High-purity oxygen production method, and air separation device for producing high-purity oxygen
AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l’Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorKenji HIROSE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air separation device comprises: a main heat exchanger; a nitrogen rectification column; a nitrogen condensers disposed in a top portion of the nitrogen rectification column; a high-purity oxygen rectification column; and an oxygen evaporator disposed in a bottom portion of the high-purity oxygen rectification column. An oxygen-containing fluid discharged from an intermediate stage of the nitrogen rectification column is rectified in the high-purity oxygen rectification column and is concentrated in the bottom portion of the high-purity oxygen rectification column.
Claims6
A method for producing high purity oxygen, comprising steps:
- introducing a feed air cooled by a main heat exchanger to a lower section of a first nitrogen rectification column;
- introducing an oxygen-enriched liquid derived from a bottom portion of the first nitrogen rectification column into a rectification section of a second nitrogen rectification column;
- separating the feed air into a nitrogen-enriched component and an oxygen-enriched component in the first nitrogen rectification column and the second nitrogen rectification column;
- condensing a first vapor stream from the first nitrogen rectification column in a first nitrogen condenser;
- condensing a second vapor stream from the second nitrogen rectification column in a second nitrogen condenser;
- introducing an oxygen-containing fluid derived from the rectification section of the second nitrogen rectification column into a high-purity oxygen rectification column and producing high-purity product oxygen by using an oxygen evaporator;
- and
- using gas removed from a bottom portion of the second nitrogen rectification column as a heat medium for the oxygen evaporator which evaporates liquefied oxygen, and returning the gas to the second nitrogen condenser.
An air separation apparatus for producing high purity oxygen, comprising:
- a main heat exchanger
- a first nitrogen rectification column
- a second nitrogen rectification column
- a first nitrogen condenser
- a second nitrogen condenser
- a high purity oxygen rectification column
- a n oxygen evaporator
- a first conduit configured to introduce feed air cooled by a main heat exchanger to a lower section of a first nitrogen rectification column in order to separate the feed air into a nitrogen-enriched component and an oxygen-enriched component in the first nitrogen rectification column;
- a second conduit configured to introduce oxygen-enriched liquid derived from the bottom of the first nitrogen rectification column into a rectification section of a second nitrogen rectification column in order to separate the oxygen enriched liquid into a nitrogen-enriched component and an oxygen-enriched component in the second nitrogen rectification column;
- a third conduit configured send a nitrogen enriched vapor stream from the first nitrogen rectification column to the first nitrogen condenser;
- a fourth conduit configured to send a nitrogen enriched vapor stream from the second nitrogen rectification column to the second nitrogen condenser;
- a fifth conduit configured to send an oxygen-containing fluid derived from the rectification section of the second nitrogen rectification column into the high-purity oxygen rectification column and producing high-purity product oxygen at the bottom of the high purity oxygen rectification column;
- and
- a sixth conduit configured to send gas removed from the bottom of the second nitrogen rectification column as a heat medium for the oxygen evaporator which evaporates liquefied oxygen, and returning the gas condensed in the oxygen evaporator to the second nitrogen condenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.