Propane washing
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Does anyone know the principle behind using propane as an absorbent to absorb ethylene and ethane in the gas phase?
Like dissolves like: high-carbon substances absorb low-carbon ones. However, using propane for washing increases the propane content in the subsequent components; therefore, it is not possible to simply increase the amount of propane used in the cycle to ensure effective absorption, as this would have an impact on the distillation of propylene. Lowering the temperature of the propane used for absorption has a significant positive effect on the absorption efficiency.
The Rums process, which uses propane for washing, relies on the principle of like dissolves like; it involves a large circulation volume, which has a significant impact on the propylene system, increasing both the system load and the thermal load. The KBR process utilizes quenching and oil-scavenging washing, along with carbon-3 washing and propane washing, to reduce the load on the propylene distillation column to 20%.
Hello, I don’t quite understand it. Propane and ethylene have different polarities; how can the principle of like dissolves like be applied to facilitate absorption? Could you please explain this?