Abstract:
A method for separating air is provided, in which a flow of oxygen-rich liquid is sent to a top of a pure oxygen column, having a pure oxygen reboiler, in which said flow is purified in order to form a vessel liquid containing at least 98 mol % of oxygen and the vessel liquid is drawn off as a product. A supercharged airflow at a second pressure is sent to the pure oxygen reboiler and to a liquid oxygen vaporizer; a nitrogen-rich gas is drawn from the top of the medium-pressure column and sent to an intermediate reboiler of the low-pressure column and the condensed gas is sent to the top of the medium-pressure column; and a nitrogen-rich gas or air is sent to a vessel reboiler of the low-pressure column and the liquid that condenses therein is sent to the medium-pressure column.
Abstract:
In a process for separating air by cryogenic distillation, an oxygen-rich stream having a first oxygen purity of less than 98 mol % oxygen is withdrawn from the column system and sent to a customer, an oxygen-rich liquid stream having a second oxygen purity, possibly lower than 98 mol % oxygen, is sent to a storage tank, liquid is periodically withdrawn from the storage tank and sent to a back-up reboiler, to produce a back-up product, and a liquid stream having a third oxygen purity, lower than the first purity, is withdrawn from the bottom of at least one column of the column system and/or from the auxiliary reboiler and sent to the storage tank as a purge stream during a stoppage in the operation of the column system.
Abstract:
In a plant for separating air which does not comprise an argon column, an intermediate-pressure column (102) has a bottom reboiler (24) which is heated by a gas (233) coming from the low-pressure column (103). The intermediate-pressure column is fed from the high-pressure column (101). This makes it possible to reduce the energy consumption while improving the efficiency of the process.
Abstract:
A plant for the separation of air includes at least three columns, including an auxiliary column and two other columns, of which at least one is fed with air and of which that operating at the lowest pressure operates between 2 and 10 bar. A flow between 40 and 95 mol % of argon originating from the auxiliary column is optionally mixed with a gas enriched in nitrogen from the column operating at the lowest pressure. The auxiliary column operates at the same pressure as the column from which it is fed.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for treating a gas stream comprising combustion fumes containing CO2 in an initial proportion, water vapor, one or more volatile acid compounds, and one or more additional impurities selected from among oxygen, nitrogen and argon, comprising the steps of: i) compressing the gas stream to a final pressure of 1 bar to 74 bar absolute; ii) cooling the gas stream to a temperature of around −10° C. to around −130° C. and eliminating at least one additional impurity; and iii) recovering a CO2-enriched gas stream containing a final proportion of CO2 greater than the initial proportion of CO2 in the stream to be treated. In addition, the method comprises, prior to step i), a step of pre-drying the stream for removing therefrom at least a portion of the water vapor which it contains.
Abstract:
In a method for separating air in a column system, by cryogenic distillation, compressed, purified and cooled air is separated in the column system in order to form an oxygen-enriched flow and a nitrogen-enriched flow. At least one column of the column system contains a vaporizer-condenser for ensuring the vaporization of a liquid enriched in oxygen in relation to the air by means of heat exchange with a calorigenic fluid, the calorigenic fluid having been compressed upstream of the vaporizer-condenser in a compressor having a cryogenic inlet temperature, the calorigenic fluid being at least partially condensed in the vaporizer-condenser, and a cryogenic liquid is added to the calorigenic fluid upstream of the vaporizer-condenser.
Abstract:
An air separation unit having a medium-pressure column, a low-pressure column, a chamber, a heat exchanger, a bottom condenser of the low-pressure column and a condenser placed in the chamber is provided. The air separation unit also includes an expansion device configured to expand oxygen-rich liquid from the bottom of the low-pressure column before the oxygen-rich liquid is introduced to the chamber and a compressor configured to compress the gas from the chamber, wherein the compressor is downstream of the chamber and upstream of the low-pressure column.
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.
Abstract:
In a process for delivering pressurized gas from an apparatus for separating air by cryogenic distillation, a stream of oxygen-rich liquid or gas having a nominal flow rate is withdrawn from a low-pressure column, an oxygen-rich liquid purge stream is withdrawn as bottoms from the low-pressure column and the oxygen-rich liquid purge stream is sent to a storage tank, in the event of a reduction in the production by the column system or an increase in the demand by a customer, a back-up stream is withdrawn from the storage tank and vaporized in a back-up reboiler and only if the liquid level in the storage tank exceeds a given threshold, a liquid stream is withdrawn from the storage tank constituting at most 2% of the nominal production output of the oxygen-rich stream and is sent to the back-up reboiler.