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US 2003/0000342 A1Published application
Methods and apparatuses for integration of a blast furnace and an air separation unit
AssigneeAir Liquide Process & Construction, Inc.
InventorsBao Ha, Jean-Renaud Brugerolle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to processes and apparatuses for the integration of a blast furnace and an air separation plant to increase blast furnace production. The present invention recovers energy from the air separation through the expansion of a product stream.
Claims17
A process for integrating a blast furnace and an air separation unit comprising the steps of:
- feeding feed air to the blast furnace;
- removing a first portion of feed air to the blast furnace;
- separating at least one oxygen rich stream and at least a second stream from the first portion in the air separation unit;
- heating the second stream;
- expanding the second stream to recover energy;
- and,
- feeding at least a portion of the oxygen rich stream to the blast furnace.
4 more elements
A system for recovering a portion of energy associated with an air separation unit for supplying oxygen rich gas to feed air of a blast furnace comprising:
- an air separation unit fed at least partially with a first portion of a feed air to a blast furnace from which an oxygen rich product is removed from the air separation unit and mixed with a remaining portion of the blast furnace feed air and fed to the blast furnace;
- removing a second gas from the air separation unit and heating the second gas;
- and, expanding the second gas to recover energy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.