The present invention relates to methods of separating one or more components from a feed composition, methods of desorbing one or more components from an absorbent fluid, as well as systems and apparatus that can carry out the methods. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of separating one or more components from a feed composition including contacting at least some of a first component of a feed composition including the first component with an absorbent fluid, to provide a contacted composition and a used absorbent fluid including at least some of the first component contacted with the absorbent fluid. In some embodiments the absorbent fluid can be an organosilicon fluid including an organosilicon including at least one of a hydroxy group, an ether group, an acrylate group, a methacrylate group, an acrylamide group, a methacrylamide group, and a polyether group. In some embodiments, during the contacting the feed composition can be contacted to a first side of a membrane while the absorbent fluid is contacted to a second side of the membrane. In some embodiments, the membrane can be a silicone membrane.

Disclosed are systems and methods for producing oil and gas while removing hydrogen sulfide from fluids produced from oil and gas reservoirs and injecting a sour gas stream containing the hydrogen sulfide into an underground formation. Hydrogen sulfide-selective membranes are used to debottleneck known systems and methods by removing hydrogen sulfide from bottlenecked plant process steps including sour gas compression, hydrogen sulfide removal and sour gas injection. Pressure ratio across the membranes can also be manipulated to provide further debottlenecking. Gas-gas eductors are also disclosed for use in leveraging relatively high-pressure streams to boost the pressure of low pressure streams. Oil production is thus increased.

A process is provided for treating a hydrocarbon gas stream comprising sending the hydrocarbon gas stream to a membrane unit to be separated into a residue stream and a permeate gas stream; then sending the permeate gas stream with or without undergoing compression to a solvent absorption unit to remove carbon dioxide and other impurities; and recovering a treated gas.

A process for producing methanol includes the following steps (a) reacting, via a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reaction, a CPO reactant mixture (hydrocarbon, oxygen, and optionally steam) in a CPO reactor to produce syngas including H.sub.2, CO, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2O, and unreacted hydrocarbons; and wherein the CPO reactor includes a CPO catalyst; (b) introducing the syngas to a methanol reactor to produce a methanol reactor effluent stream (methanol, water, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons); and (c) separating the methanol reactor effluent stream into a crude methanol stream, a hydrogen stream, a CO.sub.2 stream, and a purge gas stream. The crude methanol stream comprises includes methanol and water; wherein the purge gas stream includes carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons; and the CO2 stream includes at least a portion of the CO2 of the methanol reactor effluent stream; and (d) recycling at least a portion of the CO2 stream to the CPO reactor.

Disclosed are systems and methods for producing oil and gas while removing hydrogen sulfide from fluids produced from oil and gas reservoirs and injecting a sour gas stream containing the hydrogen sulfide into an underground formation. Hydrogen sulfide-selective membranes are used to debottleneck known systems and methods by removing hydrogen sulfide from bottlenecked plant process steps including sour gas compression, hydrogen sulfide removal and sour gas injection. Pressure ratio across the membranes can also be manipulated to provide further debottlenecking. Gas-gas eductors are also disclosed for use in leveraging relatively high-pressure streams to boost the pressure of low pressure streams. Oil production is thus increased.

Disclosed are systems and methods for producing oil and gas while removing hydrogen sulfide from fluids produced from oil and gas reservoirs. Hydrogen sulfide-selective membranes are used to remove hydrogen sulfide from bottlenecked plant process steps including hydrogen sulfide removal. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, plant processing efficiency is improved for processing of high temperature associated gas streams by using membranes while integrating heat from other existing process streams. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, plant processing efficiency is improved for processing of high temperature associated gas streams by using high temperature tolerant polymer membranes. Oil and/or gas production is increased.

A method of separating impurities from a natural gas stream. CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2S are separated from the natural gas stream in a membrane separation system, thereby creating a partially-treated gas stream and a permeate gas stream, both of which are at a lower temperature than the natural gas stream. The partially-treated gas stream is contacted with a first lean solvent stream in a first contactor to separate H.sub.2S from the partially-treated gas stream, thereby producing a first rich solvent stream and a fully-treated gas stream. The permeate gas stream is contacted with a second lean solvent stream in a second contactor to separate H.sub.2S therefrom to produce a second rich solvent stream and a CO.sub.2 gas stream. H.sub.2S and CO.sub.2 are removed from the first and second rich solvent streams, thereby producing the first and second lean solvent streams.

Techniques for treating a natural gas feed stream include receiving a natural gas feed stream that includes one or more acid gases, one or more hydrocarbon fluids, and one or more non-hydrocarbon fluids; circulating the natural gas feed stream to a membrane module; separating, with the membrane module, at least a portion of the one or more acid gases into a permeate stream and at least a portion of the one or more hydrocarbon fluids into a reject stream; circulating the permeate stream to a distillation unit; and separating, in the distillation unit, the one or more acid gases from the one or more non-hydrocarbon fluids.

Recovering helium from a gaseous stream includes contacting an acid gas removal membrane with a gaseous stream to yield a permeate stream and a residual stream, removing a majority of the acid gas from the residual stream to yield a first acid gas stream and a helium depleted clean gas stream, removing a majority of the acid gas from the permeate stream to yield a second acid gas stream and a helium rich stream, and removing helium from the helium rich stream to yield a helium product stream and a helium depleted stream. A helium removal system for removing helium from a gaseous stream including hydrocarbon gas, acid gas, and helium includes a first processing zone including a first acid gas removal unit, a second processing zone including a second acid gas removal unit, a third processing zone, and a helium purification unit.

A multi-stage process for recovering acid gas from natural gas having high acid gas contents utilizes two or more membrane absorption contactors arranged in series. The first membrane absorption contactor uses a physical solvent to remove a high volume of acid gas transferred across a membrane, and to reduce the acid gas content in the natural gas to a lower level that can be managed using chemical solvents. The second and, if needed, subsequent membrane absorption contactors can use a chemical solvent to remove acid gas transferred across the respective membranes and reduce the acid gas content in the natural gas to very low levels, if needed, depending on product specifications.