CN102596361B - Hydrocarbon gas processing - Google Patents

Abstract

A process and an apparatus are disclosed for the recovery of ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream in a compact processing assembly. The gas stream is cooled and divided into first and second streams. The first stream is further cooled to condense substantially all of it and is thereafter expanded to lower pressure and supplied as a feed between first and second absorbing means inside the processing assembly. The second stream is expanded to lower pressure and supplied as the bottom feed to the second absorbing means. A distillation vapor stream is collected from the upper region of the first absorbing means and directed into one or more heat exchange means inside the processing assembly to heat it while cooling the gas stream and the first stream. The heated distillation vapor stream is compressed to higher pressure and divided into a volatile residue gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream. The compressed recycle stream is cooled to condense substantially all of it by the distillation vapor stream in the one or more heat exchange means inside the processing assembly, and is thereafter expanded to lower pressure and supplied as top feed to the first absorbing means. A distillation liquid stream is collected from the lower region of the second absorbing means and directed into a heat and mass transfer means inside the processing assembly to heat it and strip out its volatile components while cooling the gas stream. The quantities and temperatures of the feeds to the first and second absorbing means are effective to maintain the temperature of the upper region of the first absorbing means at a temperature whereby the major portions of the desired components are recovered in the stripped distillation liquid stream.

Description

Hydrocarbon Gas Treatment

technical field

The invention relates to a process and a device for separating hydrocarbon-containing gas. Applicants claim the benefit of prior US Provisional Application 61/186,361, filed June 11, 2009, under the terms of 35 USC Section 119(e). Applicants also claim the benefit of US continuation-in-part application 12/689,616, filed January 19, 2010, under the terms of 35 USC § 120. The assignees S.M.E. Products LP and Ortloff Engineers, Ltd. were parties to a joint research agreement in effect prior to the completion of the invention of the present application.

Ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane and/or heavy hydrocarbons can be recovered from a variety of gases such as natural gas, refinery gas and other hydrocarbon materials such as coal, crude oil, naphtha, oil shale, tar sands and lignite) to obtain syngas streams. Natural gas typically has a major proportion of methane and ethane, ie, methane and ethane together comprise at least 50 mole percent of the natural gas. Natural gas also contains relatively small amounts of heavy hydrocarbons (such as propane, butane, pentane, etc.) as well as hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases.

The present invention generally relates to the recovery of ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane and heavy hydrocarbons from such gas streams. A typical analysis of a gas stream to be treated in accordance with the present invention results in approximate mole percentages of 90.3% methane, 4.0% ethane and other _C2 components, 1.7% propane and other _C3 components, 0.3% Isobutane, 0.5% of n-butane and 0.8% of pentane and above hydrocarbons, the rest consists of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Sometimes sulfurous gases are also present.

Background technique

Historical cyclical fluctuations in the prices of both natural gas and its natural gas liquids (NGL) components have sometimes reduced the value added of ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene and heavy components as liquid products. This has created a need to develop processes that can recover these products more efficiently and that can do so with lower capital investment. Existing processes for separating these materials include gas-based cooling and refrigeration, oil absorption, and refrigerated oil absorption processes. In addition, cryogenic processes have gained popularity due to the availability of economical equipment that can generate power while expanding and extracting heat from the process gas. Each of these processes or their combination can be adopted according to the gas source pressure, gas richness (ethane, ethylene and heavy hydrocarbon content) and the desired final product.

The cryogenic expansion process is currently generally preferred for natural gas liquids recovery because it offers the greatest degree of simplicity, ease of start-up, operational flexibility, good efficiency, safety and reliability.美国专利3,292,380；4,061,481；4,140,504；4,157,904；4,171,964；4,185,978；4,251,249；4,278,457；4,519,824；4,617,039；4,687,499；4,689,063；4,690,702；4,854,955；4,869,740；4,889,545；5,275,005；5,555,748；5,566,554；5,568,737；5,771,712；5,799,507；5,881,569；5,890,378； 5,983,664; 6,182,469; 6,578,379; 6,712,880; 6,915,662; 7,191,617; 7,219,513; reissued U.S. Patent No. 33,408; and co-pending applications 11/430,412; Although the present invention is described in some cases based on different process conditions than those described in the cited US patents).

In a typical cryogenic expansion recovery process, a feed gas stream under pressure is cooled by heat exchange with other process streams and/or an external source of refrigeration such as a propane compression refrigeration system. As the gas is cooled, the liquid can be condensed and collected in one or more separators as a high pressure liquid containing some desired _C2 + components. Depending on the richness of the gas and the amount of liquid formed, high pressure liquids can be expanded to lower pressures and fractionated. The vaporization that occurs during the expansion of the liquid results in further cooling of the stream. In some cases, to further reduce the temperature resulting from expansion, it may be desirable to pre-cool the high pressure liquid prior to expansion. The expanded stream comprising a mixture of liquid and vapor is fractionated in a distillation (demethanizer or deethanizer) column. In the column, distilling the expanded cooled stream to separate residual methane, nitrogen, and other volatile gases as overhead vapors from the desired _C2 components, _C3 components, and heavy hydrocarbon components as bottoms liquid products, or Residual methane, _C2 components, nitrogen and other volatile gases are separated as overhead vapors from desired _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components as bottoms liquid products.

If the feed gas is not fully condensed (and generally is), the vapor remaining from the partial condensation can be split into two streams. Passing a portion of the vapor through a work expander or engine or expansion valve reaches a lower pressure where more liquid is condensed due to further cooling of the stream. The pressure after expansion is substantially the same as the operating pressure of the distillation column. The combined vapor-liquid phase resulting from expansion is provided as feed to the column.

The remainder of the vapor is cooled to substantially condense by heat exchange with other process streams, such as cold fractionation column overheads. Some or all of the high pressure liquid may be combined with this vapor portion before cooling. The resulting cooled stream is then expanded to the operating pressure of the demethanizer by a suitable expansion device, such as an expansion valve. During expansion, a portion of the liquid will vaporize, resulting in cooling of the overall stream. The rapidly expanding stream is then provided to the demethanizer as an overhead feed. Typically, the vapor portion of the rapidly expanding stream and the demethanizer overhead vapor are combined in the upper separator section in the fractionation column as residual methane product gas. Alternatively, the cooled and expanded stream can be provided to a separator to provide vapor and liquid streams. The vapor is combined with the overhead fraction and the liquid is provided to the column as overhead column feed.

In ideal operation of this separation process, the residual gas leaving the process contains substantially all of the methane in the feed gas and is substantially free of heavy hydrocarbon components, and the bottoms fraction leaving the demethanizer contains substantially all of the heavy hydrocarbon components components, and basically no methane or more volatile components. In practice, however, this is not ideal since conventional demethanizers operate primarily as strippers. The methane product of the process therefore generally includes the vapor leaving the top fractionation stage section of the column, as well as the vapor not subjected to any rectification steps. Considerable losses of _C2 , _C3 and _C4 + components occur because the overhead liquid feed contains considerable amounts of these components and heavy hydrocarbon components, resulting in corresponding equilibrium amounts of _C2 components, _C3 groups in the vapor Fractions, _C4 components and heavy hydrocarbon components leave the top fractionation stage section of the demethanizer. These required components can be greatly reduced if the rising vapor can be brought into contact with a considerable amount of liquid (reflux) capable of absorbing the _C2 , _C3 , _C4 and heavy hydrocarbon components of the vapor Loss.

In recent years, the preferred hydrocarbon separation process employs an upper absorber section to provide additional rectification of rising vapors. The source of the reflux stream for the upper rectification section is usually a recycle stream of residual gas provided under pressure. The recycled residual gas stream is typically cooled to substantially condensate by heat exchange with other process streams, such as cold fractionation column overheads. The resulting substantially condensed stream is then expanded to the operating pressure of the demethanizer by a suitable expansion device, such as an expansion valve. During expansion, a portion of the liquid typically vaporizes, resulting in cooling of the overall stream. The rapidly expanding stream is then provided to the demethanizer as an overhead feed. Typically, the vapor portion of the expanded stream is combined with the demethanizer overhead vapor in the upper separator section in the fractionation column as residual methane product gas. Alternatively, the cooled and expanded stream may be provided to a separator to provide a vapor and liquid stream, so that the vapor is thereafter combined with the overhead fraction and the liquid provided to the column as overhead column feed. Typical process schemes of this type are disclosed in: U.S. Patents 4,889,545; 5,568,737; and 5,881,569, co-pending applications 11/430,412 and 11/971,491, and Mowrey, E. Ross, "Efficient, High Recovery of Liquids from Natural Gas Utilizing a High Pressure Absorber", Proceedings of the Eighty-First Annual Convention of the Gas Processors Association, Dallas, Texas, March 11-13, 2002.

