Argon recondensing method
AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et I'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorsSylvain MADÉ, Yves HARDY, Gilles POULIN
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Abstract
A method for condensing argon can include two flow streams interacting with each other in a heat exchanger found within a cold box: a stream of gaseous argon enters the heat exchanger to be cooled down below its liquefaction point by a stream of pressurized liquid nitrogen entering the heat exchanger. While passing through the heat exchanger, gaseous argon is gradually cooled down until it is condensed into liquid, flowing by gravity to the nearby liquid argon storage tank.
Claims20
A method for recovering boil-off gas during the loading and unloading of liquid argon, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an argon boil-off gas;
- (b) providing a pressurized liquid nitrogen having a nitrogen pressure above atmospheric pressure effective to cause the liquid nitrogen to have a liquid/vapor equilibrium temperature above the freezing temperature of the argon boil-off gas;
- (c) heat exchanging the argon boil-off gas with the pressurized liquid nitrogen in a heat exchanger under conditions effective to recondense the argon boil-off gas to produce a condensed liquid argon and a warmed nitrogen stream, the heat exchanger disposed within a cold box;
- and
- (d) introducing the condensed liquid argon to an argon storage vessel.
A method for recovering boil-off gas during the loading and unloading of liquid argon, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an argon boil-off gas;
- (b) providing a pressurized liquid nitrogen having a nitrogen pressure above atmospheric pressure effective to cause the liquid nitrogen to have a liquid/vapor equilibrium temperature above the freezing temperature of the argon boil-off gas;
- (c) introducing the pressurized liquid nitrogen to a nitrogen separator;
- (d) heat exchanging the argon boil-off gas with the pressurized liquid nitrogen from the nitrogen separator in a heat exchanger under conditions effective to recondense the argon boil-off gas to produce a condensed liquid argon and a warmed nitrogen stream, the heat exchanger disposed within a cold box;
- (e) introducing the condensed liquid argon to an argon storage vessel;
- (f) introducing the warmed nitrogen stream from the heat exchanger to the nitrogen separator;
- (g) withdrawing a nitrogen vent gas from the nitrogen separator;
- (h) measuring the pressure within the nitrogen separator;
- (i) measuring the liquid level within the nitrogen separator;
- and
- (j) measuring the temperature within the nitrogen separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.