US 4,281,518 A · Method and apparatus for separating particular components of a gas mixture

Abstract

A method of separating certain components of a gas mixture in which the gas mixture is cooled and certain components are separated in a liquid or solid state characterized by introducing the gas mixture into a separator tank, adding a cooling agent such as a liquid or cold inert gas so as to cool the gas mixture and separating component in a solid state and subsequently fusing the separated solid into a liquid in a collecting tank. The concentrated gas mixture to be separated is directly removed from its place of use and directly supplied to the separator tank without allowing any further admixture of secondary air. The device for carrying out the method comprises an insulated tank to which air having entrained sulfer dioxide is introduced. The air flow is controlled so that it is oriented in a particular direction and it is passed beyond nozzles for injecting an inert gas such as liquid nitrogen into the interior of the insulated tank. This causes the component to form a solid substance in the form of a snow which is subsequently recovered at the lower end of the tank in an insulated collecting tank portion which advantageously includes means to heat the substance to form it into a liquid.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of separating a component chosen from the group consisting of sulfur dioxide, ethylene oxide and hydrocarbons which are gaseous or liquid at normal temperature, from a gas mixture of the component plus air comprising:

directing the gas mixture at such normal temperatures downwardly into a separator tank;
supplying finely atomized liquid nitrogen into the tank to mix with the gas mixture and form flakes of the component due to a sudden drop in temperature of the gas mixture, to form a stream in the separator tank;
rotating the stream to accelerate the flakes outwardly toward walls of the separator tank and separate the flakes from the air in the tank;
removing the air from the tank;
melting the flakes after they are separated from the air to form liquid component;
and
removing the liquid component from the separator tank.

4 more elements

A device for separating a component chosen from the group consisting of sulfur dioxide, ethylene oxide and hydrocarbons which are gaseous or liquid at normal temperatures, from a gas mixture of the component plus air, comprising:

a housing having an insulated outer wall and an inlet for receiving the gas mixture;
flow straightening means in said housing for straightening a flow of gas mixture in said housing into a stream;
a nozzle for injecting liquid nitrogen into said stream in said housing for mixing liquid nitrogen with said stream to suddenly reduce the temperature of said gas mixture and form solid flakes of the component;
a rotor rotatably mounted in said housing for rotating the stream to accelerate the solid flakes outwardly toward the housing outer wall, said rotor centrally positioned in said housing and having a conduit defined therein for receiving air from the gas mixture after it has been separated from the solid flakes;
heating means in said housing below said rotor for receiving the solid flakes of component and melting the solid flakes into liquid component;
and
a collecting tank below said heating means for receiving liquid component.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for separating particular components of a gas mixture

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for separating particular components of a gas mixture

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11