Contents of the invention

The present invention adopts novel devices to more effectively implement the above steps, and the number of pieces of equipment used is less. This is achieved by combining hitherto individual plant products into a common housing, thereby reducing the required plot space for the treatment plant and lowering the investment costs for the facility. Surprisingly, applicants have discovered that the more compact arrangement also greatly reduces the power consumption required to achieve a given level of recovery, thereby increasing process efficiency and reducing the operating costs of the facility. In addition, the more compact arrangement also avoids the need for most of the piping used in traditional plant designs to interconnect individual equipment products, further reducing investment costs, and also avoids the need for associated flanged piping connections. Because piping flanges are a potential source of leakage of hydrocarbons (volatile organic compounds, VOCs) that contribute to greenhouse gases and may also be precursors to atmospheric ozone formation, avoiding the use of these flanges reduces the potential for environmentally damaging atmospheric emissions. harm.

According to the present invention it has been found that a _C2 recovery of over 95% can be obtained. Similarly, it is possible to maintain _C3 recovery over 95% where _C2 component recovery is not required. Furthermore, the present invention enables substantially 100% conversion of methane (or _C2 components) and light components to _C2 (or _C3 components) and heavy components with lower energy requirements than the prior art separation while maintaining the same level of recovery. While the present invention is applicable at lower pressures and warmer temperatures, process feed gas at 400°C is required under conditions requiring -50°F [-46°C] or cooler NGL recovery column overhead temperatures. It is particularly advantageous to be in the range of 1500 psia [2,758 to 10,342 kPa(a)] or higher.

Description of drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, refer to the following examples and accompanying drawings. Refer to the attached picture:

Figure 1 is a flow diagram of a prior art natural gas processing plant according to U.S. Patent No. 5,568,737;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a natural gas processing plant in accordance with the present invention; and

Figures 3 to 9 are flow diagrams illustrating alternative installations of the present application for natural gas streams.

Detailed ways

In the description below of the above graphs, a summary table of calculated flow rates for representative process conditions is provided. For convenience, in the tables presented herein, flow rate values (moles/hour) have been rounded to the nearest whole number. The total flow rates shown in the tables include all non-hydrocarbon components and are therefore generally greater than the sum of the hydrocarbon component stream flow rates. Temperatures indicated are approximate values rounded to the nearest degree. It should also be noted that the process design calculations performed to compare the processes depicted in the figures are based on the assumption that there is no heat leakage from the environment to the process or from the process to the environment. The quality of commercially available insulation materials makes this a very reasonable assumption, and one that is usually made by those skilled in the art.

For convenience, process parameters are reported both in traditional British units and in the International System of Units (SI). The molar flow rates given in the table can be interpreted as either lb mol/hr or kg mol/hr. Energy expenditure reported as horsepower (HP) and/or kiloBritish thermal units/hour (MBTU/Hr) corresponds to said molar flow rate in pounds moles/hour. Energy consumption reported in kilowatts (kW) corresponds to the stated molar flow rate in kilogram moles/hour.

Description of prior art

Figure 1 is a process flow diagram showing the design of a treatment plant for the recovery of _C2 + components from natural gas using the prior art according to US Patent No. 5,568,737. In a simulation of this process, the inlet gas entered the unit as stream 31 at 110°F [43°C] and 915 psia [6,307 kPa(a)]. If the inlet gas contains concentrations of sulfur-containing compounds that prevent the product stream from meeting specification, the sulfur-containing compounds are removed by appropriate pre-treatment of the feed gas (not shown). In addition, feed streams are typically dehydrated to prevent the formation of hydrates (ice) at low temperature conditions. Solid desiccants are often used for this purpose.

Feed stream 31 is split into two parts, streams 32 and 33 . Stream 32 is cooled to -26°F [-32°C] in heat exchanger 10 by exchanging heat with cold distillation vapor stream 41a, while stream 33 is passed in heat exchanger 11 with 41°F [5°C ] demethanizer reboiler liquid (stream 43) is cooled to -32°F [-35°C] by heat exchange with -49°F [-45°C] side reboiler liquid (stream 42) ]. Streams 32a and 33a are recombined to form stream 31a, which enters separator 12 at -28°F [-33°C] and 893 psia [6,155 kPa(a)] where the vapor (stream 34) is mixed with condensate (stream 35) is separated.

The vapor from separator 12 (stream 34 ) is split into two streams 36 and 39 . Stream 36, containing about 27% total vapor, is combined with separator liquid (stream 35), and combined stream 38 passes through heat exchanger 13 in heat exchange relationship with cold distillation vapor stream 41, where it is Cool until essentially condensed. Resulting substantially condensed stream 38a at -139°F [-95°C] is then rapidly expanded through expansion valve 14 to the operating pressure of fractionation column 18 (approximately 396 psia [2,730 kPa(a)]). During expansion, a portion of the stream vaporizes, resulting in cooling of the overall stream. In the process shown in Figure 1, expanded stream 38b exiting expansion valve 14 reaches a temperature of -140°F [-95°C] and is provided to fractionation column 18 at the first column intermediate feed point. .

The remaining 73% of the vapor from separator 12 (stream 39) enters work expander 15 where mechanical energy is obtained from this portion of the high pressure feed. Machine 15 expands the vapor substantially isentropically to the column operating pressure and cools expanded stream 39a to a temperature of about -95°F [-71°C] by work expansion. A typical commercially available expander is capable of performing approximately 80-85% of the work theoretically obtainable from ideal isentropic expansion. The work obtained is often used to drive a centrifugal compressor (such as unit 16), which may be used, for example, to recompress a heated distillation vapor stream (stream 41b). The partially condensed expanded stream 39a is thereafter provided as feed to fractionation column 18 at a second column mid-feed point.

The recompressed and cooled distillation vapor stream 41e is split into two streams. A portion, stream 46, is a volatile residual gas product. The other portion is recycle stream 45, which goes to heat exchanger 10 where it is cooled to -26°F [-32°C] by heat exchange with cold distillation vapor stream 41a. Cooled recycle stream 45a then passes to exchanger 13 where it is cooled to -139°F [-95°C] by heat exchange with cold distillation vapor stream 41 and substantially condensed. Substantially condensed stream 45b is then expanded to demethanizer operating pressure through a suitable expansion device, such as expansion valve 22, resulting in cooling of the overall stream to -147°F [-99°C]. Expanded stream 45c is then provided to fractionation column 18 as overhead column feed. The vapor portion of stream 45c, if any, is combined with vapor ascending from the top fractionation stage section of the column to form distillation vapor stream 41, which is withdrawn from the upper region of the column.

The demethanizer in column 18 is a conventional distillation column comprising a plurality of vertically spaced trays, one or more packed beds, or some combination of trays and packing. As is usually the case in natural gas processing plants, the fractionation column can consist of two sections. The upper section 18a is a separator in which the partially vaporized overhead feed is split into its respective vapor and liquid fractions and in which vapor rising from the lower distillation or demethanizer section 18b combines with the vapor fraction of the top feed to form Cold demethanizer overhead vapor (stream 41), which exits the top of the column at -144°F [-98°C]. The lower demethanizer section 18b includes trays and/or packing and provides the necessary contact between the descending liquid and the ascending vapor. Demethanizer section 18b also includes a reboiler (such as the previously described reboiler and column side reboiler) that heats and vaporizes a portion of the liquid flowing down the column to provide a stripping vapor that Stripping vapor flows up the column to strip the liquid products, stream 44 of methane and lights.

Liquid product stream 44 exits the bottom of the column at 64°F [18°C] according to the typical specification of 0.010:1 mass ratio of methane to ethane in the bottoms product. Demethanizer overhead vapor stream 41 is passed through heat exchanger 13 countercurrently to the incoming feed gas and recycle stream, where it is heated to -40°F [-40°C] (stream 41a), and passed through Heat exchanger 10, where it is heated to 104°F [40°C] (stream 41b). The distillation vapor stream is then recompressed in two stages. In the first stage the compressor 16 is driven by the expander 15 . The second stage is driven by a supplemental power source to compressor 20 which compresses the residual gas (stream 41d) to sales line pressure. After cooling to 110°F [43°C] in discharge cooler 21, stream 41e is split into residual gas product (stream 46) and recycle stream 45, as previously described. The residual gas stream 46 flows to the sales gas pipeline at 915 psia [6,307 kPa(a)] sufficient to meet pipeline requirements (typically approximately inlet pressure).

