Internally heat pumped single pressure distillative separations
OwnerDonald C. Ericksoninventor
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Abstract
This process provides an efficient means for distillative separation of a gas mixture at a temperature below ambient without requiring either a dual pressure or low pressure distillation column. The process comprises supplying the gas at an elevated pressure to a single pressure distillation column, work-expanding the column overhead gas to drive a heat pump compressor, compressing any of several gases in the heat pump compressor so as to effect phase change heat transfer between condensing column reflux and boiling column bottom product, and separately withdrawing the depressurized gaseous separation products.
Claims14
In a process for the subambient distillation of gases, the improvement comprising:
- (a) providing a single pressure subambient temperature distillation column;
- (b) providing a heat pump compressor and a turbine providing the sole power thereto;
- (c) feeding at least a portion of the overhead of said column to said turbine;
- (d) compressing a stream obtained from said column in said compressor sufficient to condense against boiling column bottom product, so as to provide substantially all the reboiler energy and reflux requirements of said column by indirect exchange of latent heat;
- (e) returning said stream to said column after said exchange of latent heat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.