Patent ID: 7074323

Claim:
A process for the recovery of gaseous products from a product mixture obtained by contacting a hydrocarbon feed with a catalyst in a fluid catalytic cracking process, wherein the recovery comprises; the following sequence of steps: (a) separating the product mixture in a first distillation step in which a gaseous top product is obtained comprising products boiling below about 200Â° C.; (b) cooling the gaseous top product of step (a) to obtain a first liquid and gaseous fractions and separating said first liquid and gaseous fractions to provide a first liquid fraction and a first gaseous fraction; (c) pressurizing the first gaseous fraction obtained in step (b) in a compressor step to obtain a pressurized product; (d) cooling the pressurized product of step (c) and to obtain a second liquid and gaseous fractions and separating said second liquid and gaseous fractions to provide a second liquid fraction and a second gaseous fraction; (e) supplying the second gaseous fraction obtained in step (d) to an absorber section of a stripper-absorber column in which the second gaseous fraction is contacted with the first liquid fraction obtained in step (b) to thereby provide for yielding from said stripper-absorber column a lower boiling fraction rich in gaseous products having a boiling point of ethane or below; (f) supplying the second liquid fraction obtained in step (d) to a stripper section of said stripper-absorber column which provides for yielding from said stripper-absorber column a liquid fraction rich in hydrocarbons having a boiling point higher than ethane; and, (g) supplying the liquid fraction rich in hydrocarbons having a boiling point higher than ethane obtained in step (f) to a debutanizer distillation step whereby a light fraction comprising butane and lower boiling compounds and a higher boiling fraction are obtained, wherein the first liquid fraction obtained in step (b) has a temperature of between from about 8Â° C. to about 25Â° C. when supplied to the absorber section in step (e).