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US 4,822,395 AGranted
Air separation process and apparatus for high argon recovery and moderate pressure nitrogen recovery
AssigneeUnion Carbide Corporation
InventorHarry Cheung
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Process and apparatus to produce argon at high recovery with nitrogen at higher than conventional pressure comprising three columns wherein first column bottoms are passed into the second column, second column bottoms drive a third column top condenser, and argon-containing fluid is passed for separation into the third column from the second column at a point intermediate the points where first column bottoms enter and second column bottoms exit the second column.
Claims20
An air separation process comprising:
- (A) introducing feed air into a first column operating at a pressure within the range of from 60 to 300 psia and separating the feed within said first column into nitrogen-richer and oxygen-richer components;
- (B) passing oxygen-richer and nitrogen-richer component from the first column into a second column operating at a pressure less than that of the first column and within the range of from 20 to 90 psia, for separation into nitrogen-rich and oxygen-rich components;
- (C) recovering nitrogen-rich component as moderate pressure nitrogen product;
- (D) passing argon containing fluid from an intermediate point of the second column into a third column and separating the argon-containing fluid within the third column into argon-richer vapor and oxygen-richer liquid;
- (E) recovering a first portion of the argon-richer vapor as crude argon product;
- and
- (F) condensing a second portion of the argon-richer vapor by indirect heat exchange with oxygen-rich component and passing resulting liquid down the third column as reflux liquid.
4 more elements
Apparatus for air separation comprising:
- (A) a first column having feed introduction means;
- (B) a second column having fluid recovery means;
- (C) means to pass fluid from the first column into the second column;
- (D) means to pass fluid from an intermediate point of the second column into a third column equipped with a top condenser and having fluid recovery means;
- and
- (E) means to pass fluid from the lower portion of the second column to the top condenser of the third column.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.