Patent ID: 8303684

Claim:
A method of removing acidic gas from a pressurized gaseous mixture containing the acidic gas and a useful gas, the method comprising the steps of: in a first absorption column, directly contacting the pressurized gaseous mixture with a physically acting absorption agent so that at least a portion of the acidic gas and a portion of the useful gas are taken up by the absorption agent; thereafter extracting the absorption agent loaded with the acid gas and useful gas from the first absorption column and subdividing it into first and second streams; feeding the first stream directly to a recycle flash container and there decompressing the first stream to reclaim the useful gas, extract the acidic gas from the absorption agent, and form a recycled gas containing the useful gas and acidic gas; feeding the second stream through a second absorption column to the recycle flash container; compressing and feeding some of the recycled gas from the recycle flash container through the second absorption column and contacting it therein directly with the second stream; and returning the recycle gas that has passed through the second absorption column and contacted the second stream to the gaseous mixture.