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US 2025/0257941 A1Published application
Air separation unit
AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l’Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorsHuaqin YAO, Kenji HIROSE, Shinji TOMITA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air separation unit may include: a main heat exchanger 1, a first rectification column 2, a nitrogen condenser 3, a second rectification column 4, a third rectification column 5, a crude argon condenser 6, a high-purity oxygen rectification column 8, and a high-purity oxygen reboiler 9. The air separation unit uses a portion of the feed air that has passed through the main heat exchanger 1 as a heat source in the high-purity oxygen reboiler 9.
Claims5
An air separation unit comprising:
- a main heat exchanger configured to subject feed air to heat exchange;
- a first rectification column to which feed air that has passed through the main heat exchanger is introduced, said first rectification column comprising a first bottom portion in which an oxygen-rich liquid is stored, a first rectification portion for rectifying the feed air, and a first column top portion which is disposed at an upper portion of the first rectification portion and stores a first vaporized gas;
- a nitrogen condenser, which is disposed above the first column top portion, configured to condense the first vaporized gas in the first column top portion;
- a second rectification column comprising a second rectification portion and a second column top portion from which low-pressure nitrogen gas is drawn;
- a third rectification column for rectifying argon, said third rectification column comprising a third bottom portion to which is introduced a crude argon feed gas drawn from an intermediate portion of the second rectification portion of the second rectification column, a third rectification portion for rectifying the crude argon feed gas, and a third column top portion in which argon is stored;
- a crude argon condenser, which is disposed above the third column top portion, configured to condense the argon in the third column top portion;
- a high-purity oxygen rectification column for rectifying high-purity oxygen, said high-purity oxygen rectification column comprising an oxygen column bottom portion having a high-purity oxygen reboiler disposed in a lower region thereof, an upper portion of an oxygen rectification portion to which is introduced an oxygen-rich liquid drawn from an intermediate portion of the third rectification portion of the third rectification column, and an oxygen column top portion from which an oxygen vaporized gas is drawn to be returned to the intermediate portion of the third rectification portion of the third rectification column;
- and
- a feed air introduction line configured to cause the feed air to pass through the main heat exchanger, and introduce the feed air into the first bottom portion of the first rectification column or into a lower region of the first rectification portion, wherein
- a portion of the feed air is used as a heat source in the high-purity oxygen reboiler.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.