US1142275A - Apparatus for obtaining liquid hydrocarbons. - Google Patents

Description

E. SC

HILL.

APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l. 19I4.

Patented June 8, 1915.

WIM/8858 WFM HEATER PENTAN: canbsnsezn WATER GASOLINE FENTANE IN VEN TOR .EMIL SCHILL /I TTOR/VEYS .UNTTED -sTAT'Es PATENT oTTrcE.

EMIL "SCHILL, OF-NEW YORK, 'N'. Y., -ASSIGNOR TO G O'N'IINENTAL GASJGMPRESSING CORPORATION, AOORPORATION 'OFgNEW`YO-BK.

l PPAR/Amos rosa yon'rnrurrrcr :LIQUID vrumnocnnnorrfs.

10 all whom tmaz/ concern:

Be it known ,that I, EMIL SGHILL, a 'citizen of Wurttemberg, Germany, and a resident of New York city, New York, l have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for lObtaining Liquid Hydrocarbons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to apparatus adapted to be employed in the recovery in isolated liquid form of yhydrocarbons of the methane series and it is Vparticularly adapted to the production of gasolene from casing head gases, or gases having a similar panying drawing which representsa ,top

view of the plant. A

In the drawing A represents the compressor and B the belt that drives it.

C C are the steam lcylinders which communicate with the compression cylinders D D.

E represents the pipe communicating with the source of supply such, for example, as

the head of an oil well, or of a storagetank or pipe line. The mixed gases which com pose this supply enter the tank F through the pipe E. The tank Fis a cleaning tank and the gases entering it at the top deposit therein rust, oils, water, etc., such vas are readily separated by gravity. The 'gases thus comparatively purified pass from the tank F through pipe G to the meter M, the function of which is Ato measure the quantity i of gases which are'subsecluently compressed in the cylinders D, D. The gases first enter thelow pressure cylinder D Aand are met therein by a heat abssorbing agent, such as glycerin, in the condition of very iine minute subdivision, which enters the cylinder through an atomizing nozzle supplied through the pipe line L. The heat absorb-y Specication of Letters fPatent.

Application led June 1, 1914. Serial No.18425055.

Patented June 8, 11915.

ing agent must `enter thecylinder in a very iinelyatomized form, ,suchas spray or mist.

Glycerinumay ,be u sedasthe heat absorbing medium .but l may employ a number of other agents which have shown satisfactory results for-my purposes. Anyagent willbe satisfactory lso long as yit has the' quality of absorbing water, of being a goodconductor of heat,.of,having lubricating qualities and the .property of chemical ,neutrality with respect tothe products under treatment and the .machinerythrough which it passes. It should .also be constant in chemical respects; even at high temperatures and should have a high .speciiic heat, a high specific weight, a high boiling point and the capacity of being .readily separated from water sothat the agent `may be used over and over again. I lhave used with good results commercial glucose, turkey methyleneglycol.

After .the gases have been compressedin the low -pressure cylinder D, they are -conveyed vby means ofthe connection shown in the dotted linesto the high pressure cylinder D', thls connection being preferably located below the .apparatus shown. The cylinder D 1s termed a high .pressure cylinder as compared wlth the cylinder D, although the pressure employed :in my apparatusin the cylinder D is materially less than the pressure which has been employed in connection with 'processesA for compression of natural gases. A pressure of 250 pounds in this cylinder issuiiicient to bring about commercial vresults and even lowr pressures may be pressure and the temperature' used. The' should produce conditions such that the yhydrocarbon gases still remain in their gaseous form. The heat absorbingv agent removes from those gases theVV water contained inYY them in the form of an aqueous vapor and also the water-soluble vimpurities such as vllHw Hz-S and .'others, as well as heavier products such as tar. The heat generated red oil, glycerin, and tri-.

