Abstract:
A cryogenic air separation process is set forth wherein, in order to provide the refrigeration necessary when at least a portion of the oxygen product is desired as liquid oxygen, LNG-derived refrigeration is used to liquefy a nitrogen stream in the process. A key to the present invention is that, instead of feeding the liquefied nitrogen to the distillation column, the liquefied nitrogen is heat exchanged against the air feed to the distillation column system.
Abstract:
The invention concerns a method in which oxygen and/or nitrogen is extracted from an air separation unit. The oxygen that is extracted is directed toward a gasifier, and the nitrogen that is extracted is directed toward a gas turbine. At least one parameter related to each gas stream is controlled by acting upon a compressor located within this gas stream's path, and by assigning to that gas stream a parameter, which is related to a variable setpoint value, which represents the load of the gas turbine.
Abstract:
An apparatus and method for air distillation. Two cold boxes and an air treatment unit are used to distill air. The cold boxes contain a heat exchanger for cooling the air to be distilled and an air distillation unit for producing either oxygen, nitrogen or argon. The air treatment unit has many individual treatment elements which are connected in parallel. The outlet of the air treatment unit is connected to both cold boxes and to all the individual treatment units.
Abstract:
The invention concerns a method which consists in: intake (through 16) of air in an inlet of the separation plant (14), supplying (through 16) at least a fraction of the intake air from the gas turbine (2), and extracting from the separation plant (16) two gas streams (through 20, 24, 32, 36) respectively nitrogen-enriched and oxygen-enriched; detecting (through 18) a substantial decrease in the flow rate of the air fraction from the gas turbine (2), then recycling (through 28, 42), to the inlet of the separation plant (14) at least part of one of the two gas streams, thereby avoiding any major fluctuation of the intake air flow rate of said separation plant.
Abstract:
Substantially all the nitrogen is removed from natural gas during the production of LNG, without producing mixed nitrogen/methane streams needing recycle and further processing, or requiring compression for burning as fuel, by operating both the high pressure and the low pressure multistage distillation towers of a two column cryogenic nitrogen rejection unit to produce acceptable liquefied natural gas as tower bottom products, while the low pressure tower is further operated to produce as an overhead a gas steam containing no more than about 1% methane for safe venting to the atmosphere.
Abstract:
with a Variable Proportion of Liquid Product In a single column distillation system for obtaining gaseous and liquid nitrogen with a variable proportions of liquid product by low-temperature separation from air, a first portion (12, 13) of nitrogen-rich fraction (5, 7, 8) is fed downstream of circulation compressor (9) to the liquefaction chamber of a condenser-evaporator (14) associated with the single column and condensed under a pressure higher than the operating pressure of the single column (4). A liquid oxygen-enriched fraction (228, 231) from the distillation column system is at least partially evaporated in the evaporation chamber of condenser-evaporator (14). A portion (18) of nitrogen-rich liquid (15, 16) from condenser-evaporator (14) is drawn off at least at times as liquid product. A second oxygen-enriched gas (221, 521) is removed from one of columns (546) of the distillation system and/or from the evaporation chamber of condenser-evaporator (14), machine expanded(23), and heated in main heat exchanger (2).
Abstract:
A system for producing liquid nitrogen from a nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon stream wherein excess refrigeration existing in a nitrogen rejection unit or in an integrated nitrogen rejection unit-helium rejection unit system is utilized to effectively generate a liquid nitrogen product stream.
Abstract:
Apparatus for producing a substantially pure nitrogen product from a gas stream containing as impurities carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapor and hydrogen, comprising a first adsorption unit which removes water vapor and carbon dioxide from the gas stream, a catalytic reactor which oxidizes carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the gas stream leaving the first adsorption unit to carbon dioxide and water vapor, respectively, a second adsorption unit which removes water vapor and carbon dioxide from the catalytically treated gas stream, a cryogenic distillation unit which separates nitrogen from oxygen in the gas stream leaving the second adsorption unit and a conduit connecting the cryogenic distillation unit with the adsorption units for purging the adsorption units with waste gas from the cryogenic distillation unit.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for the liquefaction of a nitrogen stream produced by separating air components, by using the combination of cryogenic distillation with improved refrigeration. Very cold liquefied natural gas (LNG) is employed as refrigerant, with the LNG currently being revaporized for transportation.Multi-stage component compression is used, with the component feed to each compression stage being precooled using sequential refrigeration from the LNG. Expander means for the coldest air component product stream provides supplemental refrigeration at the cold end beyond that which is available from the refrigerant LNG.In a preferred embodiment, the feed nitrogen stream(s) are compressed to at least 300 psi in a multi-stage compressor with interstage cooling provided by heat exchange against vaporizing LNG; the resulting compressed stream is directed into first and second nitrogen substreams, followed by further cooling of the first substream by heat exchange against vaporizing LNG and then expanding the cooled first substream to produce an expanded nitrogen substream. Condensing of the second compressed substream against both vaporizing LNG and the expanded nitrogen substream is carried out. Reducing the pressure of the condensed second nitrogen substream produces a two phase nitrogen stream. Phase separation yields a recyclable nitrogen vapor stream and a liquid nitrogen stream as product.