Distillation: apparatus – Apparatus – Systems
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-12
2001-09-25
Manoharan, Virginia (Department: 1764)
Distillation: apparatus
Apparatus
Systems
C062S643000, C159S043100, C202S204000, C202S262000, C261S019000, C261S097000, C261S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294053
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid distributor for oscillating distillation column. It applies in particular to the air distillation columns on board floating structures such as offshore oil platforms or barges.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Offshore oil platforms produce residual gases. For economic and environmental reasons, it is becoming more and more necessary to recover these gases. One method consists in converting them into heavier hydrocarbons, which are in liquid form and are therefore easier to transport, using the Fischer-Tropsch process which consumes large amounts of oxygen.
It would therefore be beneficial to be able to install an air distillation column on board a platform or a barge, but proper operation of equipment of this type is compromised by serious difficulties. Specifically, a first imperative is for the liquid to be distributed uniformly at the column head over the entire cross-section of the latter, despite the oscillations of its axis due to the motion of the waves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a liquid distributor whose operation has very little sensitivity to oscillations of this type.
To that end, the invention relates to a liquid distributor for oscillating distillation column, characterized in that it comprises:
a primary distributor including liquid-distribution openings and delimiting N
1
first compartments, with N
1
≧2;
means for the balanced feeding of liquid to each of the first compartments; and
a secondary distributor, arranged under the primary distributor and comprising a dish with openworked perforated bottom which occupies substantially the entire cross-section of the distillation column, this dish being subdivided by partitions into N
2
second compartments, with N
2
>N
1
;
the ratio of the area of each second compartment to the sum of the cross-sections of the openings of the primary distributor which feed it being substantially constant from one second compartment to another.
The distributor according to the invention may have one or more of the following characteristics:
all the second compartments have substantially the same area and the same perforation factor;
the number N
1
is less than 5 and the number N
2
is of the order of several tens;
the primary distributor comprises a primary dish whose perforated bottom has the same configuration as that of the secondary dish and is superposed with the latter;
the said feed means comprise a phase separator and a feed conduit connected upstream to the lower part of this separator and downstream to tubes which are perforated plumb with each of the first compartments, the ratio of the area of a first compartment to the sum of the cross-sections of the corresponding perforations of the tubes being constant from one first compartment to another;
the tubes are tapped at points adjacent to the feed conduit and have orifices adjacent to the central axis of the distributor;
the said feed means comprise a phase separator and perforated tubes which are connected to adjacent points of the lower part of the separator.
The invention also relates to a distillation column comprising a distributor as defined above.
In one embodiment of such a distillation column, the said liquid distributor is arranged at a first level of the column, in particular at the column head, and the column includes, at at least one second level, a second liquid distributor as defined above.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3929421 (1975-12-01), Werges
patent: 4776989 (1988-10-01), Harper et al.
patent: 4816191 (1989-03-01), Berven et al.
patent: 5051214 (1991-09-01), Chen et al.
patent: 6149136 (2000-11-01), Armstrong et al.
patent: 1 113 680 (1961-09-01), None
patent: 0264581 (1988-04-01), None
patent: 1485495 (1977-09-01), None
patent: 2 039 779 (1980-08-01), None
patent: 2 062 489 (1981-05-01), None
L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et, l&apos
Manoharan Virginia
Young & Thompson
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