Gas inlet

Dry inlet gas that has been dehydrated by molecular sieves (qv) or alumina beds to less than 0.1 ppm water is spHt into two streams by a three-way control valve. Approximately 60% of the inlet gas is cooled by heat exchange with the low pressure residue gas from the demethanizer and by external refrigeration. The remainder of the inlet gas is cooled by heat exchange with the demethanized bottoms product, the reboiler, and the side heater. A significant amount of low level refrigera tion from the demethanizer Hquids and the cold residue gas stream is recovered in the inlet gas stream. 

Essentially all of the methane [74-82-8] is removed ia the demethanizer overhead gas product. High recovery of ethane and heavier components as demethanizer bottoms products is commonplace. The work that is generated by expanding the gas ia the turboexpander is utilized to compress the residue gas from the demethanizer after it is warmed by heat exchange with the inlet gas. Recompression and deUvery to a natural gas pipeline is performed downstream of the plant. A propane recovery of 99% can be expected when ethane recoveries are ia excess of 65%. 

The pressure used in producing gas wells often ranges from 690— 10,300 kPa (100—1500 psi). The temperature of the inlet gas is reduced by heat-exchange cooling with the gas after the expansion. As a result of the cooling, a liquid phase of natural gas liquids that contains some of the LPG components is formed. The liquid is passed to a set of simple distillation columns in which the most volatile components are removed overhead and the residue is natural gasoline. The gas phase from the condensate flash tank is compressed and recycled to the gas producing formation. 

By control of the bed temperature and of the moisture content of the inlet gas, some control over the ratio of carbonate to bicarbonate can be obtained. 

If objective is to recover adsorbed components (free of water vapor), inlet gas stream should be dried before molecular sieve adsorption process occurs (water adsorption on mol sieves is particularly strong because of polarity of surface). 

Investigators of tower packings normally report kcCi values measured at very low inlet-gas concentrations, so that yBM = 1, and at total pressures close to 100 kPa (1 atm). Thus, the correct rate coefficient For use in packed-tower designs involving the use of the driving force y — y /yBM is obtained by multiplying the reported k co values oy the value of pf employed in the actual test unit (e.g., 100 kPa) and not the total pressure of the system to be designed. 

Efficiency increases with an increase in the inlet-gas temperature for a constant exhaust temperature. 

Countercurrent flow of gas and sohds gives greater heat-transfer efficiency with a given inlet-gas temperature. But cocurrent flow can be used more frequently to diy heat-sensitive materials at higher inlet-gas temperatures because of the rapid coohng of the gas during initial evaporation of surface moisture. 

The conveyor and collector parts are thoroughly insulated to reduce heat losses in diying and other heating operations. Operating control is maintained usually by control of the exit-gas temperature, with the inlet-gas temperature varied to compensate for changing feed conditions. A constant solids feed rate must be maintained. 

The physical properties of spray-dried materials are subject to considerable variation, depending on the direction of flow of the inlet gas and its temperature, the degree and uniformity of atomization, the solids content of the feed, the temperature of the feed, and the degree of aeration of the feed. The properties of the product usually of greatest interest are (1) particle size, (2) bulk density, and (3) dustiness. The particle size is a function of atomizer-operating conditions and also of the solids content, liquid viscosity, liquid density, and feed rate. In general, particle size increases with solids content, viscosity, density, and feed rate. 

When the solute concentration in the inlet gas is low and when nearly all the solute is being absorbed (this is the usual case), the approximation... 

Importance of Design Diagrams One of the first things a designer should tiy to do is lay out a carefully constructed equilibrium curve, y° = Fix), on an xy diagram, as shown in Fig. 14-2. A horizontal line corresponding to the inlet-gas composition yi is then the locus of feasible outlet-liquor compositions, and a vertical hue corresponding to the inlet-solvent-liquor composition X9 is the locus of feasible out-... 

Once the design recovery for an absorber has been established, the operating curve can be constructed by first locating the point X9, y2 ou the diagram. The intersection of the horizontal hue corresponding to the inlet gas composition yi with the equilibrium curve y° = F x)... 

For gas-absorption systems in which the inlet gas is concentrated, the correct equation is... 

FIG. 14-6 Graphical method for a three-theoretical-plate gas-ahsorption tower with inlet-liquor composition and inlet-gas composition y. ... 

Temperature and Humidity of Rich Gas Cooling and consequent dehumidification of the feed gas to an absorption tower can be very beneficial. A high humidity (or relative saturation with solvent) limits the capacity of the gas phase to take up latent heat and therefore is unfavorable to absorption. Thus, dehumidification of the inlet gas prior to introducing it into the tower is worth considering in the design of gas absorbers with large heat effects. 

It should be clear from this example that there is considerable room for error when approximate design methods are employed in situations involving large heat effects, even for a case in which the solute concentration in the inlet gas was only 6 mole percent. 

Example 6 Solvent Rate for Absorption Let us consider the absorption of acetone from air at atmospheric pressure into a stream of pure water fed to the top of a packed absorber at 25 C. The inlet gas at 35 C contains 2 percent by volume of acetone and is 70 percent saturated with water vapor (4 percent H2O by volume). The mole-fraction acetone in the exit gas is to be reduced to 1/400 of the inlet value, or 50 ppmv. For 100 kmol of feed-gas mixture, how many Idlomoles of fresh water should be fed to provide a positive-driving force throughout the pacldug How many transfer units will be needed according to the classical adiabatic method What is the estimated height of pacldug required if Hqq = 0.70 m ... 

End Effects Analysis of the mass-transfer efficiency of a packed cohimn should take into account that transfer which takes place outside the bed, i.e., at the ends of the packed sections. Inlet gas may veiy weU contact exit liquid below the bottom support plate, and exit gas can contact liquid from some types of distributors (e.g., spray nozzles). The bottom of the cohimn is the more hkely place for transfer, and SU-vey and KeUer [Chem. Eng. Prog., 62(1), 68 (1966)] found that the... 

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