Patent ID: 9605846
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: C10L,F23D,F23G,F23J,F23N

Claim:
1. An apparatus for recovering water and hydrocarbon gases evaporated from glycol in a still column mounted on a re-boiler having a burner assembly with a fire-tube and an air/gas mixer at one end of the fire tube, the air/gas mixer having a fuel inlet, a vapor inlet and an air inlet, the apparatus comprising: a water and hydrocarbon gas vapor condenser connectable downstream from the still column including separate outlets for water and condensed hydrocarbons and uncondensed hydrocarbons; an uncondensed hydrocarbons separator downstream from the vapor condenser and having separate outlets for water and condensed hydrocarbons and uncondensed hydrocarbons; a self-emptying container downstream from the water and condensed hydrocarbons outlet of the vapor condenser and said separator; a hydrocarbon vapor conduit extending from the separator for conveying non-condensed hydrocarbons to the burner assembly; and a three-way control valve interposed in the hydrocarbon vapor conduit for directing the flow of non-condensed vapors from the condensate separator into the air/gas mixer of the burner assembly when the burner assembly is ignited; and a control assembly for controlling the three way control valve in a way that non-condensed vapors are directed to the burner assembly only after the burner assembly has been ignited by fuel gas passed through the fuel inlet and mixed with air from the air inlet.