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US 4,132,766 AGranted
Separation of oxygen from gaseous mixtures with molten alkali metal salts
OwnerDonald C. Ericksoninventor
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OwnerDonald C. Ericksoninventor
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Oxygen is separated from air by a regenerative chemical process. Air is contacted with an oxygen acceptor comprised of a molten solution of alkali nitrite and nitrate salts at elevated temperature and pressure, causing the oxygen to react with the nitrite, and thereby increasing the proportion of nitrate in the salt solution. The oxidized oxygen acceptor is separated from the oxygen depleted air, and then its pressure is reduced while supplying heat, thereby causing the release of relatively pure oxygen, which is collected. The oxygen acceptor, restored to its approximate original composition, is recycled to the oxidation step. Since the oxygen acceptor remains in the liquid state throughout the cycle, both salt to salt heat exchange and salt circulation are facilitated, making possible a continuous process of high efficiency.
In a continuous process for producing oxygen which comprises the repeated steps of contacting air with an oxygen acceptor which becomes oxidized, separately releasing the oxygen from the oxidized oxygen acceptor so as to regenerate the oxygen acceptor and generate the product oxygen and recycling regenerated oxygen acceptor, the improvement which comprises:
A method of continuously producing a gas enriched in oxygen content from an oxygen containing gas mixture comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.