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.

The present disclosure provides a method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. The method includes operating a controlled freeze zone section in a distillation tower that separates a feed stream at a temperature and pressure at which the feed stream forms a solid in the controlled freeze zone section, wherein the feed stream includes a first contaminant; maintaining a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone section; introducing the feed stream to the controlled freeze zone section; and accumulating a liquid in the melt tray assembly until the liquid is at a predetermined liquid level in the controlled freeze zone section, by: feeding a second contaminant to the controlled freeze zone section; and adding the second contaminant to the melt tray assembly, wherein the liquid comprises the second contaminant.

Method of liquefaction of methane and filling a tank (2) with liquefied methane, said method comprising: a step of liquefaction of the methane comprising an operation of cooling the methane to its saturation temperature, a step of filling the tank with the liquefied methane, a step of reinjection of the vaporized methane into the liquefaction system.

In a process for the separation of a gas rich in carbon dioxide and containing at least one component lighter than carbon dioxide, the feed gas rich in carbon dioxide is cooled in a first heat exchanger, partially condensed and separated to form a gaseous portion and a liquid, sending the liquid portion to the top of a distillation column, removing a liquid stream richer in carbon dioxide than the feed gas from the bottom of the distillation column, removing a gaseous stream less rich in carbon dioxide than the feed gas from the top of the distillation column and warming the gaseous stream in the first heat exchanger, sending the gaseous portion to a shell and tube heat exchanger having tubes in a bath of triple point carbon dioxide, in which it condenses at least partially to form a liquid fraction, sending the liquid fraction to the top of the distillation column, vaporizing a liquid stream from the bottom of the distillation column outside or within the distillation column to form a gas which is subsequently separated in the distillation column, expanding a liquid stream from the bottom of the distillation column, vaporizing at least part of the expanded liquid stream in the shell and tube heat exchanger to form a vapor and warming the vapor formed in the first heat exchanger.

A method and plant for the cryogenic separation of air, the plant having an air compressor, a heat exchanger and a distillation column system having a low-pressure column at a first pressure and a high-pressure column at a second pressure. Feed air is compressed in the air compressor to a third pressure at least 2 bar above the second pressure A first fraction of compressed feed air is cooled in the heat exchanger and expanded in a first expansion turbine. A second fraction is cooled in the heat exchanger and expanded in a second expansion turbine A third fraction is compressed to a fourth pressure, cooled in the heat exchanger and then expanded. The third fraction is compressed to the fourth pressure in sequence in a recompressor, a hot first turbine booster and a second turbine booster. A dense fluid expander is used to expand the third fraction.

The present invention is a process for removing carbon dioxide from a compressed gas stream including cooling the compressed gas in a first heat exchanger, introducing the cooled gas into a de-sublimating heat exchanger, thereby producing a first solid carbon dioxide stream and a first carbon dioxide poor gas stream, expanding the carbon dioxide poor gas stream, thereby producing a second solid carbon dioxide stream and a second carbon dioxide poor gas stream, combining the first solid carbon dioxide stream and the second solid carbon dioxide stream, thereby producing a combined solid carbon dioxide stream, and indirectly exchanging heat between the combined solid carbon dioxide stream and the compressed gas in the first heat exchanger.

Compressed rich natural gas is divided into a cooling gas stream and a fuel gas stream. The cooling gas stream is depressurized. The cooling gas and the fuel gas are then heat exchanged to provide a first cooling step to the fuel gas. The cooled fuel gas continues into a second cooling step in a second heat exchanger, and then flows into a separator vessel where liquids are removed from the bottom of the separator and conditioned fuel gas exits the top of the separator. The conditioned fuel gas from the separator and produced from its influent is depressurized and heat exchanged to provide the second cooling fluid for the second heat exchanger.

A plant for separating gases from the air comprises, in the direction of circulation of the stream of air: a compression means for compressing the stream of air to a pressure P1 of between 1.15 bar abs and 2 bar abs, a TSA adsorption unit, and a cryogenic distillation unit, with the adsorption unit comprising at least two adsorbers A1 and A2 each having a parallelepipedal casing arranged horizontally and comprising: an air stream inlet and outlet, two fixed bed adsorbent masses each likewise parallelepipedal with faces parallel to the faces of the casing, and a set of volumes allowing the stream of air to traverse the two adsorbent masses horizontally, in parallel, over the whole cross section of each of the adsorbent masses and throughout their thicknesses.

A simple and efficient single mixed refrigerant process for cooling and liquefying a hydrocarbon feed stream, such as natural gas. The process employs a closed-loop single mixed refrigerant process for refrigeration duty. The refrigerant compressed to a high pressure using at least three stages of compression and two intercoolers (both producing liquid). A hydraulic turbine is used to expand the high pressure refrigerant before it flows into the main heat exchanger.