A summary of the stream flow rates and energy consumption for the process shown in Figure 1 is given in the table below:

Table I

(figure 1)

Stream Flow Summary - lb mol/hr [kg mol/hr]

^* (Based on unrounded flow rate s)

Description of the invention

Figure 2 shows a flow diagram of the process according to the invention. The feed gas composition and conditions considered in the process given in Fig. 2 are the same as those in Fig. 1 . Therefore, the Figure 2 process can be compared with the Figure 1 process to illustrate the advantages of the present invention.

In the simulation of the process of FIG. 2 , the inlet gas entered the apparatus as stream 31 and was split into two parts, streams 32 and 33 . The first portion, stream 32 , enters the heat exchange means in the upper region of the feed cooling section 118a inside the process equipment 118 . This heat exchange device may comprise a fin and tube heat exchanger, a plate heat exchanger, a brazed aluminum heat exchanger, or other types of heat transfer devices, including multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat exchangers. The heat exchange means is configured to provide heat exchange between the stream 32 flowing through one channel of the heat exchange means and the stream of distillation vapor rising from the separator section 118b inside the process equipment 118 which has been in The feed is heated in the heat exchange means in the lower region of the cooling section 118a. Stream 32 is cooled while further heating the distillation vapor stream, and stream 32a exits the heat exchange unit at -25°F [-32°C].

The second portion, stream 33 , enters the heat and mass transfer unit in demethanizer section 118e inside process tool 118 . This heat and mass transfer device may also include fin-and-tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, brazed aluminum heat exchangers, or other types of heat transfer devices, including multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat exchangers . The heat and mass transfer devices are configured to provide heat exchange between the stream 33 flowing through one of said heat and mass transfer device channels and the distillate stream flowing down from the absorption section 118d inside the process unit 118 such that Stream 33 is cooled while heating the distillate stream, cooling stream 33a to -47°F [-44°C] before it exits the heat and mass transfer unit. As the distillate stream is heated, a portion of it vaporizes to form a stripping vapor that rises upward as the remaining liquid continues to flow downward through the heat and mass transfer device. The heat and mass transfer device provides continuous contact between the stripping vapor and the distillate stream, so it also plays the role of providing mass transfer between the vapor phase and the liquid phase, stripping methane and light component liquid product materials Stream 44.

Streams 32a and 33a are recombined to form stream 31a, which enters separator section 118f inside process equipment 118 at -32°F [-36°C] and 900 psia [6,203 kPa(a)], whereupon the vapor (stream 34 ) are separated from the condensate (stream 35). Separator section 118f has internal headers or other means to separate it from demethanizer section 118e so that the two sections within process equipment 118 can operate at different pressures.

Vapor from separator section 118f (stream 34 ) is split into two streams 36 and 39 . Stream 36, containing about 27% total vapor, is combined with separated liquid (stream 35, via stream 37) and combined stream 38 enters heat exchange means in the lower region of feed cooling section 118a within process unit 118 . This heat exchanging device may also comprise finned tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, brazed aluminum heat exchangers or other types of heat transfer devices, including multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat exchangers. The heat exchange device is configured to provide heat exchange between stream 38 flowing through one channel of the heat exchange device and the stream of distillation vapor rising from separator section 118b such that stream 38 is heated while the stream of distillation vapor is heated. Cool until essentially condensed.

Resulting substantially condensed stream 38a at -138°F [-95°C] is then rapidly expanded through expansion valve 14 into rectification section 118c (absorption unit) and absorption section 118d (another absorption unit) within process unit 118. device) operating pressure (approximately 400 psia [2,758 kPa(a)]). During expansion, a portion of the stream may vaporize, resulting in cooling of the overall stream. In the process shown in Figure 2, expanded stream 38b exiting expansion valve 14 reaches a temperature of -139°F [-95°C] and is provided to process equipment 118 between rectification section 118c and absorption section 118d. The liquid in stream 38b combines with the liquid descending from rectification section 118c and is directed to absorption section 118d, while any vapors combine with the vapor ascending from absorption section 118d and are directed to rectification section 118c.

The remaining 73% of the vapor (stream 39) from separator section 118f enters work expander 15 where mechanical energy is obtained from this portion of the high pressure feed. Machine 15 expands the vapor substantially isentropically to the operating pressure of absorption section 118d, cooling expanded stream 39a to a temperature of about -99°F [-73°C] by work expansion. The partially condensed expanded stream 39a thereafter is provided as feed to the lower region of the absorption section 118d within the process equipment 118 .

The recompressed and cooled distillation vapor stream 41c is split into two streams. A portion, stream 46, is a volatile residual gas product. The other portion is the recycle stream 45 , which enters the heat exchange unit in the feed cooling section 118 a within the process equipment 118 . This heat exchange device may also include finned tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, brazed aluminum heat exchangers or other types of heat transfer devices, including multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat exchangers. The heat exchange device is configured to provide heat exchange between the stream 45 flowing through one channel of the heat exchange device and the distillation vapor stream rising from the separator section 118b such that the stream 45 is heated while the distillation vapor stream is being heated. Cool until essentially condensed.

Substantially condensed recycle stream 45a exits the heat exchange unit in feed cooling section 118a at -138°F [-95°C] and is rapidly expanded through expansion valve 22 into rectification section 118c in process unit 118. operating pressure. During expansion, a portion of the stream vaporizes, resulting in cooling of the overall stream. In the process shown in FIG. 2 , expanded stream 45b exiting expansion valve 22 reaches a temperature of -146°F [-99°C] and is provided to separator section 118b within process equipment 118 . The liquid separated therein is directed to rectification section 118c while the remaining vapor combines with the vapor rising from rectification section 118c to form a distillation vapor stream which is heated in cooling section 118a.

Rectification section 118c and absorption section 118d each comprise an absorption unit consisting of a plurality of vertically spaced trays, one or more packed beds, or some combination of trays and packing. Trays and/or packing in rectification section 118c and absorption section 118d provide the necessary contact between the ascending vapor and the descending cold liquid. The liquid portion of expanded stream 39a mixes with liquid descending from absorption section 118d, and the combined liquid continues downward into demethanizer section 118e. The stripping vapor ascending from demethanizer section 118e combines with the vapor portion of expanded stream 39a and ascends through absorption section 118d to contact descending cold liquid, thereby condensing and absorbing most of the C2 components from these vapors , C3 components and heavy components. The vapors ascending from absorption section 118d combine with any vapor portion of expanded stream 38b and ascend through rectification section 118c to contact the cold liquid portion of descending expanded stream 45b, thereby condensing and absorbing the remainder of these vapors Most of the C2 components, C3 components and heavy components. The liquid portion of expanded stream 38b mixes with liquid descending from rectification section 118c, and the combined liquid continues downward into absorption section 118d.

The distillate flowing down from the heat and mass transfer devices in demethanizer section 118e within process equipment 118 has been stripped of methane and light components. The resulting liquid product (stream 44) exits the lower region of demethanizer section 118e and exits process equipment 118 at 65°F [18°C]. The distillation vapor stream ascending from separator section 118b is warmed in feed cooling section 118a where it provides cooling to streams 32, 38 and 45 as previously described and the resulting distillation vapor stream 41 at 105° F [40° C.] exits process equipment 118 . The distillation vapor stream is then recompressed in two stages, compressor 16 driven by expander 15, and compressor 20 driven by a supplemental power source. After stream 41b is cooled to 110°F [43°C] in discharge cooler 21 to form stream 41c, recycle stream 45 is withdrawn as previously described to form residual stream 46, which is thereafter at 915 psia [6,307 kPa(a)] down to the sales gas pipeline.

A summary of the stream flow rates and energy consumption for the process shown in Figure 2 is given in the table below:

Table II

(figure 2)

Stream Flow Summary - lb mol/hr [kg mol/hr]

^* (Based on unrounded flow rate)

A comparison of Tables I and II shows that the present invention maintains substantially the same recovery as the prior art. However, a further comparison of Table I and Table II shows that the power used to achieve product yield is considerably less than that of the prior art. In terms of recovery efficiency (defined as the amount of ethane recovered per unit of power), the present invention represents an improvement of over 6% over the prior art Figure 1 process.

