Production of ethylene

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING EHTYLENE OF HIGH PURITY FROM NATURAL GAS CONTAINING PREDOMINANT QUANTITIES OF METHANE AND MINOR QUANTITIES OF ETHANE AND HIGHER BOILING COMPONENTS WHICH COMPRISES, PASSING THE NATURAL GAS TO FIRST STAGE ABSORPTION OPERATED UNDER CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND LEAN OIL ABSORBENT TO RECOVER A MAJOR PART OF THE ETHANE IN THE ABSORBENT AND TO RELEASE A MINOR AMOUNT OF ETHANE AND LOWER BOILING COMPONENTS OVERHEAD, PASSING THE FAT OIL ABSORBENT TO SECOND STAGE ABSORPTION, INTRODUCING A PRYOLYSIS GAS EFFLUENT FROM ETHANE CRACKING TO SAID SECOND ABSORPTION STAGE AT A POINT BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF FAT OIL TO SAID STAGE, SAID EFFLUENT INCLUDING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF ETHYLENE, HYDROGEN AND METHANE, MAINTAINING SAID SECOND STAGE ABSORPTION UNDER TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS TO SUBSTANTIALLY RECOVER ALL OF THE ETHYLENE AND HEAVIER COMPONENTS IN THE ABSORPTION OIL, PASSING THE RICH OIL FROM SAID SECOND STAGE ABSORPTION TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE, WITHDRAWING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE ETHYLENE AND ETHANE AS AN OVERHEAD FROM SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE, WITHDRAWING A BOTTOMS PRODUCT FROM SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE AND INTRODUCING A PORTION OF SAID BOTTOMS PRODUCT AS LEAN OIL TO THE FIRST AND SECOND ABSORPTION STAGES.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING EHTYLENE OF HIGH PURITY FROM NATURAL GAS CONTAINING PREDOMINANT QUANTITIES OF METHANE AND MINOR QUANTITIES OF ETHANE AND HIGHER BOILING COMPONENTS WHICH COMPRISES, PASSING THE NATURAL GAS TO FIRST STAGE ABSORPTION OPERATED UNDER CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND LEAN OIL ABSORBENT TO RECOVER A MAJOR PART OF THE ETHANE IN THE ABSORBENT AND TO RELEASE A MINOR AMOUNT OF ETHANE AND LOWER BOILING COMPONENTS OVERHEAD, PASSING THE FAT OIL ABSORBENT TO SECOND STAGE ABSORPTION, INTRODUCING A PRYOLYSIS GAS EFFLUENT FROM ETHANE CRACKING TO SAID SECOND ABSORPTION STAGE AT A POINT BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF FAT OIL TO SAID STAGE, SAID EFFLUENT INCLUDING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF ETHYLENE, HYDROGEN AND METHANE, MAINTAINING SAID SECOND STAGE ABSORPTION UNDER TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS TO SUBSTANTIALLY RECOVER ALL OF THE ETHYLENE AND HEAVIER COMPONENTS IN THE ABSORPTION OIL, PASSING THE RICH OIL FROM SAID SECOND STAGE ABSORPTION TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE, WITHDRAWING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE ETHYLENE AND ETHANE AS AN OVERHEAD FROM SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE, WITHDRAWING A BOTTOMS PRODUCT FROM SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE AND INTRODUCING A PORTION OF SAID BOTTOMS PRODUCT AS LEAN OIL TO THE FIRST AND SECOND ABSORPTION STAGES.