Patent ID: 6767388
Filing Date: 2004-07-27
Classification: B01D,C10L,F25J

Abstract:
A process for dehydrating and fractionating a low-pressure wet natural gas essentially containing C1 and C2 hydrocarbons referred to as <> hydrocarbons, C3+ hydrocarbons referred to as <> hydrocarbons and water, characterized in that it comprises in combination at least the following stages:a) at least a fraction of the wet natural gas at a pressure below about 5 MPa is contacted with an aqueous liquid phase L'1 containing methanol, said gas carrying along substantially all of the methanol contained in said liquid phase L'1, b) the gas from stage (a) is cooled, thus producing a gas phase G1 at equilibrium with a hydrocarbon-containing liquid phase L1 containing C3+ and the aqueous liquid phase L'1 containing methanol, c) aqueous liquid phase L'1 is sent to stage (a), and d) gas phase G1 is fractionated by distillation carried out by continuous thermal exchange with a cooling fluid, which allows to extract the <> constituents in form of a gas phase G2 and the <> constituents in form of a liquid phase L2 containing the C3+ condensates.