HELIUM RECOVERY FROM GASEOUS STREAMS

• Main Authors: DUVAL, Sebastien A, ABANG, Taib, HAMAD, Feras, RITHAUDDEEN, Megat A, VAIDYA, Milind M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 15.04.2020
• Subjects: ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; FIRELIGHTERS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; NATURAL GAS; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING

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.