Patent ID: 7259288

Claim:
A process for the recovery of hydrogen from a gaseous feedstream containing hydrogen and non-hydrogen components including methane and higher hydrocarbons and, optionally, hydrogen sulfide, said gaseous feedstream being derived from the off gases of a hydroprocessor located in a refinery facility, the process comprising: a. admitting the gaseous feedstream into the bottom of a stripping column; b. contacting the gaseous feedstream with at least one sampling device and obtaining a sample of the feedstream for analysis; c. analyzing the sample to determine the composition of the hydrogen-containing gaseous feedstream; d. passing the gaseous feedstream in counter-current flow in the column to contact a liquid absorbent stream comprised of at least one predetermined refinery solvent that absorbs the non-hydrogen components and not the hydrogen, said refinery solvent originating in the refinery facility; and e. controlling the flow rate of the at least one liquid absorbent refinery solvent in response to the determination of the composition of the hydrogen-containing gas stream to maximize the hydrogen content of the gas stream exiting the stripping column.