Integrated air separation and combustion turbine process with steam generation by indirect heat exchange with nitrogen

A method for the production of oxygen which comprises:

• (a) compressing air in an air compressor to provide a first and a second hot pressurized air feed stream;
• (b) combusting a fuel with the first hot pressurized air feed stream in a combustor, withdrawing therefrom a hot pressurized gas, and work expanding the hot pressurized gas to provide a portion of the work for compressing air in step (a) and yield a hot expanded exhaust gas;
• (c) cooling the second hot pressurized air feed stream and separating the resulting cooled pressurized air feed stream into an oxygen-rich product gas and a nitrogen-rich product gas;
• (d) work expanding at least a portion of the nitrogen-rich product gas of step (c) and heating the resulting expanded nitrogen-rich product gas by indirect heat transfer with the second hot pressurized air feed stream to yield a hot expanded nitrogen-rich product gas stream and a cooled intermediate pressurized air stream;
• (e) utilizing at least a portion of the hot expanded nitrogen-rich product gas stream to generate steam by indirect heat exchange with water, and work expanding at least a portion of the resulting steam to provide another portion of the work for compressing air in step (a);
• and
• (f) utilizing at least a portion of the hot expanded exhaust gas to generate steam by indirect heat exchange with water, and work expanding at least a portion of the resulting steam to provide a further portion of the work for compressing air in step (a).