Process and apparatus for the separation of carbon monoxide and hydrogen for a gaseous from a gaseous mixture thereof

Apparatus for separating carbon monoxide and hydrogen from a gaseous mixture thereof, said apparatus comprising:

• first heat exchange means for cooling and partially condensing feed gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to produce cooled and partially condensed feed gas;
• a separator for separating the cooled and partially condensed feed gas to produce a first hydrogen-rich vapor and a first carbon monoxide-rich liquid;
• conduit means for carrying the cooled and partially condensed feed gas from the first heat exchange means to the separator;
• a hydrogen stripping column, having an operating pressure below the feed pressure, for stripping hydrogen from carbon monoxide-rich liquid to produce a hydrogen-stripped carbon monoxide liquid and hydrogen-enriched carbon monoxide vapor;
• conduit means for carrying a first stream of the carbon monoxide-rich liquid from the separator to the hydrogen stripping column;
• second heat exchange means for vaporizing carbon monoxide-rich liquid to provide at least a portion of the refrigeration duty required to cool and partially condense the feed gas and produce carbon monoxide-rich vapor;
• conduit means for carrying a second stream of the carbon monoxide-rich liquid from the separator to the second heat exchange means;
• a compressor for compressing the carbon monoxide-rich vapor to produce compressed carbon monoxide-rich vapor;
• and
• conduit means for carrying carbon monoxide-rich vapor from the second heat exchange means to the compressor;
• wherein the compressed carbon monoxide-rich vapor is at a pressure below the feed pressure and the apparatus further comprises:
• third heat exchange means for cooling and at least partially condensing the compressed carbon monoxide-rich vapor to produce at least partially condensed carbon-monoxide-rich vapor;
• conduit means for carrying compressed carbon monoxide-rich vapor from the compressor to the third heat exchange means;
• and
• conduit means for carrying at least a portion of the at least partially condensed carbon monoxide-rich vapor from the third heat exchange means to the hydrogen-stripping column.