanger in which the boil-off gas generated from the storage tank and the boil-off gas compressed exchange heat; a vaporizer for heat exchanging the boil-off gas cooled by the heat exchanger and a separate liquefied gas supplied to a fuel demand source of a ship, and thus cooling the boil-off gas; an intermediate cooler for cooling the boil-off gas that has been cooled by the heat exchanger; and an expansion means for branching a part of the boil-off gas, which is supplied to the intermediate cooler, and expanding the same.

This specification relates to operating industrial facilities, for example, crude oil refining facilities or other industrial facilities that include operating plants that process natural gas or recover natural gas liquids.

Integrated systems are provided for the production of higher hydrocarbon compositions, for example liquid hydrocarbon compositions, from methane using an oxidative coupling of methane system to convert methane to ethylene, followed by conversion of ethylene to selectable higher hydrocarbon products. Integrated systems and processes are provided that process methane through to these higher hydrocarbon products.

A process for separating a component mixture comprising essentially hydrocarbons having two or two or more carbon atoms, methane and hydrogen using a distillation apparatus (10) is proposed. Fluid (a, c, e, g, i) from the component mixture is cooled stepwise to a first pressure level, with separation of first condensates (b, d, f, h, j) out of the fluid (a, c, e, g, i) in each case. Fluid (k) from the component mixture that remains in gaseous form thereafter is expanded to a second pressure level in an expander, giving a second condensate (l). Fluid from the first condensates (b, d, f, h, j) is expanded from the first pressure level to the second pressure level and fed together with the fluid from the second condensates into the distillation apparatus (10) which is being operated at the second pressure level. The present invention likewise provides a corresponding separation apparatus.

A natural gas liquid plant is retrofitted with a bolt-on unit that includes an absorber that is coupled to an existing demethanizer by refrigeration produced at least in part by compression and expansion of the residue gas, wherein ethane recovery can be increased to at least 99% and propane recovery is at least 99%, and where a lower ethane recovery of 96% is required, the bolt-on unit does not require the absorber, which could be optimum solution for revamping an existing facility. Contemplated configurations are especially advantageous to be used as bolt-on upgrades to existing plants.

Gas processing methodology for high efficiency recovery of propane and/or ethane from a natural gas feed stream. The method is conducted without turboexpansion. A natural gas stream is processed to have gas and liquid portions. The gas portion is cooled and flows to a refluxed absorber column and the liquid portion flows to a lower pressure distillation column. Bottoms of the absorber column are depressurized directly into a lower pressure distillation column and the overhead vapor stream is used to cool the feed and/or reflux streams. The overhead vapour stream from the lower pressure distillation column split into at least two streams with one being depressurized into the absorber to provide reflux and the second passed into the absorber column to provide further reflux.

A process is described herein for removing high freeze point hydrocarbons, including benzene compounds, from a mixed feed gas stream. The process involves cooling process streams in one or more heat exchangers and separating condensed compounds in multiple separators to form a methane-rich product gas stream. Select solvent streams from a fractionation train and/or separate solvent streams are employed to lower the freeze point of one or more streams that contain high freeze point hydrocarbons. A corresponding system also is disclosed.