Annular divided wall column with ring shaped collectors and distributers for an air separation unit

An annular divided wall column comprising:

• a first annular column wall;
• a second annular column wall radially spaced from the first annular column wall and disposed within a first interior space of the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region between the first annular column wall and the second annular column wall and to define an interior core column region as part or all of a second interior space of the second annular column wall;
• a plurality of structured packing elements disposed within the annulus column region;
• one or more ring-shaped cantilevered collectors disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements, the one or more ring-shaped cantilevered collectors having a first collector wall rigidly attached to the first annular column wall, a second collector wall disposed proximate to but unattached to the second annular column wall, and a collector deck disposed between the first collector wall and the second collector wall, and wherein the one or more ring-shaped cantilevered collectors are unattached to the second annular column wall;
• and
• one or more ring-shaped distributors disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements, the one or more ring shaped distributors being rigidly attached to the first annular column wall via a plurality of distributor support beams and the one or more ring-shaped distributors being unattached to the second annular column wall, the distributor support beams configured to support the one or more ring-shaped distributors;
• wherein thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the ring-shaped distributors and the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.