公开(公告)号：US20250067507A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-27

申请号：US18274146

申请日：2022-01-25

Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude

Inventor： Jean-Pierre TRANIER

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: A method for separating air by cryogenic distillation wherein, during a first run, a first flow rate of air is compressed in at least one compressor, cooled and separated in a system of columns, a first flow rate of a first distillation product is produced, voltage electricity requirements of the compressor or compressors of the method are met from an electricity grid, during a second run, a second flow rate of air lower than the first flow rate of air is compressed in the compressor, the second flow rate is cooled and separated in the system of columns, a second flow rate of a first distillation product is produced, lower than the first flow rate of the first product, voltage electricity requirements of the compressor being lower than during the first run and, during an intermediate run taking place after the first run and before the second run.

公开(公告)号：US20250052493A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-13

申请号：US18718242

申请日：2022-11-17

Applicant: Linde GmbH

Inventor： Thomas HECHT ,  Ralph SPÖRI ,  Axel LEHMACHER ,  Thomas NOHLEN ,  Dimitri GOLUBEV ,  Paul HEINZ ,  Florian HANUSCH

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: A method for the cryogenic separation of air, in which method an air separation plant with a rectification column arrangement is used, which plant has a pressure column, a low-pressure column, a raw argon column and pure argon column. In the method, evaporation gas from a head gas condensation device associated with the raw argon column is partially or completely fed into the low-pressure column in a first feed-in region, whereas evaporation gas from a head gas condensation device associated with the pure argon column and excess liquid from this head gas condensation device are partially or completely fed into the low-pressure column in a shared second feed-in region. In one embodiment, flash gas forming during the expansion of cooling fluid into the head gas condensation device associated with the raw argon column can be partially or completely fed into the low-pressure column in the second feed-in region.

公开(公告)号：US12196488B2

公开(公告)日：2025-01-14

申请号：US17287830

申请日：2019-10-09

Applicant: Linde GmbH

Inventor： Dimitri Golubev ,  Daniel Palaniswamy Otte

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: A method for obtaining one or more air products by means of an air separation unit comprising a first booster, a second booster, a first decompression machine, and a rectification column system which has a high-pressure column operated at a first pressure level and a low-pressure column operated at a second pressure level below the first pressure level. All of the air supplied to the rectification column system is first compressed to a third pressure level, which lies at least 3 bar above the first pressure level, as a feed air quantity. A first fraction of the feed air quantity is supplied to a first booster at the third pressure level and at a temperature level of −140 to −70° C. and is compressed to a fourth pressure level using the first booster.

公开(公告)号：US12196486B2

公开(公告)日：2025-01-14

申请号：US17381404

申请日：2021-07-21

Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Inventor： Nasim Ul Hassan Malik ,  Gowri Krishnamurthy ,  Dingjun Wu

IPC: F25J3/04 ,  F25J3/08

Abstract: A method of purifying air via a pre-purification unit (PPU) of an air separation unit (ASU) system having a pre-PPU chiller that is upstream of the PPU to cool compressed air before the compressed air is fed to the PPU can include passing air through an adsorber of the PPU to pass the air through a bed of adsorbent material within a vessel of the adsorber. In response to the pre-PPU chiller being determined to have an issue resulting in the pre-PPU chiller being tripped or requiring the pre-PPU chiller to be taken off-line, continuing to operate the ASU system at a full capacity even though nitrous oxide (N2O) within the air output from the PPU exceeds a first pre-selected threshold and is below a second pre-selected threshold associated with carbon dioxide (CO2) breakthrough. An ASU and a PPU can be designed to implement an embodiment of the method.

公开(公告)号：US12196485B2

公开(公告)日：2025-01-14

申请号：US16265120

申请日：2019-02-01

Applicant: LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Inventor： Dimitri Golubev

IPC: F25J3/02 ,  F25J3/04

Abstract: The distillation column system has a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column, a main condenser and a low-pressure-column top condenser. Feed air is cooled in a main heat exchanger and introduced into the high-pressure column. An oxygen-enriched liquid stream is withdrawn from the high-pressure column and introduced into the low-pressure column. A gaseous nitrogen stream is withdrawn from the high-pressure column, warmed in the main heat exchanger and withdrawn as gaseous pressurized nitrogen product. The high-pressure column has a barrier-plate section arranged immediately above the point at which the feed air is introduced. The oxygen-enriched liquid stream is withdrawn from the high-pressure column above the barrier-plate section. A purge stream is withdrawn below the barrier-plate section. The gaseous nitrogen stream, before being warmed in the main heat exchanger, is warmed in a counter-current subcooler in indirect heat exchange with the oxygen-enriched liquid stream from the high-pressure column.

