Patent EA-001591-B1 (EA)
Title: Method of removing a gaseous component from liquid
Inventor: BETTING MARCO
IPC: B04C3/06
Filed: 1998-07-01
Abstract: 1. A method of removing a selected gaseous component from a stream of fluid containing a plurality of gaseous components, the method comprising the steps of: - inducing said stream to flow at supersonic velocity through a conduit so as to decrease the temperature of the fluid to below a selected temperature at which one of condensation and solidification of the selected component occurs thereby forming particles of the selected component, the conduit being provided with swirl imparting means to impart a swirling motion to the stream of fluid thereby inducing the particles to flow to a radially outer section of a collecting zone in the stream; - creating a shock wave in the stream so as to decrease the axial velocity of the fluid to subsonic velocity; and  - extracting the particles into an outlet stream from said radially outer section of the collecting zone, wherein the shock wave is created downstream the swirl imparting means and upstream the collecting zone. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid forms a natural gas produced from an earth formation, and said selected temperature is defined by the condensation point of the selected component whereby condensed particles of the selected component, to be removed, are formed. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the gaseous component to be removed is one or more compounds of ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane and octane. 4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the shock wave is created by inducing the stream of fluid to flow through a diffuser. 5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein said outlet stream is introduced into a gas/liquid separator to separate a gaseous fraction of the outlet stream from a liquid fraction thereof. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said gaseous fraction is mixed with the stream of fluid induced to flow at supersonic velocity through the conduit. 7. A device for removing a selected gaseous component from a stream of fluid containing a plurality of gaseous components, comprising: - means for inducing said stream to flow at supersonic velocity through a conduit so as to decrease the temperature of the fluid to below a selected temperature at which one of condensation and solidification of the selected component occurs thereby forming particles of the selected component, the conduit being provided with swirl imparting means to impart a swirling motion to the stream of fluid thereby inducing the particles to flow to a radially outer section of a collecting zone in the stream; - means for creating a shock wave in the stream so as to decrease the axial velocity of the fluid to subsonic velocity; and  - means for extracting the particles into an outlet stream from said radially outer section of the collecting zone, wherein the means for creating the shock wave is arranged to create the shock wave downstream the swirl imparting means and upstream the collecting zone. 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the means for creating the shock wave includes a diffuser. 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the means for inducing the stream to flow at a supersonic velocity comprises a Laval-type inlet of the conduit, and wherein the smallest cross-sectional flow area of the diffuser is larger than the smallest cross-sectional flow area of the Laval-type inlet. 10. The device of claim 8 or 9, wherein said collecting zone is located adjacent the outlet end of the diffuser. 11. The device of any one of claims 7-10, further comprising a gas/liquid separator having an inlet in fluid communication with said outlet stream and an outlet for a gaseous fraction of said first outlet stream. 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the outlet for the gaseous fraction is connected to an inlet of the conduit so as to mix the gaseous fraction with the stream of fluid flowing at supersonic velocity through the conduit.