US 4,022,030 AGranted

Thermal cycle for the compression of a fluid by the expansion of another fluid

AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude

InventorJean Renaud Brugerolle

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Abstract

A method of and an installation for utilizing a thermal cycle by means of which a less volatile fluid can be compressed by the expansion of a more volatile fluid, is characterized in that, in the course of said cycle a less volatile fluid available in a fractionated separation zone working under a low pressure is put into liquid-vapour equilibrium in counter-flow in said separation zone at said low pressure, with one or more light fractions at most as volatile as said more volatile fluid, so as to obtain, under said low pressure, the more volatile fluid and one or more heavy fractions at least as volatile as said less volatile fluid, and in that, after compression of said heavy fraction from said low pressure to a high pressure, the more volatile fluid available in a fractionated mixture zone working under said high pressure is put into liquid-vapour equilibrium in counter-flow in said mixture zone under said high pressure with one or more heavy fractions so as to obtain said less volatile fluid at said high pressure. The invention is applicable to various technical fields including the distillation of mixtures of several constituents and provides a means of recovery in the form of mechanical energy, refrigeration and the like, of a substantial portion of the excess energy consumed in the primary process.

A method for compressing a less volatile fluid under a low pressure (15) with a more volatile fluid under a high pressure (17), which comprises:

a. in a fractional separation zone (2) under at least one low pressure, putting into counter-flow liquid vapor separation equilibrium at least the less volatile fluid (15) available in said fractional separation zone with at least one light fraction (52) at most as volatile as said more volatile fluid under a high pressure (17), thereby to obtain a more volatile fluid (16) under substantially said low pressure and at least one heavy fraction (50) at least as volatile as said less volatile fluid under a low pressure (15), said more volatile fluid under said low pressure being obtained substantially colder than said at least one heavy fraction,
b. extracting (50) said heavy fraction from said fractional separation zone (2), compressing (51) said withdrawn heavy fraction from a low pressure to a high pressure, introducing said compressed heavy fraction into a fractional mixture zone (1),
c. in said fractional mixture zone (1) under at least one high pressure, putting into counter-flow liquid-vapor mixture equilibrium at least the more volatile fluid (17) available in said fractional mixture zone with at least said heavy fraction (50), thereby to obtain a less volatile fluid (18) under substantially said high pressure and at least said light fraction (52), said less volatile fluid under said high pressure being obtained substantially warmer than said at least one light fraction,
d. extracting (52) said light fraction from said fractional mixture zone, expanding (53) said withdrawn light fraction from a high pressure to a low pressure, and reintroducing said expanded light fraction into said fractional separation zone (2), each said high pressure being higher than each said low pressure, and each said less volatile fluid and heavy fraction being less volatile than each said more volatile fluid and light fraction.

1 more element

Facts

Application

05/221,294Filed 27 Jan 1972

Priority

FR 71.032621 Feb 1971

Granted

10 May 1977

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification26 codes

F25J 3/04709
Producing crude argon in a crude argon column: as an auxiliary column system in at least a dual pressure main column system
F01K 17/04
Using steam or condensate extracted or exhausted from steam engine plant: for specific purposes other than heating
F01K 25/00
Plants or engines characterised by use of special working fluids, not otherwise
F01K 25/065
Using mixtures of different fluids: with an absorption fluid remaining at least partly in the liquid state, e.g. water for ammonia

Abstract

Claims26