by compression is not transferred to the gases, by reason, apparently 0f the intermolecular ,lubrication which/seems to take place; to some extent the heat of compression is also directly absorbed by theglycerin. In the high pressure `cylinder D', the gases are subjected to such a degree Vof pressure as is required toreduce them to the proper condition for further treatment in the remainder of the apparatus and there is also given to them the necessary power to pass of the glycerin tank J. The pressure in the separator H is suiicient to raise the liquid in the pipe I. From the bottom of the storage tank J the glycerin is carried through the pipes K-L to the spraying nozzles through which it is injected into each of the compression cylinders in a 'very finely divided condition. The pipeL during a portion of its length is shown as externally cooled by the double pipe `water cooler N. The by-pass O is used when the storage tank J is cut out of the system for purposes of cleaning, reiilling, replacing or repair. From the upper Sart of the separator H the compressed hyrocarbons pass into the coil condenser P which may be cooled by the expanded gases in the manner which will be described later. The object ofthe condenser P is to liquefy the major portion of the hydrocarbon gases. The condensates and unliqueied gases pass through the pipe marked with an arrow from the bottom of the condenser P into the top of the collecting tank Q.

Dry uncondensed gases are forced through the pipe R into the compound steam cylinders C C', where such pressure as they may be under will be converted into work.l These gases as they leave the compound cylinders 'C C expand intoh the separator S where such oils or lubricants as they may have gathered will be removed from them. The expansion of these gases at this point following the conversion of their pressure into work develops a very material reduction in temperature. The cooled gases leave the separator S through the pipe S. The relief valve T may be used in starting the apparatus so that .the gas englne shall not.

work against the load. The relief valve T l is closed as soon as the pressure is properly .through the pipe 5. The

developed.

To, return to that stage of the process in which the condensed gases are gathered in the collecting tank Q: The liquid leaves the bottom of that tank through pipe 1 through which it is carried into the condenser 2. The condenser 2 is constructed in the form of a surface condenser being supplied with hot water, through the. pipe 3 which leaves the condenser at 4. The temperature of the water is so regulated that the liquid shall be heated to .the desired temperature, say 60 C. The liquid or gasolene which is not vaporized inthe condenser 2 is withdrawn ases which are vaporized by this treatment ln'the condenser 2 leave the condenser through the pipe 6 and pass into the bottom of the coil condenser 7. The liquid condensed the coil condenser 7 leaves through the pipe 8 at the bottom of the coil condenser and from the pipe 8 the liquid is directly collected in steel cylinders or tanks in a well known manner and under conditions which exclude the admittance of atmospheric air or pressure.- Un- ,condensed gases may be drawn oif through pipe 28.

he cooling temperature required in the condenser 7, which for convenience may be designated asy the pentane condenser, as well is that required for the coil condenser P, which may be called the gasolene condenser is supplied by the system itself in the following manner: The uncondensed dry gases still under the pressure imparted to the system leave the collecting tank Q through the pipe 9 which communicates with the pipe R and thus through the compound cylinders C C and the oil separator S. As' above described the gases leavel the separator S passing into the pipe 10, being now extremely cold and apart of this gas may be conveyed through the pipe 11 to the gas engine which drives the belt B. The cold gases otherwise flow onward through the pipe 1'0 to the cross-T 12. The gas is divided and a part of it passes into the toppof the pentane condenser 7. The'balance of the cooled gas is conveyed by means of the pipe 13 into the bottom of the coil in the gasolene condenser P leaving the same at the topl through pipe 14, into the cross-T 15 from which they emerge from the system through` the pipe 16. In the cross-T 15 these cold again metered and employed for industrial purposes especially where they contain very volatile noncondensable constituents such as methane.' y

For the purpose of producing the pentanes in a condition of greater refinement there may be more than one pentane condenser included within the system with suitable temperature control for each. For the purpose of this invention, it is not material, that all of the liquefiable constituents of the gas be liquefied in the condenser P so long as the pentane is liquefied while in the form of a separated gas, by which I- mean a gas which is no longer in admixture with the original gase in the original proportions. For examp e, the pentane becomes a separated gas as soon as a part, or all, of the gasolene is withdrawn from the com- In such cases where the production of pen-l tanes is of particular importance, the starting material, instead of being casing head gases may be natural petroleum containing pentanes. In suchcases care should be taken not to permit the volatilization of the pentanes during their collection and further treatment. By^heating such petroleum to say 70 C., a certain variety of hydrocarbons, in-

