Oxygen liquefier design phasing
AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorsMichael A. Turney, Alain Guillard
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Abstract
A process for producing liquid oxygen, including, a first operating mode, and a second operating mode. During the first operating mode, the distillation column produces a first flowrate of product liquid oxygen, and a first flow rate of liquid nitrogen product. During the second operating mode, the distillation column produces a second flowrate of product liquid oxygen, and a second flow rate of liquid nitrogen product. Wherein, the second flowrate of product liquid oxygen is greater than the first flowrate of product liquid oxygen.
Claims15
A process for producing liquid oxygen, comprising:
- in a first operating mode,
- cooling a pressurized inlet air stream in a main heat exchanger, thereby producing a cooled inlet air stream,
- splitting the cooled inlet air stream into a refrigerant air stream and a distillation stream,
- introducing the distillation stream into a distillation column,
- warming the refrigerant air stream in the main heat exchanger, thereby producing a warmed refrigerant air stream,
- expanding the warmed refrigerant air stream in a first expansion turbine, thereby producing an expanded refrigerant air stream,
- introducing the expanded refrigerant air stream into the main heat exchanger heating the expanded refrigerant air stream, thereby producing a first heated refrigerant air stream, and
- discharging the first heated refrigerant air stream as a waste stream,
- in a second operating mode,
- cooling the pressurized inlet air stream in the main heat exchanger, thereby producing a cooled inlet air stream,
- introducing the cooled inlet air stream into the distillation column,
- receiving a cold refrigerant air stream from a nitrogen liquefier,
- warming the cold refrigerant air stream in the main heat exchanger, thereby producing a warmed refrigerant air stream,
- expanding the warmed refrigerant air stream in a second expansion turbine, thereby producing an expanded refrigerant air stream,
- introducing the expanded refrigerant air stream into the main heat exchanger
- heating the expanded refrigerant air stream, thereby producing a second heated refrigerant air stream, and
- returning the second heated refrigerant air stream to the nitrogen liquefier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.