A gas treatment device uses a gas to be treated which contains an acid compound that dissolves into water to produce acid and a treatment liquid which absorbs the acid compound to phase-separate, to separate an acid compound from the gas to be treated. The gas treatment device includes an absorber which brings the gas to be treated into contact with the treatment liquid; a regenerator 14 which heats the treatment liquid contacting the gas to be treated to separate an acid compound; and a liquid feeding portion which feeds the treatment liquid contacting the gas to be treated in the absorber to the regenerator. In the absorber, the treatment liquid contacting the gas to be treated phase-separates into a first phase portion having a high acid compound content and a second phase portion having a low acid compound content. The liquid feeding portion is configured to introduce, into the regenerator, the treatment liquid with the phase-separated first phase portion and second phase portion mixed.

The present invention provides a carbon dioxide absorbent comprising a primary amine and a dialkylene glycol dialkyl ether or trialkylene glycol dialkyl ether. The carbon dioxide absorbent according to the present invention has an excellent carbon dioxide absorptivity, absorption rate and regeneration property.

Disclosed is a process for regenerating a hybrid solvent used to remove contaminants from a fluid stream and to provide an improved yield of purified fluid. Said process comprises at least one purification unit (12) and at least one regeneration unit (40) wherein condensed water (72) from the regeneration unit is combined with the regenerated lean hybrid solvent (55) prior to reuse in the purification unit and none of the condensed water is recycled into the regeneration unit.

A liquid/gas contactor unit includes a unit housing having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and an air inlet and an air outlet. The liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are configured to flow liquid through the unit housing in a gravity liquid flow direction. The air inlet and the air outlet are configured to flow air through the unit housing in an air flow direction. A plurality of porous media layers are contained within the unit housing and along the air flow channel. Each porous media layer is separated from an adjacent porous media layer by an air gap. Each porous media layer has opposing major surfaces separated by a thickness. The opposing major surfaces are orthogonal to the gravity liquid flow direction.

A vapor/smoke capturing trap system featuring a smoke chamber trap for precipitating the smoke dispersed in the chamber. The chamber includes a bottom pool for containing a reservoir of a liquid solvent, and a gas filled portion in which a lower smog portion contains fog-sized droplets of the liquid solvent and into which the smoke is introduced, and an upper clear portion in which the concentration of the smoke and the droplets is decreased, respective of their concentration in the smog portion. A fog-condenser, disposed between the smog portion and the clear portion, precipitates the fog droplets of the smog portion into the pool. A fine mist generator streams a jet of fog-sized droplets of the liquid solvent mixed with smoke toward a concentration of the smoke at the smog portion. A closed loop gas circulator withdraws gas from the clear portion and recirculates the gas under pressure through the fine mist generator into the smog portion. Fresh smoke is introduced into the gas circulator via a smoke conveying conduit. A complementary smoke capturing method includes filling the reservoir, streaming the jet of fog-sized droplets toward a concentration of smoke dispersed within the lower smog portion of the gas filled portion, precipitating droplets, in the smog portion, into the pool by a fog-condenser disposed between the lower smog portion and the upper clear portion of the gas filled portion, recirculating under pressure, in a closed loop gas circulator, gas withdrawn from the clear portion into the smog portion through the fine mist generator, and conducting fresh smoke via smoke conveying conduit into the gas circulator.

Processes and systems for the capture of CO.sub.2 from a CO.sub.2-containing gas stream are provided. The CO.sub.2-containing gas stream is passed to a membrane contactor absorber wherein the CO.sub.2-containing gas contacts or passes a first side of a membrane element while a CO.sub.2 selective solvent with a viscosity between 0.2 and 7 cP contacts, passes or flows on second side of the membrane, opposed to the first side. The CO.sub.2 permeates through the hollow fiber membrane pores and is chemically absorbed into the solvent.

Processes and apparatuses for treating a sour synthesis gas are provided. The process comprises passing the sour synthesis gas stream to an acid gas removal unit to provide a treated synthesis gas stream and a CO.sub.2 rich stream. At least a portion of the CO.sub.2 rich stream is passed to a thermal oxidizer unit to provide a treated CO.sub.2 gas stream. At least a portion of the treated synthesis gas stream is passed to a pressure swing adsorption unit to obtain a purified hydrogen stream and a tail gas stream. At least a portion of the tail gas stream is passed to the thermal oxidizer unit.

Acid gas is removed from a high pressure feed gas that contains significant quantities of CO2 and H2S. In especially preferred configurations and methods, feed gas is contacted in an absorber with a lean and an ultra-lean solvent that are formed by flashing rich solvent and stripping a portion of the lean solvent, respectively. Most preferably, the flash vapors and the stripping overhead vapors are recycled to the feed gas/absorber, and the treated feed gas has a CO2 concentration of less than 2 mol % and a H2S concentration of less than 10 ppmv, and more typically less than 4 ppm.

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 method for cleaning a contaminated solvent used to treat a gas stream, for example a contaminated glycol or a contaminated amine stream, by vacuum evaporation using a mechanically-maintained horizontally-orientated thin film evaporator, where the contaminant material is recovered from the thin film in solvent-free form, as either a heavy organic material or as free flowing salts.