US 9,513,050 B2Granted

Apparatus and method for the distillation separation of a mixture containing carbon dioxide

AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude

InventorsBruno Berthome, Laurent Perru, Fabrice Rivoal

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Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for the distillation separation of a mixture containing, as the main components thereof, carbon dioxide and at least one other fluid selected from the group containing nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, said apparatus comprising a distillation column (8), a condenser (9), a reboiler (7, 11), means for conveying the mixture to be separated to the column or the condenser, means for conveying a head gas from the column to the condenser, and means for conveying a liquid condensed in the condenser into the head of the column. The condenser is formed by an exchanger with plates and blades made from brazed aluminum and having an exchange surface area per m3 of exchanger greater than 400 m2/m3, with ammonia being used as refrigerant.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A device for the separation by distillation of a mixture comprising primarily carbon dioxide and at least one impurity selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and combinations thereof, the device comprising:

a distillation column having a bottom section, a rectification section disposed above the bottom section, and a top section disposed above the rectification section, the distillation column being operable to produce a bottom fluid from the bottom section, wherein the bottom fluid comprises carbon dioxide and has a reduced amount of impurity as compared to the mixture;
a condenser having a gas inlet and a fluid outlet, the condenser being composed of a plate and fin exchanger made of brazed aluminum and having an exchange surface area per m3 of exchanger of greater than 400 m2/m3 and the condenser being placed in a bath of liquid ammonia, wherein the bath is connected to means for feeding liquid or two-phase ammonia, wherein the condenser is disposed above the top section of the distillation column;
a first reboiler;
a top gas conduit in fluid communication with the top section of the distillation column and the gas inlet of the condenser, such that the top gas conduit is configured to send a top gas from the distillation column to the gas inlet of the condenser;
a mixture inlet in fluid communication with the condenser, such that the mixture inlet is configured to introduce the mixture, without having been passed through the rectification section, to the condenser in the presence of the top gas from the distillation column;
a liquid conduit in fluid communication with the fluid outlet of the condenser and the top section of the distillation column, such that the liquid conduit is configured to return condensate from the condenser to the top section of the distillation column;
and
a non-condensable removal line in fluid communication with the fluid outlet of the condenser, the non-condensable removal line configured to remove non-condensables from the device.

5 more elements

A process for the separation by distillation of a mixture comprising primarily carbon dioxide and at least one impurity selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and combinations thereof, the process comprising the steps of:

providing a device comprising:
a distillation column having a bottom section, a rectification section disposed above the bottom section, and a top section disposed above the rectification section, the distillation column being configured to produce a bottom fluid from the bottom section and a top gas in the top section,
a condenser having a gas inlet and a fluid outlet, the condenser being composed of a plate and fin exchanger made of brazed aluminum and having an exchange surface area per m3 of exchanger of greater than 400 m2/m3 and the condenser being placed in a bath of liquid ammonia, wherein the bath is connected to means for feeding liquid or two-phase ammonia, wherein the condenser is disposed above the top section of the distillation column,
a first reboiler, and
a top gas conduit in fluid communication with the top section of the distillation column and the gas inlet of the condenser;
introducing the mixture and the top gas to the condenser under conditions effective to at least partially condense the carbon dioxide within the mixture and the top gas to form a condensate and non-condensables, wherein the mixture does not undergo rectification within the distillation column prior to introduction to the condenser, wherein the mixture is single phase fluid in a gaseous state upon entering the condenser;
returning the condensate to the distillation column;
removing the non-condensables from the device using a non-condensable removal line, wherein the condenser removal line is in fluid communication with a fluid outlet of the condenser;
and
withdrawing the bottom fluid from the bottom section of the distillation column, wherein the bottom fluid comprises carbon dioxide and has a reduced amount of impurity as compared to the mixture.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/582,090Filed 11 Feb 2011
Priority: FR 10 514291 Mar 2010
Published: US 2012/0324942 A127 Dec 2012
Granted: 6 Dec 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

F25J 3/0209
Characterised by the feed stream: natural gas or substitute natural gas
F25J 3/0219
Characterised by the feed stream: refinery gas, cracking gas, coke oven gas, gaseous mixtures containing aliphatic unsaturated CnHm or gaseous…
F25J 3/0223
Characterised by the feed stream: h2/CO mixtures, i.e. synthesis gas; Water gas or shifted synthesis gas
F25J 3/0266
Characterised by the separated product stream: separation of carbon dioxide