The improvement in recovery efficiency provided by the present invention over the prior art Figure 1 process is primarily due to two factors. First, in process equipment 118, the compact arrangement of heat exchange equipment in feed cooling section 118a and heat and mass transfer equipment in demethanizer section 118e eliminates the pressure drop imposed by interconnected piping found in conventional processing plants . As a result, when the present invention was compared with the prior art, the feed gas part flowing to the expander 15 was at a higher pressure, so that the power generated by the expander 15 in the present invention at a higher outlet pressure could be compared with that of the prior art. The expander 15 can produce as much power at a lower outlet pressure. Thus, the rectification section 118c and absorption section 118d in the process plant 118 of the present invention can be operated at higher pressures than in the prior art fractionation column 18 while maintaining the same level of recovery. This higher operating pressure, coupled with the reduced pressure drop in the distillation vapor stream due to the elimination of the interconnecting piping, results in a greatly increased pressure in the distillation vapor stream entering compressor 20, thereby reducing the present invention's ability to restore the residual gas to Power required for pipeline pressure.

Second, the use of heat and mass transfer devices in demethanizer section 118e simultaneously heats the distillate exiting absorption section 118d while allowing the resulting vapor to contact the liquid and strip it of its volatile components, which is more efficient than using a A conventional distillation column with an external reboiler is more efficient. The volatile components are continuously stripped from the liquid, reducing the concentration of the volatile components in the stripping vapor faster, thereby increasing the stripping efficiency of the present invention.

In addition to improving process efficiency, the present invention provides two other advantages over the prior art. First, the compact arrangement of the process equipment 118 of the present invention replaces five separate equipment products (heat exchangers 10, 11 and 13 in FIG. 1; separator 12; and fractionation column 18). This reduces plot space requirements and eliminates interconnecting piping, reducing the investment cost of a treatment plant utilizing the present invention compared to the prior art. Second, the elimination of interconnecting piping means that treatment plants utilizing the present invention have far fewer flange connections than the prior art, reducing the number of potential leak sources in the plant. Hydrocarbons are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which are classified as greenhouse gases, and some of which may be precursors to the formation of atmospheric ozone, which means that the present invention can reduce the potential harm of atmospheric emissions that can damage the environment.

Other implementations

In some cases it may be desirable to provide stream 35 directly to the lower region of absorption section 118d via stream 40 as shown in FIGS. 2 , 4 , 6 and 8 . In this case, the liquid is expanded to the operating pressure of the absorption section 118d using a suitable expansion device (such as expansion valve 17), and the resulting expanded liquid stream 40a is provided as feed to the lower region of the absorption section 118d (as shown by the dashed line shown). In some cases it may be tempting to combine a portion of liquid stream 35 (stream 37) with the vapor in stream 36 (Figs. 2 and 6) or with the cooled second portion 33a (Figs. 4 and 8) to form a combined stream. Stream 38 and the remainder of stream 35 is sent to the lower region of absorption section 118d via stream 40/40a. In some cases it may be desirable to combine expanded liquid stream 40a with expanded stream 39a (Figures 2 and 6) or expanded stream 34a (Figures 4 and 8), after which the combined stream is provided as a single feed to absorption section 118d the lower area of .

If the feed gas is relatively rich, the amount of liquid separated in stream 35 may be large enough to tend to be between expanded stream 39a and expanded liquid stream 40a (as shown in Figures 3 and 7) or in the expanded stream An additional mass transfer zone is provided in demethanizer section 118e between 34a and expanded liquid stream 40a (as shown in Figures 5 and 9). In this case, the heat and mass transfer devices in the demethanizer section 118e may be arranged in the upper and lower sections such that the expanded liquid stream 40a can be introduced between the two sections. As indicated by the dotted line, some circumstances may favor combining a portion of liquid stream 35 (stream 37) with the vapor in stream 36 (Figs. 3 and 7) or with the cooled second portion 33a (Figs. 5 and 9). to form combined stream 38, while the remainder of liquid stream 35 (stream 40) is expanded to a lower pressure and used as stream 40a in the upper and lower parts of the heat and mass transfer unit in demethanizer section 118e provided between.

In some cases it may be preferable not to combine the cooled first and second portions (streams 32a and 33a ), as shown in FIGS. 4 , 5 , 8 and 9 . In this case, only the cooled first portion 32a is directed to separator section 118f (Figures 4 and 5) or separator 12 (Figures 8 and 9) within process equipment 118, where the vapor (stream 34) is Separated from the condensed liquid (stream 35). Vapor stream 34 enters work expander 15 and expands substantially isentropically to the operating pressure of absorption section 118d, and expanded stream 34a is then provided as feed to the lower region of absorption section 118d within process equipment 118. The cooled second portion 33a is combined with the separated liquid (stream 35, via stream 37), the combined stream 38 is directed to heat exchange means in the lower region of the feed cooling section 118a within the process equipment 118, and Cool until essentially condensed. Substantially condensed stream 38a is rapidly expanded through expansion valve 14 to the operating pressure of rectification section 118c and absorption section 118d, and expanded stream 38b is provided to process equipment 118 between rectification section 118c and absorption section 118d. In some cases it may be desirable to combine only a portion of the liquid stream 35 (stream 37 ) with the cooled second portion 33a, with the remainder (stream 40 ) provided via the expansion valve 17 to the lower region of the absorption section 118d. It may otherwise be preferred to send all of the liquid stream 35 via the expansion valve 17 to the lower region of the absorption section 118d.

In some cases, it may be advantageous to use an external separator vessel to separate cooled feed stream 31a or cooled first portion 32a rather than including separator section 118f in process equipment 118 . Cooled feed stream 31a may be separated into vapor stream 34 and liquid stream 35 using separator 12 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 . Also, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , separator 12 may be used to separate cooled first portion 32a into vapor stream 34 and liquid stream 35 .

Depending on the amount of heavy hydrocarbons in the feed gas and the feed gas pressure, the cooled feed stream 31a entering separator section 118f in FIGS. 2 and 3 or separator 12 in FIGS. and 5 or the cooled first part 32a of separator 12 in Figures 8 and 9) may not contain any liquid (either because it is above its dew point, or because it is above its critical condensation pressure). In this case, there is no liquid in streams 35 and 37 (shown as dotted lines), so there is only vapor from separator section 118f in stream 36 (Figs. Vapor (Figures 6 and 7) or cooled second portion 33a (Figures 4, 5, 8 and 9) flows to stream 38 as expanded substantially condensed stream 38b, which is supplied to rectification section 118c and absorption Process equipment 118 between segments 118d. In this case, separator section 118f (Figs. 2-5) or separator 12 (Figs. 6-9) in process equipment 118 may not be required.

Feed gas conditions, plant size, existing equipment, or other factors may indicate that it is feasible to omit the work expander 15 or replace it with an alternative expansion device such as an expansion valve. Although individual stream expansions are described in specific expansion devices, alternative expansion devices may be used where appropriate. For example, conditions may permit work expansion of a substantially condensed portion of the feed stream (stream 38a) or a substantially condensed recycle stream (stream 45a).

In accordance with the present invention, the use of external refrigeration may be employed to supplement the cooling of the inlet gas available from distillation vapor and liquid streams, particularly in the case of rich inlet gas. In this case, heat and mass transfer means may be included in separator section 118f (or gas collection means, when the cooled feed stream 31a or cooled first portion 32a contains no liquid), as shown in Fig. 2 to 5 as indicated by dashed lines, or heat and mass transfer devices may be included in separator 12 as indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 6 to 9 . Such heat and mass transfer devices may include fin-and-tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, brazed aluminum heat exchangers, or other types of heat transfer devices, including multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat exchangers. The heat and mass transfer device is configured to provide a refrigerated stream (e.g., propane) flowing through one channel of the heat and mass transfer device and an upwardly flowing stream 31a (Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 7) Or heat exchange between the vapor portion of stream 32a (Figures 4, 5, 8, and 9) causes the refrigerator to further cool the vapor and condense more liquid that descends to become part of the liquid removed. Alternatively, when stream 31a enters separator section 118f (Figures 2 and 3) or separator 12 (Figures 6 and 7) or stream 32a enters separator section 118f (Figures 4 and 5) or separator 12 (Figures 8 and 5) 9) Before, stream 32a, stream 33a and/or stream 31a can be cooled with a refrigerant using a conventional gas cooler.

