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US 11,933,541 B2Granted
Cryogenic air separation unit with argon condenser vapor recycle
AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.
InventorZhengrong Xu
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AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.
InventorZhengrong Xu
Estimating the term…
A system and method for producing two or more nitrogen product streams and a crude argon stream from a nitrogen and argon producing air separation unit is provided. The disclosed embodiments of the cryogenic-based nitrogen and argon producing air separation units and associated air separation cycles include the means for directing a first portion of a boil-off stream from an argon condenser of the air separation unit to a waste expansion refrigeration circuit and concurrently recycling a second portion of the boil-off stream from the argon condenser to the main air compression system of the air separation unit to be mixed or blended with the incoming feed air. Optionally, a third portion of the boil-off stream from the argon condenser may be further compressed in a cold compressor and returned to the lower pressure column.
An argon and nitrogen producing air separation unit configured to receive an incoming feed air stream and produce a nitrogen product stream and an argon stream, the argon and nitrogen producing air separation unit having a main air compression and purification system, a main heat exchanger, a distillation column system having a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column linked in a heat transfer arrangement via a main condenser-reboiler, and an argon column arrangement comprising an argon column configured for receiving an argon-oxygen containing stream from the lower pressure column and an argon condenser configured for condensing an argon-rich vapor stream from the argon column against an oxygen containing condensing medium from the higher pressure column, the argon and nitrogen producing air separation unit characterized by:
A method for operating a nitrogen and argon producing air separation unit, the air separation unit configured to receive an incoming feed air stream and produce two or more nitrogen product streams, and a crude argon stream, the air separation unit having a main air compression system, a waste expansion refrigeration circuit, a main heat exchanger, and a distillation column system having a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column linked in a heat transfer arrangement via a main condenser-reboiler, an argon column configured for receiving an argon-oxygen containing stream from the lower pressure column and an argon condenser configured for condensing an argon-rich vapor stream from the argon column against an oxygen containing condensing medium, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.