Back to results
US 5,148,680 AGranted
Cryogenic air separation system with dual product side condenser
AssigneeUnion Carbide Industrial Gases Technology Corporation
InventorJames R. Dray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cryogenic air separation system wherein pressurized feed air is at least partially condensed to vaporize elevated pressure liquid nitrogen and elevated pressure liquid oxygen to produce elevated pressure nitrogen and oxygen gas eliminating or reducing the need for product compression.
Claims24
A method for the cryogenic separation of air to produce oxygen and nitrogen comprising:
- (A) providing feed air into a higher pressure column and separating the feed air in the higher pressure column into nitrogen-enriched vapor and oxygen-enriched liquid;
- (B) passing oxygen-enriched liquid from the higher pressure column into a lower pressure column;
- (C) condensing nitrogen-enriched vapor to produce nitrogen-enriched liquid and passing nitrogen-enriched liquid into the lower pressure column;
- (D) separating the fluids passed into the lower pressure column into nitrogen-rich vapor and oxygen-rich liquid;
- (E) passing oxygen-rich liquid in indirect heat exchange with feed air to produce product oxygen gas;
- and
- (F) passing nitrogen-enriched liquid produced by the condensation of nitrogen-enriched vapor in step (C) against oxygen-rich liquid in indirect heat exchange with feed air to produce product nitrogen gas.
4 more elements
Apparatus for the cryogenic separation of air to produce oxygen and nitrogen comprising:
- (A) heat exchange means;
- (B) conduit means from the heat exchange means to a first column;
- (C) conduit means from the first column to a second column;
- (D) conduit means from the first column to a condenser-reboiler;
- (E) means to pass fluid from the lower portion of the second column to the heat exchange means;
- and
- (F) means to pass fluid from the condenser/reboiler to the heat exchange means.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.