Depending on the temperature and richness of the feed gas and the amount of C2 components to be recovered in the liquid product stream 44, there may not be sufficient heating from stream 33 for the liquid leaving demethanizer section 118e to meet product specifications. In this case, the heat and mass transfer means in demethanizer section 118e may include a supply to provide supplemental heating with a heating medium, as shown in dashed lines in FIGS. 2 to 9 . Alternatively, additional heat and mass transfer devices may be included in the lower region of demethanizer section 118e to provide supplemental heating, or may be used before providing stream 33 to the heat and mass transfer devices in demethanizer section 118e. The heating medium heats it.

Depending on the type of heat transfer devices selected for the heat exchange devices in the upper and lower regions of the feed cooling section 118a, it is possible to combine these heat exchange devices in a single multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat transfer device. In such a case, to accomplish the required cooling and heating, the multi-channel and/or multi-operation heat transfer unit would include equipment for distributing, separating and collecting stream 32, stream 38, stream 45 and the distillation vapor stream Appropriate installation.

Some circumstances may favor providing additional mass transfer in the upper region of demethanizer section 118e. In this case, the mass transfer device may be located at the point where expanded stream 39a (Figures 2, 3, 6, and 7) or expanded stream 34a (Figures 4, 5, 8, and 9) enters the lower region of absorption section 118d. Below and above where the cooled second portion 33a exits the heat and mass transfer devices in demethanizer section 118e.

A less preferred option for the embodiment of the invention in Figures 2, 3, 6 and 7 is to provide a separator vessel for the cooled first part 32a, a separator vessel for the cooled second part 33a, and to combine the separated vapor stream to form vapor stream 34 and combine the liquid streams separated therein to form liquid stream 35 . Another preferred option of the present invention is to cool stream 37 in a separate heat exchange device within feed cooling section 118a (instead of combining stream 37 with stream 36 or stream 33a to form combined stream 38) , expands the cooled stream in a separate expansion device and provides the expanded stream to an intermediate region in the absorption section 118d.

It will be appreciated that the relative amounts of feed found in each of the substreams of the separate vapor feeds depend on several factors, including gas pressure, feed gas composition, the amount of heat that can be economically extracted from the feed, and available horsepower. strength. More feed above the absorption section 118d increases recovery while reducing power recovery from the expander, thereby increasing recompression horsepower requirements. Increasing the feed below the absorption section 118d reduces horsepower consumption, but may also reduce product recovery.

The present invention provides improved recovery of C2 components, C3 components, and heavy hydrocarbon components, or C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, in terms of the amount of power consumption required for process operation. Improvements in power consumption indicators required for process operations may be in the form of reduced power requirements for compression or recompression, reduced power requirements for external cooling, reduced energy requirements for supplemental heating, or a combination thereof.

While there have been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other and further modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the essence of the invention as defined in the following claims , for example to adapt the invention to different conditions, feed types or other requirements.

Claims (38)

