Efficient utilization of hydrogen in a hydrocracking system is obtained by recovering in a first gas-liquid separation zone (20) hydrogen by gas-liquid separation of hydrocrackate (14) at a pressure of at least about 75 percent of the pressure in the hydrocracking zone (10), and recovering in a second gas-liquid separation zone (26) hydrogen from the separatea liquid phase (24) from the first gas-liquid separation zone (20), said second gas-liquid separation zone (26) being at a pressure less than 75 percent of the pressure in the first gas-liquid separation zone (20) and at conditions sufficient to provide a separated vapor phase (30) containing at least about 50 volume percent of hydrogen and having a hydrogen partial pressure of at least about 20 atmospheres. At least a portion of the separated vapor phase (30) from the second gas-liquid separation zone (26) is contacted with the feed side of a polymeric membrane, in a permeator (34) exhibiting a high selectivity to the permeation of hydrogen as compared to the permeation of methane. The opposite side, i.e., permeate side, of the membrane is maintained at a pressure sufficiently below the pressure on the feed side of the membrane such that the ratio of the total pressure on the feed side to total pressure on the feed side to total pressure on the permeate side of the membrane is at least about 3:1 to permeate hydrogen to the permeate side of the membrane and provide a hydrogen permeate (38) having a concentration of hydrogen greater than the concentration of hydrogen in the separated vapor phase (30) contacting the membrane. At least a portion of the hydrogen permeate (38) is recycled to the hydrocracking zone (10). Thus, the second gas-liquid separation zone (26) co-acts with the polymeric membrane separation to provide a highly useable, recovered hydrogen stream in the hydrocracking system.
在加氢裂化系统中有效利用
氢气的方法是:在第一气液分离区(20)中,通过在加氢裂化区(10)压力至少约 75% 的压力下对加氢裂化产物(14)进行气液分离回收
氢气,并在第二气液分离区(26)中从第一气液分离区(20)分离出的液相(24)中回收
氢气、所述第二气液分离区(26)的压力小于第一气液分离区(20)压力的 75%,其条件足以提供含有至少约 50 体积百分比氢且氢分压至少约为 20 个大气压的分离气相(30)。来自第二气液分离区(26)的分离气相(30)的至少一部分在渗透器(34)中与聚合膜的进料侧接触,与
甲烷的渗透相比,聚合膜对
氢气的渗透具有较高的选择性。膜的另一侧,即渗透侧,保持在足够低于膜进料侧压力的压力下,使进料侧的总压力与膜渗透侧的总压力之比至少约为 3:1,以便将氢渗透到膜的渗透侧,并提供氢渗透物(38),其氢浓度大于与膜接触的分离气相(30)中的氢浓度。至少一部分氢渗透液(38)被循环到加氢裂化区(10)。因此,第二气液分离区(26)与聚合膜分离共同作用,在加氢裂化系统中提供高度可用的回收氢流。