Method For Producing One Or More Air Separation Apparatuses, And Equipment For Air Separation By Cryogenic Distillation

A method for producing an apparatus for separating air by cryogenic distillation, in which at least one gas from the air is obtained by way of product by separating air in a cold box comprising at least one column, the cold box being supplied with air at a first pressure by N air compressors compressing air from ambient pressure to the first pressure, the first pressure being greater than 12 bar abs and less than 35 bar abs, N being equal to or greater than 3, and the total power of the N compressors being greater than 10 MW, a group of n compressor frame size classes being predefined, n being equal to 2 or 3 or 4 or 5, the compressors in each class each having a frame of the same dimensions and therefore of the same size and the N compressors being chosen so that all the N compressors are of at least one size chosen from the n frame sizes of the group.

An installation for separating air by cryogenic distillation, comprising at least one cold box containing at least one column for producing at least one gas of the air by air separation, N air compressors, the installation comprising no air booster compressor apart from, potentially, an air booster compressor driven by an air turbine intended for the cold box or for at least one of the cold boxes or by a turbine driven by nitrogen coming from the cold box or from at least one of the cold boxes, and means for sending air from the N compressors to the cold box or to the cold boxes, each of the N compressors being capable of compressing air from ambient pressure to a first pressure, the first pressure being greater than 12 bar abs and less than 35 bar abs, N being equal to or greater than 3, and the total power of N compressors being greater than 10 MW, a group of n compressor frame sizes being predefined, n being equal to 2 or 3 or 4 or 5, each frame of a given size having the same dimensions and the N compressors being chosen so that all the N compressors have a frame chosen from the group of n sizes.

A method for producing several apparatuses for separating air by cryogenic distillation, in each of which at least one gas from the air is obtained by way of product by separating air in a cold box comprising at least one column, the cold box being supplied with air at a first pressure by N air compressors compressing air from ambient pressure to the first pressure, the first pressure being greater than 12 bar abs and less than 35 bar abs, N being equal to or greater than 3, and the total power of the N compressors being greater than 10 MW, a group of n compressor frame size classes being predefined, n being equal to 2 or 3 or 4 or 5, the compressors in each class each having a frame of the same dimensions and therefore of the same size and the N compressors for each of the apparatuses being chosen so that all the N compressors are of one size chosen from the n frame sizes of the group.