1. A process for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, the relatively less volatile fraction The fraction contains said C ₂ component, C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component or the main part of said C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component, wherein (1) splitting said gas stream into first and second portions; (2) cooling said first portion; (3) cooling said second portion; (4) combining said cooled first portion with said cooled second portion to form a cooled air stream; (5) splitting the cooled gas stream into first and second streams; (6) cooling said first stream to condense substantially all of it, and thereafter expand to a lower pressure, thereby cooling it further; (7) providing said expanded cooled first stream as a feed between first and second absorption units arranged in a single plant product process plant, said first absorption unit being located in said second absorption unit above; (8) expanding said second stream to said lower pressure and providing it as bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (9) collecting and heating a distillation vapor stream from the upper region of said first absorption unit, thereafter discharging said heated distillation vapor stream from said process equipment; (10) compressing said heated distillation vapor stream to a higher pressure and thereafter splitting into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (11) cooling said compressed recycle stream to condense substantially all of it, thereby forming a substantially condensed compressed recycle stream; (12) expanding said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure and providing it as an overhead feed to said first absorption unit; (13) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange devices provided in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of steps (2), (6) and (11) cool down; (14) collecting a distillate stream from the lower region of said second absorption unit and heating it in a heat and mass transfer unit located in said process equipment, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (3) , simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from the distillate stream, and thereafter withdrawing the heated and stripped distillate stream as the relatively less volatile fraction from the process equipment; as well as (15) the amount and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorber units is effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorber unit at a temperature whereby all The major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction described above. 2. A process for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, the relatively less volatile fraction The fraction contains said C ₂ component, C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component or the main part of said C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component, wherein (1) splitting said gas stream into first and second portions; (2) cooling said first portion; (3) cooling said second portion; (4) combining said cooled first portion with said cooled second portion to form a partially condensed gas stream; (5) providing said partially condensed gas stream to a separation device where it is separated to obtain a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (6) splitting the vapor stream into first and second streams; (7) cooling said first stream to condense substantially all of it, and thereafter expand to a lower pressure, thereby cooling it further; (8) providing said expanded cooled first stream as a feed between first and second absorption units arranged in a single plant product process plant, said first absorption unit being located in said second absorption unit above; (9) expanding said second stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a first bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (10) expanding at least a portion of said at least one liquid stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a second bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (11) collecting and heating a distillation vapor stream from the upper region of said first absorption unit, thereafter withdrawing said heated distillation vapor stream from said process equipment; (12) compressing said heated distillation vapor stream to a higher pressure and thereafter splitting into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (13) cooling said compressed recycle stream to condense substantially all of it, thereby forming a substantially condensed compressed recycle stream; (14) expanding said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure and providing it as an overhead feed to said first absorption unit; (15) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange devices provided in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in steps (2), (7) and (13); (16) collecting a distillate stream from the lower region of said second absorption unit and heating it in a heat and mass transfer unit located in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in step (3) , simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from said distillate stream, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream as said relatively less volatile fraction from said process equipment; as well as (17) the amount and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorbers is effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorber at a temperature whereby all The major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction described above. 3. A process for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, the relatively less volatile fraction The fraction contains said C ₂ component, C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component or the main part of said C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component, wherein (1) splitting said gas stream into first and second portions; (2) cooling said first portion; (3) cooling said second portion; (4) combining said cooled first portion with said cooled second portion to form a partially condensed gas stream; (5) providing said partially condensed gas stream to a separation device where it is separated to obtain a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (6) splitting the vapor stream into first and second streams; (7) combining said first stream with at least a portion of said at least one liquid stream to form a combined stream; (8) cooling the combined stream to condense it substantially entirely, and thereafter expand to a lower pressure, thereby cooling it further; (9) providing said expanded cooled combined stream as a feed between first and second absorption units arranged in a single plant product process unit, said first absorption unit being located adjacent to said second absorption unit above; (10) expanding said second stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a first bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (11) expanding any remaining portion of said at least one liquid stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a second bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (12) collecting and heating a distillation vapor stream from the upper region of said first absorption unit, thereafter withdrawing said heated distillation vapor stream from said process equipment; (13) compressing said heated distillation vapor stream to a higher pressure and thereafter splitting into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (14) cooling said compressed recycle stream to condense substantially all of it, thereby forming a substantially condensed compressed recycle stream; (15) expanding said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure and providing it as an overhead feed to said first absorption unit; (16) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange devices provided in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in steps (2), (8) and (14); (17) collecting a distillate stream from the lower region of said second absorption unit and heating it in a heat and mass transfer unit located in said process equipment, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (3) , simultaneously stripping more volatile components from said distillate stream, and thereafter discharging said heated and stripped distillate stream as said relatively less volatile fraction from said process equipment; as well as (18) the amount and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorbers is effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorber at a temperature whereby all The major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction described above. 4. A process for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, the relatively less volatile fraction The fraction contains said C ₂ component, C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component or the main part of said C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component, wherein (1) splitting said gas stream into first and second portions; (2) cooling the first portion and thereafter expanding to a lower pressure; (3) cooling said second portion to condense substantially all of it, and thereafter expand to said lower pressure, thereby further cooling it; (4) providing said expanded cooled second portion as a feed between first and second absorption units arranged in a single plant product process plant, said first absorption unit being located adjacent to said second absorption unit above; (5) providing said expanded cooled first portion as bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (6) collecting and heating a distillation vapor stream from the upper region of said first absorption unit, thereafter withdrawing said heated distillation vapor stream from said process equipment; (7) compressing said heated distillation vapor stream to a higher pressure and thereafter splitting into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (8) cooling said compressed recycle stream to condense substantially all of it, thereby forming a substantially condensed compressed recycle stream; (9) expanding said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure and providing it as an overhead feed to said first absorption unit; (10) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange devices provided in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in steps (2), (3) and (8); (11) collecting a distillate stream from the lower region of said second absorption unit and heating it in a heat and mass transfer unit located in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in step (3) , simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from the distillate stream, and thereafter withdrawing the heated and stripped distillate stream as the relatively less volatile fraction from the process equipment; as well as (12) the amount and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorbers is effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorber at a temperature whereby all The major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction described above. 5. A process for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, the relatively less volatile The fraction contains said C ₂ component, C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component or the main part of said C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component, wherein (1) splitting said gas stream into first and second portions; (2) cooling the first portion sufficiently to partially condense it; (3) providing said partially condensed first portion to a separation device where it is separated to obtain a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (4) cooling said second portion to condense substantially all of it, and thereafter expand to a lower pressure, thereby further cooling it; (5) providing said expanded cooled second portion as a feed between first and second absorption units arranged in a single plant product process plant, said first absorption unit being located adjacent to said second absorption unit above; (6) expanding said vapor stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a first bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (7) expanding at least a portion of said at least one liquid stream to said lower pressure and providing as a second bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (8) collecting and heating a distillation vapor stream from the upper region of said first absorption unit, thereafter withdrawing said heated distillation vapor stream from said process equipment; (9) compressing said heated distillation vapor stream to a higher pressure and thereafter splitting into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (10) cooling said compressed recycle stream to condense substantially all of it, thereby forming a substantially condensed compressed recycle stream; (11) expanding said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure and providing it as an overhead feed to said first absorption unit; (12) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange devices provided in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in steps (2), (4) and (10); (13) collecting the distillate stream from the lower region of the second absorption unit and heating it in a heat and mass transfer unit located in the process equipment, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (4) , simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from the distillate stream, and thereafter withdrawing the heated and stripped distillate stream as the relatively less volatile fraction from the process equipment; as well as (14) the amount and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorbers is effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorber at a temperature whereby all The major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction described above. 6. A process for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, the relatively less volatile The fraction contains said C ₂ component, C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component or the main part of said C ₃ component and heavy hydrocarbon component, wherein (1) splitting said gas stream into first and second portions; (2) cooling the first portion sufficiently to partially condense it; (3) providing said partially condensed first portion to a separation device where it is separated to obtain a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (4) cooling the second portion and thereafter combining with at least a portion of the at least one liquid stream to form a combined stream; (5) cooling the combined stream to condense it substantially entirely, and thereafter expand to a lower pressure, thereby cooling it further; (6) providing said expanded cooled combined stream as feed between a first and a second absorption unit arranged in a single plant product process unit, said first absorption unit being located adjacent to said second absorption unit above; (7) expanding said vapor stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a first bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (8) expanding any remaining portion of said at least one liquid stream to said lower pressure and providing it as a second bottoms feed to said second absorption unit; (9) collecting and heating a distillation vapor stream from the upper region of said first absorption unit, thereafter withdrawing said heated distillation vapor stream from said process equipment; (10) compressing said heated distillation vapor stream to a higher pressure and thereafter splitting into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (11) cooling said compressed recycle stream to condense substantially all of it, thereby forming a substantially condensed compressed recycle stream; (12) expanding said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream to said lower pressure and providing it as an overhead feed to said first absorption unit; (13) said heating of said distillation vapor stream is accomplished in one or more heat exchange devices provided in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in steps (2), (5) and (11); (14) collecting a distillate stream from the lower region of said second absorption unit and heating it in a heat and mass transfer unit located in said process equipment, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in step (4) , simultaneously stripping the more volatile components from the distillate stream, and thereafter withdrawing the heated and stripped distillate stream as the relatively less volatile fraction from the process equipment; as well as (15) the amount and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorber units is effective to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorber unit at a temperature whereby all The major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction described above. 7. The process according to claim 2, wherein (1) arranging said heat and mass transfer devices in the upper and lower regions; and (2) providing said process equipment with at least a portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream entering between said upper and lower regions of said heat and mass transfer device. 8. The process according to claim 3, wherein (1) arranging said heat and mass transfer devices in the upper and lower regions; and (2) providing said process equipment with any remaining portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream entering between said upper and lower regions of said heat and mass transfer device. 9. The process according to claim 5, wherein (1) arranging said heat and mass transfer devices in the upper and lower regions; and (2) providing said process equipment with at least a portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream entering between said upper and lower regions of said heat and mass transfer device. 10. The process according to claim 6, wherein (1) arranging said heat and mass transfer devices in the upper and lower regions; and (2) providing said process equipment with any remaining portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream entering between said upper and lower regions of said heat and mass transfer device. 