Divided wall columns for smaller sized plants
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorKenneth William Kovak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A divided exchange column includes a shell column having a first longitudinal axis, a cylindrical wall spaced apart from and surrounding the first longitudinal axis and defining a first interior space, a first divided wall column having a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and a second divided wall column having a third longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first and the second longitudinal axes, where the first divided wall column and the second divided wall column are positioned in the first interior space of the shell column.
Claims20
A divided exchange column, comprising:
- a cylindrical shell column having a first longitudinal axis and a cylindrical wall spaced apart from and surrounding the first longitudinal axis thereby defining a first interior space between the cylindrical wall and the first longitudinal axis, wherein the cylindrical wall comprises an inner surface and an outer surface;
- a first preformed divided wall column having a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, a first wall, and a second wall, wherein the first wall of the first preformed divided wall column is coupled to the second wall of the first preformed divided wall column, and wherein the first wall of the first preformed divided wall column is substantially flat and the second wall of the first preformed divided wall column is substantially semi-cylindrical;
- a second preformed divided wall column having a third longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first and the second longitudinal axes, a first wall, and a second wall, wherein the first wall of the second preformed divided wall column is coupled to the second wall of the second preformed divided wall column, and wherein the first wall of the second preformed divided wall column is substantially flat and the second wall of the second preformed divided wall column is substantially semi-cylindrical;
- and
- wherein the first preformed divided wall column and the second preformed divided wall column are positioned in the first interior space of the cylindrical shell column defining two longitudinally extending part-cylindrical internal columns, such that the first wall of the first preformed divided wall column is adjacent to the first wall of the second preformed divided wall column and the second wall of the first preformed divided wall column and the second wall of the second preformed divided wall column are adjacent to the inner surface of the cylindrical wall.
A divided exchange column comprising a cylindrical shell having a longitudinal axis and divided into two or more longitudinally extending part-cylindrical internal columns characterized in that each of said internal columns is discretely preformed comprising a part-cylindrical wall adjacent the cylindrical shell and one or more side walls defining said discretely preformed internal column, wherein the thickness of each of the one or more side walls is 3 mm to 20 mm.
A divided exchange column, comprising:
- a first wall, wherein the first wall is substantially flat;
- a second wall, wherein the second wall is substantially semi-cylindrical and wherein the first wall and the second wall are coupled together such that the first wall and the second wall form a first preformed exchange column;
- a third wall, wherein the third wall is substantially flat;
- a fourth wall, wherein the fourth wall is substantially semi-cylindrical and wherein the third wall and the fourth wall are coupled together such that the third wall and the fourth wall form a second preformed exchange column;
- and
- a fifth wall, wherein the fifth wall is substantially cylindrical and forms a shell around the first preformed exchange column and the second preformed exchange column, and
- wherein the first wall of the first preformed exchange column is adjacent and spaced apart from the third wall of the second preformed exchange column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.