IMPROVEMENT OF THE REFRIGERATION INSTALLATION OF THE ASSOCIATED PETROLEUM GAS LOW-TEMPERATURE CONDENSATION COMPLEX

Abstract

In the existing complexes of low-temperature condensation for extraction of the wide fraction of light hydrocarbons (WFLH) out of associated petroleum gas (APG) the external refrigeration cycles are often used. On their basis the compressor installations operating on propane are created. The shortcoming of these installations is that the produced cold is of the same level of temperature that leads to losses from irreversibility while cooling APG stream in a wide interval of temperatures. For the purpose of reducing the loss the cold production should be organized at several temperature levels and the final WFLH temperature should be lowered. For this purpose as a working medium non-azeotropic mixture of propane and ethane (R290/R170) is suggested to use. For the further improvement of the installation its design was somewhat changed and some additional devices were added for providing more efficient heat regeneration. The optimum value of the minimum difference of temperatures in the processes of heat recuperation which corresponds to the minimum of the total costs for the installation modification has been found. It was found that WFLH output in the modified installation increased by 5 % in comparison with the propane installation, and that would allow to cover the expenses for additional investments in no more than a year.