11. The process of claim 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein the separation means is provided in the process equipment. 12. The process of claim 1, wherein (1) a gas collection device is arranged in the process equipment; (2) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the gas collection device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for an external refrigerant medium; (3) providing said cooled gas stream to said gas collection device and directed to said additional heat and mass transfer device for further cooling by said external refrigerant medium; and (4) Splitting said further cooled gas stream into said first and second streams. 13. The process according to claim 4, wherein (1) a gas collection device is arranged in the process equipment; (2) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the gas collection device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for an external refrigerant medium; (3) providing said cooled first portion to said gas collection means and to said further heat and mass transfer means for further cooling by said external refrigerant medium; and (4) expanding said further cooled first portion to said lower pressure and thereafter providing said bottoms feed to said second absorption unit. 14. The process of claim 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein (1) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is established in the separation device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for the external refrigeration medium; (2) directing said vapor stream to said additional heat and mass transfer device to be cooled by said external refrigerant medium, thereby forming additional condensate; and (3) The condensate becomes part of the at least one liquid stream in which it is separated. 15. The process of claim 11, wherein (1) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the separation device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for the external refrigeration medium; (2) directing said vapor stream to said additional heat and mass transfer device to be cooled by said external refrigerant medium, thereby forming additional condensate; and (3) The condensate becomes part of the at least one liquid stream in which it is separated. 16. The process of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, or 13, wherein the heat and mass transfer device includes one or more external passage of a heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second section for said stripping of said more volatile components from said distillate stream. 17. The process of claim 11, wherein said heat and mass transfer means includes one or more passages for an external heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second portion for said volatilization The stripping of the more aggressive components from the distillate stream. 18. The process of claim 14, wherein said heat and mass transfer means includes one or more passages for an external heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second portion for said volatilization The stripping of the more aggressive components from the distillate stream. 19. The process of claim 15, wherein said heat and mass transfer means includes one or more passages for an external heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second portion for said volatilization The stripping of the more aggressive components from the distillate stream. 20. An apparatus for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, said relatively less volatile Small fractions containing said _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components or a major part of said _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, including (1) a first splitting device that splits the gas stream into first and second portions; (2) heat exchanging device, it is arranged in the process equipment of single equipment product and is connected to described first splitting device to receive described first part and it is cooled; (3) a heat and mass transfer device disposed in the process equipment and connected to the first flow splitting device to receive and cool the second portion; (4) combination means connected to said heat exchange means and said heat and mass transfer means for receiving said cooled first portion and said cooled second portion and forming a cooled air stream; (5) a second splitting device connected to said combining device to receive said cooled gas stream and split it into first and second streams; (6) said heat exchange device is further connected to said second flow splitting device for receiving said first stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it; (7) a first expansion device connected to said heat exchange device to receive said substantially condensed first stream and expand it to a lower pressure; (8) first and second absorption units, said first and second absorption units are arranged in said process equipment and connected to said first expansion unit for receiving said expanded and cooled first stream as feed between said first and second absorption units, said first absorption unit being located above said second absorption unit; (9) a second expansion device connected to said second splitting device for receiving said second stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to said a second absorption unit to provide said expanded second stream as bottom feed thereto; (10) a vapor collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first absorption unit to receive a stream of distilled vapor from an upper region of said first absorption unit; (11) The heat exchange device is further connected to the vapor collection device to receive and heat the distillation vapor stream, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in steps (2) and (6), and thereafter from the process venting said heated distillation vapor stream from the apparatus; (12) Compression means connected to said process equipment to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress it to a higher pressure; (13) cooling means connected to said compression means to receive said compressed distillate vapor stream and cool it; (14) a third splitting device connected to said cooling device for receiving said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and splitting it into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (15) The heat exchange device is further connected to the third splitting device for receiving the compressed recycle stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it, thereby providing at least part heating; (16) a third expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said third expansion device further connected to said first absorption unit to provide said expanded recycle stream as an overhead feed thereto; (17) a liquid collection unit disposed within said process equipment and connected to said second absorption unit for receiving a flow of distillate from a lower region of said second absorption unit; (18) The heat and mass transfer device is further connected to the liquid collection device to receive the distillate flow and heat it, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (3), and simultaneously from the distillate flow stripping the more volatile components, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream from said process equipment as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (19) Control means adapted to regulate the quantity and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorption means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorption means at a certain temperature , thereby recovering a major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction. 21. An apparatus for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, said relatively less volatile Small fractions containing said _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components or a major part of said _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, including (1) a first splitting device that splits the gas stream into first and second portions; (2) heat exchanging means, which is arranged in the process equipment of single equipment product and connected to said first splitting means to receive said first part and cool it; (3) heat and mass transfer device, which is arranged in the process equipment and connected to the first flow splitting device to receive the second part and cool it; (4) combination means connected to said heat exchange means and said heat and mass transfer means for receiving said cooled first portion and said cooled second portion and forming a partially condensed gas stream; (5) separation means connected to said combination means for receiving said partially condensed gas stream and separating it into a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (6) a second splitting device connected to said separating device to receive said vapor stream and split it into first and second streams; (7) said heat exchange device is further connected to said second flow splitting device for receiving said first stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it; (8) a first expansion device connected to said heat exchange device to receive said substantially condensed first stream and expand it to a lower pressure; (9) first and second absorption units, said first and second absorption units are arranged in said process equipment and connected to said first expansion unit for receiving said expanded and cooled first stream as feed between said first and second absorption units, said first absorption unit being located above said second absorption unit; (10) a second expansion device connected to said second splitting device for receiving said second stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to said a second absorption unit to provide said expanded second stream as a first bottoms feed thereto; (11) a third expansion device connected to said separation device for receiving at least a portion of said at least one liquid stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said third expansion device being further connected to said said second absorption unit to provide said expanded liquid stream as a second bottoms feed thereto; (12) a vapor collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first absorption unit to receive a stream of distilled vapor from an upper region of said first absorption unit; (13) The heat exchange device is further connected to the vapor collection device to receive and heat the distillation vapor stream, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in steps (2) and (7), and thereafter from the process venting said heated distillation vapor stream from the apparatus; (14) Compression means connected to said process equipment to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress it to a higher pressure; (15) cooling means connected to said compression means to receive said compressed distillate vapor stream and cool it; (16) a third splitting device connected to said cooling device for receiving said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and splitting it into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (17) The heat exchange device is further connected to the third splitting device for receiving the compressed recycle stream and cooling it enough to substantially condense it, thereby providing at least part heating; (18) a fourth expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said fourth expansion device further connected to said first absorption unit to provide said expanded recycle stream as an overhead feed thereto; (19) a liquid collection unit disposed within said process equipment and connected to said second absorption unit for receiving a flow of distillate from a lower region of said second absorption unit; (20) The heat and mass transfer device is further connected to the liquid collection device to receive the distillate flow and heat it, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (3), and simultaneously from the distillate flow stripping the more volatile components, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream from said process equipment as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (21) Control means adapted to regulate the quantity and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorption means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorption means at a certain temperature , thereby recovering a major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction. 22. An apparatus for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, said relatively less volatile Small fractions containing said _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components or a major part of said _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, including (1) a first splitting device that splits the gas stream into first and second portions; (2) heat exchanging means, which is arranged in the process equipment of single equipment product and connected to said first splitting means to receive said first part and cool it; (3) a heat and mass transfer device disposed in the process equipment and connected to the first flow splitting device to receive and cool the second portion; (4) a first combination means connected to said heat exchange means and said heat and mass transfer means for receiving said cooled first portion and said cooled second portion and forming a partially condensed gas stream; (5) separation means connected to said first combination means for receiving said partially condensed gas stream and separating it into a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (6) a second splitting device connected to said separating device to receive said vapor stream and split it into first and second streams; (7) a second combining device connected to said second splitting device and said separating device for receiving at least a portion of said first stream and said at least one liquid stream and forming a combined stream; (8) said heat exchange unit is further connected to said second combination unit for receiving said combined stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it; (9) a first expansion device connected to said heat exchange device to receive said substantially condensed combined stream and expand it to a lower pressure; (10) first and second absorption units disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first expansion unit for receiving said expanded cooled combined stream as feed between said first and second absorption units, said first absorption unit being located above said second absorption unit; (11) A second expansion device connected to said second flow splitting device for receiving said second stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to said a second absorption unit to provide said expanded second stream as a first bottoms feed thereto; (12) a third expansion device connected to said separation device for receiving any remaining portion of said at least one liquid stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said third expansion device being further connected to said second absorption unit to provide said expanded liquid stream as a second bottoms feed thereto; (13) a vapor collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first absorption unit to receive a flow of distilled vapor from an upper region of said first absorption unit; (14) The heat exchange device is further connected to the vapor collection device to receive and heat the distillation vapor stream, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in steps (2) and (8), and thereafter from the process venting said heated distillation vapor stream from the apparatus; (15) Compression means connected to said process equipment to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress it to a higher pressure; (16) cooling means connected to said compression means to receive said compressed distillate vapor stream and cool it; (17) a third splitting device connected to said cooling device for receiving said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and splitting it into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (18) The heat exchange device is further connected to the third splitting device for receiving the compressed recycle stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it, thereby providing at least part heating; (19) a fourth expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said fourth expansion device further connected to said first absorption unit to provide said expanded recycle stream as an overhead feed thereto; (20) a liquid collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said second absorption unit for receiving a stream of distillate from a lower region of said second absorption unit; (21) The heat and mass transfer device is further connected to the liquid collection device to receive the distillate flow and heat it, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (3), and simultaneously from the distillate flow stripping the more volatile components, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream from said process equipment as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (22) Control means adapted to regulate the quantity and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorption means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorption means at a certain temperature , thereby recovering a major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction. 