Integrated method and apparatus for compressing air and producing carbon dioxide-rich fluid
AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorsBenoit Davidian, Jean-Pierre Tranier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for compressing air and producing a carbon dioxide-rich fluid includes an air compressor, an element for bringing the air bound for the air compressor into contact with water to produce humidified air and cooled water, a pipe for sending the humidified compressed air from the air compressor to an installation producing a carbon dioxide-rich gas, a carbon dioxide-rich gas compressor for compressing the carbon dioxide-rich gas, at least one heat exchanger upstream and/or downstream the carbon dioxide-rich gas compressor and pipes for conveying into the heat exchanger water cooled in the contact element and the carbon dioxide-rich gas.
Claims16
An integrated process for compressing air and producing a carbon dioxide-rich fluid, comprising the steps of:
- i) contacting an air stream with water to produce a humid air stream and a cooled water stream;
- ii) compressing the humid air stream in an air compressor to produce a compressed air stream;
- iii) using at least part of the compressed air stream, or a fluid produced by separating the compressed air stream in an air separation unit, in a plant that is configured to produce a residual gas containing carbon dioxide;
- iv) cooling the residual gas to condense water within the residual gas and then removing the condensed water from the residual gas to produce a carbon dioxide-rich gas;
- v) compressing the carbon dioxide-rich gas in a carbon dioxide compressor, and
- vi) cooling the carbon dioxide-rich gas downstream of the carbon dioxide compressor using the cooled water stream of step i) in a heat exchanger to produce the carbon dioxide-rich fluid, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich fluid is a liquid or a supercritical fluid.
An apparatus for compressing air and producing a carbon dioxide-rich fluid, the apparatus comprising:
- an element configured to contact an air stream with water to produce a humidified air stream and a cooled water stream;
- an air compressor configured to receive the humidified air stream from the element and compress the humidified air stream to a higher pressure to form a compressed humidified air stream;
- a plant configured to receive the compressed humidified air stream or a stream derived therefrom to produce a carbon dioxide-rich gas;
- a carbon dioxide compressor configured to compress the carbon dioxide-rich gas;
- a heat exchanger downstream of the carbon dioxide compressor, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the carbon dioxide compressor and the element, such that the heat exchanger is configured to receive the carbon dioxide-rich gas from the carbon dioxide compressor and receive the cooled water from the element, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between the cooled water and the carbon dioxide-rich gas such that the carbon dioxide-rich gas is cooled within the heat exchanger to produce a carbon dioxide-rich fluid, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich fluid is a liquid or a supercritical fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.