公开(公告)号：US12181217B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-31

申请号：US16054350

申请日：2018-08-03

Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude

Inventor： Cavagne Patrice ,  Benedicte Dos Santos ,  Yann-Pierrick Lemaire

IPC: F25J3/04 ,  F25J3/02

Abstract: An apparatus for separation of air by cryogenic distillation comprising: a system of columns; a first turbine; a warm compressor coupled to the first turbine; a second turbine; a cold compressor coupled to the second turbine; a heat exchanger; means for sending air cooled in the heat exchanger at an intermediate temperature of the heat exchanger to the cold compressor; means for sending expanded air from the second turbine to the system of columns; means for sending air compressed in the cold compressor to an intermediate point of the heat exchanger and then at least in part to the system of columns via a first valve; means for sending air compressed in the cold compressor to the inlet of the first turbine via a second valve without passing through the heat exchanger, wherein the means for sending air compressed in the cold compressor to the inlet of the first turbine via the second valve without passing through the heat exchanger is also connected to the inlet of the first turbine; means for sending a fraction of air cooled in the heat exchanger to an intermediate temperature of the latter to the first turbine; means for sending expanded air from the first turbine to the system of columns; and a bypass line provided with an expansion valve configured to send air from the cold compressor to the system of columns without passing through the heat exchanger.

公开(公告)号：US20240393042A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-28

申请号：US18694715

申请日：2022-09-01

Applicant: Linde GmbH

Inventor： Daniel OTTE

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: The invention relates to an air separation plant for cryogenic separation, said plant being designed to carry out a high-air-pressure process, wherein nitrogen is removed from the pressure column, expanded in a turbine that is coupled to a cold booster, and heated. Separately from the nitrogen which is removed from the pressure column, nitrogen is removed from the low-pressure column and heated to the same temperature. Before expansion in the turbine that is coupled to the cold booster, the nitrogen removed from the pressure column is heated to a temperature in a temperature range of −100 to 50° C. During expansion, the nitrogen cools down to a temperature in a temperature range of −150 to −40° C. and is then heated again. The invention also relates to a corresponding air separation plant.

公开(公告)号：US20240384928A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-21

申请号：US18569463

申请日：2022-05-17

Applicant: Linde GmbH

Inventor： Dimitri GOLUBEV

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: The invention relates to a high-atmospheric-pressure method for producing a pressurized oxygen-rich, gaseous air product. A first partial quantity of the feed air quantity is supplied at a temperature in a first temperature range to a first turbine unit (5), decompressed using same, and fed into a high-pressure column (111). A second partial quantity of the feed air quantity is supplied at a temperature in a second temperature range to a second turbine unit (6), decompressed using same, and fed into a low-pressure column (12). The pressurized, oxygen-rich air product is provided as an internal compression product at 16 to 50 bar, wherein evaporation is effected proceeding from a temperature in a third temperature range. The third temperature range lies above the first and second temperature range, the second temperature range is selected such that a two-phase mixture with a liquid proportion of 5 to 15% forms at the outlet of the second turbine unit (6), the temperature in the first temperature range and the temperature in the second differ from each other by not more than 10 K, and a portion of less than 5% of all air products removed from the air separation plant (100) is removed from the air separation plant in an unevaporated and liquid state. The first turbine unit is braked by a cold compressor (4), the second by a generator (G) or a warm booster. The invention also relates to an air separation plant (100).

公开(公告)号：US20240377132A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-14

申请号：US18688645

申请日：2022-08-29

Applicant: Linde GmbH

Inventor： Stefan LOCHNER ,  Stefan SCHROLL

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: A distributor module for a process plant, in particular an air-separation plant, which can be connected by means of fluid lines to a main-air-compressor arrangement, at least two adsorbers, each of which can be operated in an adsorption phase and a regeneration phase, and a main-heat-exchanger arrangement, comprising a compressor connection, comprising, for each adsorber to be connected, a pair of connections having a first adsorber connection and a second adsorber connection, comprising a first heat-exchanger connection and a second heat-exchanger connection, and comprising a residual-gas connection or a residual-gas outlet; and a valve-and-flap assembly which is designed to act, according to choice, for each pair of connections, in a first state of the pair of connections, or; in a second state of the pair of connections.

公开(公告)号：US20240377131A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-14

申请号：US18687650

申请日：2022-08-26

Applicant: Linde GmbH

Inventor： Stefan LOCHNER

IPC: F25J3/04

Abstract: The invention relates to a plant for low-temperature fractionation of air, having a rectification column system comprising a high-pressure column, a divided low-pressure column and an argon column, and a coldbox system comprising a first coldbox, a second coldbox and a third coldbox. The high-pressure column is disposed beneath the lower section of the low-pressure column. The high-pressure column together with the lower portion of the low-pressure column is disposed in the first coldbox, and the top portion of the low-pressure column in the second coldbox. It is proposed that the argon column or one or more sections of the argon column be disposed in the third coldbox. The pure oxygen column is disposed in the second coldbox. The present invention likewise provides a corresponding process.