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AssigneesAir Liquide Process & Construction, Inc., L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorBao Ha
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Air is separated by cryogenic distillation comprising the steps of feeding compressed, cooled and purified air to a high pressure column where it is separated into a first nitrogen enriched stream at the top and a first oxygen enriched stream at the bottom. At least a portion of the first oxygen enriched stream is fed to an intermediate pressure column to yield a second nitrogen enriched stream at the top and a second oxygen enriched stream at the bottom. At least a portion of the second nitrogen enriched stream is sent to a low pressure column or to a top condenser of an argon column, and at least a portion of the second oxygen enriched stream is sent to the low pressure column. A third oxygen enriched stream is separated at the bottom and a third nitrogen enriched stream is separated at the top of the low pressure column. A heating gas is sent to a bottom reboiler of the low pressure column, and at least a portion of the third oxygen enriched stream is removed at a removal point. A first argon enriched stream containing between 3 and 20% argon is removed from the low pressure column, and the first argon enriched stream is sent to the argon column having a top condenser. A second argon enriched stream, richer in argon than the first argon enriched stream, is recovered at the top of the argon column and a fourth oxygen enriched stream is removed at the bottom of the argon column. The argon column operates at a pressure at least 0.5 bar lower than the pressure of the low pressure column.
A process for separating air by cryogenic distillation comprising the steps of
An apparatus for separating air by cryogenic distillation comprising a high pressure column, an intermediate pressure column, a low pressure column having a bottom reboiler and an argon column having a top condenser, a conduit for sending air to the high pressure column, a conduit for sending at least part of a first oxygen enriched liquid from the high pressure column to the intermediate pressure column, a conduit for sending a second oxygen enriched fluid from the bottom of the intermediate pressure column to the low pressure column, a conduit for sending a second nitrogen enriched fluid from the top of the intermediate pressure column to the low pressure column or to the top condenser of the argon column, a conduit for sending a heating gas to the bottom reboiler of the low pressure column, a conduit for removing a third oxygen enriched fluid from the low pressure column, a conduit for sending a nitrogen enriched liquid from the high pressure column to the low pressure column, a conduit for sending a first argon enriched stream from the low pressure column to the argon column, a conduit for withdrawing a second argon enriched stream from the argon column, a conduit for withdrawing a fourth oxygen enriched stream from the argon column and means for expanding the first argon enriched stream sent from the low pressure column to the argon column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.