Method and apparatus for managing hydrate formation in the processing of a hydrocarbon stream

• Main Authors: White William R, Kendall James L, Bancroft Jennifer L, Sellen Russell Dean
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.12.2016
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CALCULATING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; SEPARATION; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A method and system are disclosed for managing hydrate formation in a process that converts a hydrocarbon stream into C2 unsaturates, such as ethylene and/or acetylenes. The method includes adding a hydrate inhibitor to a hydrocarbon stream to lower the hydrate formation point of the mixture stream from an initial hydrate formation point (HI) of the hydrocarbon stream to a depressed hydrate formation point (HD) of the mixture stream. Then, the mixture stream is depressurized to adiabatically cool the stream to a temperature (T), wherein the HD<T<HI. Then, at least a portion of the mixture stream is vaporized and the vaporized portion of the mixture stream is separated from the unvaporized portion of the mixture stream. Once separated, at least a portion of the vaporized portion is converted into product, such as ethylene and/or acetylene.