Abstract: An improved process for removing free liquid from a hydrocarbon-rich gas stream is disclosed. Liquid is injected into the gas stream upstream of a chiller and downstream of an acid-gas removal system and any equipment that may affect the water content of the gas stream: compressors, columns, additional knockout drums, heat exchangers or the like. This enhances heat and mass transfer in a manner that both minimizes the formation of small droplets and encourages the coalescence of small droplets in the chiller. As a result, small droplets which would normally pass through a knockout drum and a standard mist eliminator are increased in size, prior to their arrival at a vapor-liquid separator to larger drops which are easily removed by the vapor-liquid separator, and the mist eliminator.

Abstract: A process for separating hydrogen and methane from a gas mixture containing hydrocarbons heavier than methane in which the gas mixture is passed through a plurality of chilling stages, a bottoms portion from at least one of the chilling stages being passed to a hydrogen stripper before being introduced to a fractionating column, the hydrogen stripper overheads portion being passed back into the chilling train from which a final hydrogen rich stream containing in excess of ninety mole percent hydrogen is separated at a temperature lower than -140.degree. C.