High speed pressure swing adsorption liquid oxygen/liquid nitrogen generating plant

A system for manufacturing liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen from ambient air, comprising:

• an air compressor assembly including an inlet port and an outlet port, said assembly drawing ambient air containing oxygen and nitrogen through said inlet port and compressing said ambient air into a stream of compressed air and forcing said air stream through said outlet port;
• a HEPA-grade filter through which said air stream passes for removing particulate matter from said compresses air stream;
• a first molecular sieve bed through which said air stream can pass after passing through said HEPA-grade filter for removing chemical impurities, water and carbon dioxide vapor from said compressed air stream, wherein said molecular sieve bed has a regeneration cycle of less than five minutes;
• a first heat exchanger through which said air stream passes after passing through said first molecular sieved bed, said first heat exchanger cooling said air stream to lower the temperature of said air stream to a level where said air stream begins to partially condense;
• a turboexpander through which a portion of said air stream passes after passing through said first heat exchanger, said turboexpander cooling said portion of said air stream to lower than -275.degree. F. and directing said cooled portion of said air stream back through said first heat exchanger to cool said heat exchanger;
• an first expansion valve through which another portion of said air stream passes after passing through said first heat exchanger, said first expansion valve lowering the pressure of said another portion of said air stream to a temperature at which a substantial portion of the oxygen in said another portion of said air stream condenses;
• a nitrogen distillation column into which said another portion of said air stream passes after passing through said first expansion valve, said nitrogen column having a top and a bottom, said another portion of said air stream separating into condensate and vapor in said nitrogen column, said condensate following toward the bottom of said nitrogen column and said vapor rising toward the top of said nitrogen column, wherein the portion of said vapor reaching said top of said nitrogen column contains over 95% pure nitrogen and said portion of said condensate reaching said bottom of said nitrogen column being oxygen rich;
• a second expansion valve through which said oxygen rich condensate from said bottom of said nitrogen column passes, said expansion valve cooling said oxygen rich condensate lower than -300.degree. F.;
• an oxygen distillation column into which said condensate passes after passing through said second expansion valve, said oxygen column having a top and a bottom, said condensate separating into part vapor and part condensate in said oxygen column, said part condensate falling toward the bottom of said oxygen column and said part vapor rising toward the top of said oxygen column, wherein said portion of said part condensate reaching said bottom of said oxygen column contains over 95% oxygen;
• a condenser through which said portion of said part condensate reaching said bottom of said oxygen column passes and through which said portion of said vapor reaching said top of said nitrogen column passes, said portion of said part condensate reaching said bottom of said oxygen column cooling said portion of said vapor reaching said top of said nitrogen column causing said portion of said vapor reaching said top of said nitrogen column to condense;
• and
• an insulating layer surrounding said first heat exchanger, said turboexpander, said nitrogen distillation column, said condenser and said oxygen distillation column.