An apparatus for recovering ethylene from a hydrocarbon feed stream, where
the apparatus is a single distillation column pressure shell encasing an
upper region and a lower region. The upper region houses an ethylene
distributor rectifying section and the lower region houses a C2
distributor section and an ethylene distributor stripping section. Vapor
passes from the lower region into the upper region, and liquid passes
from the upper region to the lower region. The process for recovering the
ethylene is also disclosed. The hydrocarbon feed stream is introduced
into the C2 distributor section, and after a series of stripping and
refluxing steps, distinct hydrocarbon products are recovered from the C2
distributor section, the ethylene distributor stripping section, and the
ethylene distributor rectifying section, respectively.