Gas to liquids by condensed rotational separation

Romico Hold B.V. has developed and patented a simple, energy efficient and low volume process for selective condensation of components from a gas mixture. The process of Condensed Rotational Separation (CRS) relies on fast cooling by expansion and efficient separation of the resulting micron-sized droplets by the RPS-Demister . In CRS droplet wise partial condensation of gas mixtures is induced by fast pressure and temperature reduction (expansion) in a Joule-Thomson valve or a turbo expander. Fast expansion generates instant bulk cooling, which supersaturates the gas when expanded into a vapor-liquid two-phase region and drives condensation by means of nucleation and droplet growth. Within milliseconds, a mixture of vapor and micron-sized droplets is obtained in concentrations according to thermodynamic phase equilibrium. The RPS-Demister is capable to separate those droplets at high throughputs and low volume occupation. CRS is an option wherever low temperature distillation under pressure is considered. For the gas processing industry the most obvious applications are bulk separation of acid gases and liquefaction trains. In this paper we present applications of CRS in flue gas CO2 capture and natural gas cleanup. We discuss the advantages – and limitations – of low temperature processes in general and why hybrid combinations of using CRS in combination with i.e. membranes or conventional amine treatment can achieve a large reduction in energy use and footprint.