Patent ID: 6106674
Filing Date: 2000-08-22
Classification: B01D,F25J,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for the separation of a feed stream containing three or more major constituent components of different relative volatilities into product streams that are enriched in one of the major constituent component by distillation in a distillation column system containing at least two distillation columns, wherein one column produces a vapor stream enriched in the most volatile major constituent component at its top and the other column produces a liquid stream enriched in the least volatile major constituent component at its bottom, comprising:(a) feeding the feed stream containing three or more major constituent components to a distillation column of the distillation column system;(b) providing reflux to the distillation column producing the vapor stream enriched in the most volatile major constituent component at its top by feeding a liquid stream enriched in the most volatile major constituent component to the top of such column;(c) providing vapor boilup to the distillation column producing the liquid stream enriched in the least volatile major constituent component at its bottom by feeding a vapor stream enriched in the least volatile major constituent component to the bottom of such column;(d) operating the distillation column producing the liquid stream enriched in the least volatile constituent component at the bottom such that the operating pressure at the location of this distillation column where a vapor stream is removed to be fed to another distillation column is greater than the operating pressure at the location of another distillation column where the vapor stream is fed;(e) removing a first vapor stream from a location of the distillation column producing the liquid stream enriched in the least volatile major constituent component at its bottom and feeding the first vapor stream to a distillation column within the distillation column system;(f) removing a second vapor stream from an intermediate location of the distillation column producing the liquid stream enriched in the least volatile major constituent component at its bottom and feeding the second vapor stream to a distillation column within the distillation column system;(g) feeding a vapor stream that has been removed from a distillation column within the distillation column system to the distillation column producing the vapor stream enriched in the most volatile major constituent component stream at its top.