Abstract: A wet hydrocarbon stream comprising at least methane and water is dried thereby forming an effluent stream and a wet disposal stream. Before drying the wet hydrocarbon stream is cooled by indirectly heat exchanging against the effluent stream followed by indirectly heat exchanging against an auxiliary refrigerant stream. The effluent stream is subsequently passed to a further heat exchanger where the effluent stream is cooled against an evaporating refrigerant stream which is subsequently discharged from the further heat exchanger as a spent refrigerant stream. A refrigerant stream in compressed condition is formed by compressing the spent refrigerant and the auxiliary refrigerant stream that is discharged from the indirectly heat exchanging with the wet hydrocarbon stream, whereby allowing direct heat exchanging between the discharged auxiliary refrigerant stream and the spent refrigerant stream before said compressing.

Abstract: A partially condensed hydrocarbon feed stream is sent to a column. An overhead vapour hydrocarbon stream from the column is then partially condensed by indirect heat exchanging against an expanded cooling fluid flowing through a first section of a cold side heat exchanging channel. The cooling fluid consists of a mixed refrigerant composition, and liquid from the expanded cooling fluid is continuously transformed to vapour thereby forming a residual liquid portion of not evaporated expanded cooling fluid. The residual liquid is used to progressively condense the hydrocarbon feed stream to produce the partially condensed hydrocarbon feed stream that is sent to the column, by allowing the hydrocarbon feed stream to lose heat to the residual liquid passing through a second section of the cold side heat exchanging channel. The liquid component that is condensed out of the overhead vapour hydrocarbon stream is used as reflux for the column.