cluding pentanes are driven ofl` and pass through the above described apparatus until they are liqueed. With liquid mixtures of this character the volatilization of the low boiling ingredients is retarded and the temperature may be advantageously increased to secure a more nearly quantitative yield. The ultimate liquid obtained in` this way consists substantially of pentanes, but is likely to contain a proportion of its nearest homologues. It is essential from whatever source the .pentanes are produced that they shall be filled into steel cylinders or the like directly from the apparatus described and that the cylinders shall be immediately sealed and protected against the admissio-nr of air, after'which the contents may be directly used for further industrial processes, or may be further isolated for fractional distillation, or otherwise, as above described,

' provided always that such further isolation treatments take place in a closed system, excluding atmospheric air.

The apparatus, as above described, is in the form of a closed system which involves the compression of gas in the presence of a finely divided heat absorbing medium and a withdrawal of that medium from thecompressed gases. Commercial gasolene is continuously recovered at one endof the system; pentane or a similar fraction continuously at a second point and methane or permanent gases continuously at a third point.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a compressor vfor compressing natural gas mixtures containing gasolene, pentane and methane, an injecting nozzle communicating with the interior of said compressor adapted for the injection of a finely divided liquid, a collector a condenser within which the gasolene is liquefied, a second condenser within which the pentane is liquefied while in the'form of a separated gas, pipes passing through each of said condensers thereby dividing each of them into two separate passages, pipe connections for -introducing the pentane as a separated gas into the pentane condenser and means .for causing expansion of the separated methane component of the compressed gases and for drawing the cold expanded methane through one of the two separated passages in each ofthe two condensers above named while the gas to be subjected to the action of the cold methane traverses the other passages of said two condensers.

2. The combination of a compressor for compressing natural gas mixtures containing gasolene, pentane and methane, an injecting nozzle communicating with the interior of said compressor adapted for the injection of a finely divided liquid, a collector to receive liquid constituents of the compressed gases as theyleave the compressor, a condenser within which the gasolene is liqueied, a second condenser within which the pentane is liquefied while in the form of a separated gas, pipes Ipassing through each of` said condensers thereby dividing each of them into two separate passages, pipe connections for introducing the pentane as a separated gas into the pentane condenser, means for causing expansion of the separated methane component of the compressed gases and for drawing the cold expanded passages in each of the two condensers above named while the gas to be subjected to they action of the cold methane traverses. the other passages of said two condensers, and means forv separately drawing off gasolene, pentane and methane without'interrupting the operation of any of the foregoing apparatus, the entire apparatus above named, except for the drawing 0E channels, being arranged to form a closed system.

3. The combination of a compressor for compressing natural gas mixtures containing gasolene, pentane and methane, an inj cting nozzle communicating with the interi r of said compressor adapted for the injection of a finely divided liquid, a collector to receive liquid constituents ofthe compressed gases as they leave the compressor, a condenser within which the gasolene is liquefied, a second condenser within which the pentane is liquefied while in the formof a separated gas, pipes passing through each of said condensers thereby dividing each of them into two separate passages, pipe con-- for permitting the methane to expand and for conducting the expanded methane' through one of the separated passages of each ofthe above mentioned two condensers while the gas to be subjected to the action of the cold expanded methane traverses the otherbpassage of said condensers.

4. lThe combination of acompressor for compressing natural gasmiXtures containing gasolene, pentane and methane, an injecting. nozzle communicating with the interior of said compressor adapted for the injection of a nely divided liquid, a collector to receive liquid constituents of the compressed gases as they leave the compressor, a condenser within which the gasolene is liqueiied, a second condenser within which the pentane is liquefied while in the form of a separated gas, each of said two collectors consisting yof two separated 'passages so ar-v ranged that one should be subject to temperature conditions in thebther, pipe connections for vintroducing the pentane as a separated gas into the pentane condenser and means for causing expansion of the separated methane component of the com-4 pressed gases and for drawing the cold eX-V hand -in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. EMIL SCI-IILL.

Witnesses: l A FRITZ ZIEGLER, J r., t R. ABERLL

Images