23. An apparatus for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, said relatively less volatile Small fractions containing said _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components or a major part of said _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, including (1) a first splitting device that splits the gas stream into first and second portions; (2) heat exchanging means, which is arranged in the process equipment of single equipment product and connected to said first splitting means to receive said first part and cool it; (3) a heat and mass transfer device disposed in the process equipment and connected to the first flow splitting device to receive and cool the second portion; (4) said heat exchange means is further connected to said heat and mass transfer means for receiving said cooled second portion and further cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it; (5) a first expansion device connected to said heat exchange device to receive said substantially condensed second portion and expand it to a lower pressure; (6) first and second absorption units disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first expansion unit for receiving said expanded cooled second portion as feed between said first and second absorption units, said first absorption unit being located above said second absorption unit; (7) a second expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said cooled first portion and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to said first two absorption units to provide said expanded cooled first portion as bottom feed thereto; (8) a vapor collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first absorption unit to receive a stream of distilled vapor from an upper region of said first absorption unit; (9) said heat exchange device is further connected to said vapor collection device to receive said distillation vapor stream and heat it, thereby providing at least a portion of the cooling in steps (2) and (4), and thereafter from said process venting said heated distillation vapor stream from the apparatus; (10) Compression means connected to said process equipment to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress it to a higher pressure; (11) cooling means connected to said compression means to receive said compressed distillate vapor stream and cool it; (12) a second splitting device connected to said cooling device for receiving said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and splitting it into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (13) The heat exchange device is further connected to the second split device for receiving the compressed recycle stream and cooling it enough to substantially condense it, thereby providing at least part heating; (14) a third expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said third expansion device further connected to said first absorption unit to provide said expanded recycle stream as an overhead feed thereto; (15) a liquid collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said second absorption unit for receiving distillate flow from a lower region of said second absorption unit; (16) The heat and mass transfer device is further connected to the liquid collection device to receive the distillate flow and heat it, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (3), and simultaneously from the distillate flow stripping the more volatile components, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream from said process equipment as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (17) Control means adapted to regulate the quantity and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorption means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorption means at a certain temperature , thereby recovering a major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction. 24. An apparatus for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, said relatively less volatile Small fractions containing said _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components or a major part of said _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, including (1) a first splitting device that splits the gas stream into first and second portions; (2) heat exchange means disposed in a process plant of a single plant product and connected to said first flow splitting means to receive said first fraction and cool it sufficiently to partially condense it; (3) separation means connected to said heat exchange means for receiving said partially condensed first portion and separating it into a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (4) a heat and mass transfer device disposed in the process equipment and connected to the first flow splitting device to receive and cool the second portion; (5) said heat exchange means is further connected to said heat and mass transfer means for receiving said cooled second portion and further cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it; (6) a first expansion device connected to said heat exchange device to receive said substantially condensed second portion and expand it to a lower pressure; (7) first and second absorption units, said first and second absorption units being disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first expansion unit, for receiving said expanded cooled second portion as feed between said first and second absorption units, said first absorption unit being located above said second absorption unit; (8) a second expansion device connected to said separation device for receiving said vapor stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to said second absorption device providing said expanded vapor stream as a first bottoms feed thereto; (9) a third expansion device connected to said separation device for receiving at least a portion of said at least one liquid stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said third expansion device being further connected to said said second absorption unit to provide said expanded liquid stream as a second bottoms feed thereto; (10) a vapor collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first absorption unit to receive a stream of distilled vapor from an upper region of said first absorption unit; (11) The heat exchange device is further connected to the vapor collection device to receive and heat the distillation vapor stream, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in steps (2) and (5), and thereafter from the process venting said heated distillation vapor stream from the apparatus; (12) Compression means connected to said process equipment to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress it to a higher pressure; (13) cooling means connected to said compression means to receive said compressed distillate vapor stream and cool it; (14) a second splitting device connected to said cooling device for receiving said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and splitting it into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (15) The heat exchange device is further connected to the second splitting device for receiving the compressed recycle stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it, thereby providing at least part heating; (16) a fourth expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said fourth expansion device further connected to said first absorption unit to provide said expanded recycle stream as an overhead feed thereto; (17) a liquid collection unit disposed within said process equipment and connected to said second absorption unit for receiving a flow of distillate from a lower region of said second absorption unit; (18) The heat and mass transfer device is further connected to the liquid collection device to receive the distillate stream and heat it, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (4), and simultaneously from the distillate stream stripping the more volatile components, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream from said process equipment as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (19) Control means adapted to regulate the quantity and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorption means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorption means at a certain temperature , thereby recovering a major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction. 25. An apparatus for separating a gas stream containing methane, _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components into a volatile residual gas fraction and a relatively less volatile fraction, said relatively less volatile Small fractions containing said _C2 components, _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components or a major part of said _C3 components and heavy hydrocarbon components, including (1) a first splitting device that splits the gas stream into first and second portions; (2) heat exchange means disposed in a process plant of a single plant product and connected to said first flow splitting means to receive said first fraction and cool it sufficiently to partially condense it; (3) separation means connected to said heat exchange means for receiving said partially condensed first portion and separating it into a vapor stream and at least one liquid stream; (4) a heat and mass transfer device disposed in the process equipment and connected to the first flow splitting device to receive and cool the second portion; (5) a combination unit connected to said heat and mass transfer unit and said separation unit for receiving said cooled second portion and at least a portion of said at least one liquid stream and forming a combined stream; (6) said heat exchange unit is further connected to said combination unit for receiving said combined stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it; (7) a first expansion device connected to said heat exchange device to receive said substantially condensed combined stream and expand it to a lower pressure; (8) first and second absorption units arranged in said process equipment and connected to said first expansion unit for receiving said expanded cooled combined stream as feed between said first and second absorption units, said first absorption unit being located above said second absorption unit; (9) a second expansion device connected to said separation device for receiving said vapor stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to said second absorption device providing said expanded vapor stream as a first bottoms feed thereto; (10) a third expansion device connected to said separation device for receiving any remaining portion of said at least one liquid stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said third expansion device being further connected to said second absorption unit to provide said expanded liquid stream as a second bottoms feed thereto; (11) A vapor collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said first absorption unit to receive a flow of distilled vapor from an upper region of said first absorption unit; (12) The heat exchange device is further connected to the vapor collection device to receive and heat the distillation vapor stream, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in steps (2) and (6), and thereafter from the withdrawing said heated distillation vapor stream from process equipment; (13) Compression means connected to said process equipment to receive said heated distillation vapor stream and compress it to a higher pressure; (14) cooling means connected to said compression means to receive said compressed distillate vapor stream and cool it; (15) a second splitting device connected to said cooling device for receiving said cooled compressed distillation vapor stream and splitting it into said volatile residual gas fraction and a compressed recycle stream; (16) The heat exchange unit is further connected to the second splitting unit for receiving the compressed recycle stream and cooling it sufficiently to substantially condense it, thereby providing at least part heating; (17) a fourth expansion device connected to said heat exchange device for receiving said substantially condensed compressed recycle stream and expanding it to said lower pressure, said fourth expansion device further connected to said first absorption unit to provide said expanded recycle stream as an overhead feed thereto; (18) a liquid collection unit disposed in said process equipment and connected to said second absorption unit for receiving a stream of distillate from a lower region of said second absorption unit; (19) The heat and mass transfer device is further connected to the liquid collection device to receive the distillate flow and heat it, thereby providing at least part of the cooling in step (4), and simultaneously from the distillate flow stripping the more volatile components, and thereafter withdrawing said heated and stripped distillate stream from said process equipment as said relatively less volatile fraction; and (20) Control means adapted to regulate the quantity and temperature of said feed streams to said first and second absorption means to maintain the temperature of said upper region of said first absorption means at a certain temperature , thereby recovering a major part of the components in the relatively less volatile fraction. 26. The device of claim 21, wherein (1) the heat and mass transfer devices are arranged in the upper and lower regions; and (2) said process equipment is connected to said third expansion device for receiving at least a portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream, and between said upper and lower regions of said heat and mass transfer device guide it in between. 27. The device of claim 22, wherein (1) the heat and mass transfer devices are arranged in the upper and lower regions; and (2) said process equipment is connected to said third expansion device for receiving any remaining portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream, and between said upper and lower portions of said heat and mass transfer device Guide it between regions. 28. The device of claim 24, wherein (1) the heat and mass transfer devices are arranged in the upper and lower regions; and (2) said process equipment is connected to said third expansion device for receiving at least a portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream, and between said upper and lower regions of said heat and mass transfer device guide it in between. 29. The device of claim 25, wherein (1) the heat and mass transfer devices are arranged in the upper and lower regions; and (2) said process equipment is connected to said third expansion device for receiving any remaining portion of said expansion of said at least one liquid stream, and between said upper and lower portions of said heat and mass transfer device Guide it between regions. 30. The apparatus of claim 21 , 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 or 29, wherein the separation means is disposed within the process equipment. 31. The device of claim 20, wherein (1) The gas collection device is arranged in the process equipment; (2) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the gas collection device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for an external refrigerant medium; (3) said gas collection device is connected to said combination device to receive said cooled gas flow and direct it to said additional heat and mass transfer device for further cooling by said external refrigerant medium; and (4) The second splitting means is adapted to be connected to the gas collection means to receive the further cooled gas stream and split it into the first and second streams. 32. The device of claim 23, wherein (1) The gas collection device is arranged in the process equipment; (2) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the gas collection device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for an external refrigerant medium; (3) said gas collection means is connected to said heat exchange means to receive said cooled first portion and direct it to said further heat and mass transfer means for further cooling by said external refrigerant medium; and (4) said second expansion device is adapted to be connected to said gas collection device for receiving said further cooled first portion and expanding it to said lower pressure, said second expansion device being further connected to The second absorption unit has as the bottoms feed thereto the expanded further cooled first fraction. 33. The device of claim 21 , 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 or 29, wherein (1) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the separation device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for the external refrigeration medium; (2) said vapor stream is directed to said further heat and mass transfer device to be cooled by said external refrigerant medium, thereby forming further condensate; and (3) The condensate becomes part of the at least one liquid stream in which it is separated. 34. The device of claim 30, wherein (1) Another heat transfer and mass transfer device is provided in the separation device, and the other heat transfer and mass transfer device includes one or more passages for the external refrigeration medium; (2) said vapor stream is directed to said further heat and mass transfer device to be cooled by said external refrigerant medium, thereby forming further condensate; and (3) The condensate becomes part of the at least one liquid stream in which it is separated. 35. Apparatus according to claim 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 or 32, wherein said heat and mass transfer means comprises one or more external passage of a heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second section for said stripping of said more volatile components from said distillate stream. 36. The device of claim 30, wherein said heat and mass transfer means includes one or more passages for an external heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second part for said volatilization The stripping of the more aggressive components from the distillate stream. 37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said heat and mass transfer means includes one or more passages for an external heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second portion for said volatilization The stripping of the more aggressive components from the distillate stream. 38. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said heat and mass transfer means includes one or more passages for an external heating medium to supplement the heating provided by said second portion for said volatilization The stripping of the more aggressive components from the distillate stream.