Method for providing refrigeration to a cryogenic rectification plant
AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.
InventorsHerbert Raymond Schaub, Todd Alan Skare, Thomas John Bergman, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for providing refrigeration to a cryogenic rectification plant which enables the facile provision of varying amounts of refrigeration to the plant wherein a working fluid is pressurized in a recycle compressor, a first portion is at least partially condensed in a heat exchanger and passed into the plant, a second portion is cooled and then turboexpanded to generate refrigeration, the refrigeration bearing second portion passes refrigeration in the heat exchanger to the first portion to effect the condensation, and the resulting second portion is not passed into the cryogenic rectification plant but rather is returned to the recycle compressor.
Claims14
A method for providing refrigeration to a cryogenic rectification plant having at least one column comprising:
- (A) compressing a working fluid in a recycle compressor to produce pressurized working fluid;
- (B) passing a first portion of the pressurized working fluid to a heat exchanger and at least partially condensing said first portion in said heat exchanger to produce liquid working fluid first portion;
- (C) cooling a second portion of the pressurized working fluid, turboexpanding the cooled second portion to generate refrigeration, passing the refrigeration bearing second portion to the heat exchanger, and providing refrigeration from the second portion to said first portion to effect the at least partial condensation of the first portion;
- (D) passing the liquid working fluid first portion into a column of the cryogenic rectification plant;
- and
- (E) passing the second portion of the working fluid from the heat exchanger to the recycle compressor and wherein the second portion of the pressurized working fluid is compressed to a higher pressure prior to being cooled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.