# US 2014/0360227 A1 · Method For Producing One Or More Air Separation Apparatuses, And Equipment For Air Separation By Cryogenic Distillation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0360227 A1 - Document ID: US20140360227A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/366,331 - Filed: 2012-12-13 - Published: 2014-12-11 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-21 - Assignees: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et I'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude - Applicants: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et I'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude - Inventors: Alain Guillard - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140360227A1 ## CPC - F25J 3/04: for air - F25J 3/04018: {of main feed air} - F25J 3/04133: {Electrical motor as the prime mechanical driver} - F25J 3/04175: {at a pressure of substantially more than the highest pressure column} - F25J 3/04957: {and inter-connecting equipments upstream of the fractionation unit (s), i.e. at the "front-end"} - F25J 3/04963: {and inter-connecting equipment within or downstream of the fractionation unit(s) (F25J3/04393 takes precedence)} - F25J 2230/24: Multiple compressors or compressor stages in parallel - F25J 2230/40: the fluid being air - F25J 2290/10: Mathematical formulae, modeling, plot or curves; Design methods - F25J: LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS {OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS} MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT {OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE (cryogenic pumps F04B37/08; gas storage vessels, gas holders F17; filing vessels with, or discharging from vessels, compressed, liquefied or solidified gases F17C; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B)} ## Abstract In a method for producing an apparatus for air separation by cryogenic distillation, at least one gas in the air is obtained as a product by air separation in a cold box including at least one column, the cold box being supplied with air at a first pressure by N air compressors that compress the air from the ambient pressure to the first pressure, the first pressure being greater than 12 bar absolute and less than 35 bar absolute, 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 size classes of a frame for compressors being predefined, n being equal to 2 or 3 or 4 or 5, and the N compressors being selected such that all of the N compressors have a size selected from the n sizes of the group. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-14. (canceled) ### Claim 15 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. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, in which the N compressors have the same frame size. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, in which at least a first of the N compressors has a frame of a first of the n sizes and at least a second of the N compressors has a frame of a second of the n sizes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method as claimed in claim 17, in which at least a third of the N compressors has a frame of a third of the n sizes. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, in which the group of the n compressor frame sizes is made up of a first size for a compressor of a power of between 5 and 7 MW, of a second size, for a compressor of a power of between 12 and 16 MW, and of a third size for a compressor of between 19 and 25 MW. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, in which two compressors having the same frame size are adapted to handle different flow rates of compressed gas or gas to be compressed. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, in which two compressors having the same frame size have a different inlet pressure and/or outlet pressure. ### Claim 22 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. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The installation as claimed in claim 22, comprising only N air compressors. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The installation as claimed in claim 22, comprising just one single cold box. ### Claim 25 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. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method as claimed in claim 25, in which the separation apparatuses are not identical. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The method as claimed in claim 25, in which each of the separation apparatuses is designed to separate a flow rate of air that differs by at least 10% from the flow rates of air which are separated in the other apparatuses. ### Claim 28 (depends on 25) The method as claimed in claim 25, in which each of the separation apparatuses is designed to separate a flow rate of air that differs by at least 25% from the flow rates of air which are separated in the other apparatuses. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) The method as claimed in claim 25, in which the spare parts for the N compressors of each apparatus are stored in a common place.