Integrated air-separation/energy-generation process and plant for implementing such a process

An integrated air-separation process in a plant that has at least two air separation units that each have at least two distillation columns, at least one air compressor, at least one combustion chamber, at least one auxiliary air compressor that does not feed any combustion chamber, and at least one expansion turbine, the process comprising the steps of:

• delivering compressed air to a first of the at least two air separation units using the at least one air compressor;
• delivering compressed air to the at least one combustion chamber using the at least one air compressor;
• and
• delivering compressed air to the first air separation unit and to a second of the at least two air separation units using the at least one auxiliary air compressor, wherein compressed air is not delivered to the second air separation unit from the at least one air compressor that feeds the at least one combustion chamber.

An integrated air-separation process producing an oxygen-enriched fluid and a nitrogen-enriched fluid in a plant that has at least two air separation units that each have at least two distillation columns, at least one air compressor, at least one combustion chamber, at least on auxiliary air compressor that does not feed any combustion chamber, and at least one expansion turbine, the process comprising the steps of:

• delivering compressed air to a first and a second of the at least two air separation units using the at least one air compressor;
• delivering compressed air to the at least one combustion chamber using the at least one air compressor;
• delivering compressed air to the first and second air separation units using the at least one auxiliary air compressor,
• wherein compressed air from the at least one air compressor provides a greater percentage of a total amount of compressed air received by the first air separation unit from the at least one air compressor and the auxiliary air compressor than a corresponding percentage received by the second air separation unit;
• feeding combustion gases from the at least one combustion chamber to the at least one expansion turbine;
• and
• feeding the nitrogen-enriched fluid from the first air separation unit to the at least one combustion chamber.

An integrated plant comprising:

• a first air separation unit that does not produce a liquid as a final product;
• a second air separation unit that includes means for producing a liquid as a final product;
• a first compressor, a combustion chamber fed air from said first compressor, and an expansion turbine fed combustion gas from said combustion chamber, said first compressor also feeding air to said first air separation unit;
• and
• a first auxiliary compressor that feeds air to said second air separation unit, said second air separation unit not receiving air from any compressor that feeds air to any combustion chamber.

An integrated plant comprising:

• a first air separation unit;
• a second air separation unit;
• a combustion chamber;
• a first compressor that feeds air to said combustion chamber and said first air separation unit;
• an expansion turbine;
• and
• an auxiliary compressor that feeds air to said first air separation unit and to said second air separation unit and that does not feed air to said combustion chamber.