L'air Liquide, Soci&#xe9;t&#xe9; Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Proc&#xe9;d&#xe9;s Georges Claude

L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme a Directoire Et Conseil De Surveillance Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude

Air Liquide Process & Construction, Inc.

Alain Briglia

Arthur Darde

Philippe Court

Ludovic Granados

Xavier Traversac

Natacha Haik-Beraud

Christian Monereau

Richard Dubettier-Grenier

Mathieu Leclerc

Pascal Marty

Remy Kurtz

Frederick Lockwood

Huali Xie

Bowei Zhao

Fengjie Xue

Ingrid Berthaume

Marie-Khuny Khy

Alain Guillard

Serge Moreau

Jean-Pierre Tranier

Patrick Le Bot

Benoit Davidian

Jean-Marc Peyron

Paul Terrien

Bernard Darredeau

Antoine Hernandez

Elise Renou

Guillaume Teixeira

Eric Day

Olivier De Cayeux

Frederic Bonne

Benedicte Dos Santos

Christophe Szamlewski

Marie-Pascal Victor

Bruno Alban

Bhadri Prasad

Jianwei Cao

Philippe Merino

Alexis Asse

Jian Wei Cao

Chenxi Gao

Jianwei Li

Frederic Guyard

Philippe Arpentinier

Mustapha Tebbani

Fabrice Del Corso

Oriane De La Forterie

Christophe Szamleski

Jia Ding

Didier Miniscloux

Frederic Staine

Mathieu Leaute

Emmanuelle Brocheriou

Selim Chouik

Baptiste Fara

Yongshun Zhang

Vincent Gueret

Ren Chen

Frédéric Staine

Bénédicte Dos Santos

Frédéric Bonne

A process for establishing vacuum insulation under cryogenic condition and an apparatus compatible with such process are described. When an insulation enclosure filled with high purity COis evacuated to around 100 absolute Pa at ambient temperature, hard vacuum of below 1 absolute Pa may be automatically obtained within the insulation enclosure when temperature drops to around or below −170° C. This process can be employed to provide vacuum insulation for cold box housing air separation units operated under cryogenic condition.

Process and apparatus for establishing vacuum insulation under cryogenic condition

An apparatus for the separation of air by cryogenic distillation comprises a column system, a heat exchanger, a turbine, means for sending compressed and purified air at a first pressure to be cooled at the first pressure in the heat exchanger, means for sending a first gaseous stream having a nitrogen content at least that of air to be cooled and liquefied or pseudo liquefied in the heat exchanger to form a liquefied stream, means for sending at least part of the liquefied stream to be warmed and vaporized in the heat exchanger to a first intermediate temperature of the heat exchanger to form a vaporized stream, means for removing the vaporized stream from an intermediate section of the heat exchanger, a conduit for sending the vaporized stream to be expanded, in the turbine to form an expanded stream, a conduit for sending at least part of the expanded stream to the column system, a conduit for sending a second gaseous stream having the same nitrogen content as the first stream to be cooled in the heat exchanger, means for removing at least part of the second gaseous stream from an intermediate section of the heat exchanger at a second intermediate temperature and sending the second gaseous stream to the turbine to be expanded with the vaporized stream.

Process and apparatus for the separation of air by cryogenic distillation

A method and apparatus for producing high-purity nitrogen and low-purity oxygen using three-column rectification are provided, in which: nitrogen and oxygen undergo rectification in different columns, with high-purity nitrogen and low-purity oxygen being separated out of air simultaneously, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of conventional low-purity oxygen production equipment, and also reducing equipment investment, lowering energy consumption, increasing product added value, and realizing a circular economy effect.

Method and apparatus for producing high-purity nitrogen and low-purity oxygen

A cryogenic air separation setup in a cold box, wherein gaseous oxygen under elevated pressure is produced through hydraulic force caused by the geodetic distance between where liquid oxygen is drawn from the distillation column and where liquid oxygen is vaporized to form gaseous oxygen, such as in an auxiliary evaporator. To increase the vertical distance between the above-mentioned two location, the components are arranged directly below one another in the following sequence: the lower-pressure column, the main condenser evaporator, the higher-pressure column, the subcooler, the main heat exchanger and the auxiliary evaporator). In particular, the main heat-exchanger is positioned with the cold-end on the top to optimize piping expenditure.

Single packaged air separation apparatus with reverse main heat exchanger

An air separation apparatus and process, which produces gaseous oxygen and/or nitrogen products at an elevated pressure through internal compression of respective liquid products, are disclosed. Split-core main heat exchangers are employed to warm up product streams generated in an air rectification unit against 1) a main feed air stream in the low-pressure heat exchanger and 2) at least one boosted pressure air stream in the high-pressure exchanger. Because the boosted pressure air stream is at a higher pressure and temperature than the main feed air stream, after separate heat exchange in the split main heat exchangers, the subsidiary waste nitrogen stream exiting the high-pressure heat exchanger is also warmer than the subsidiary waste nitrogen stream exiting the low-pressure heat exchanger. The warmer waste nitrogen stream is fed into the air purification unit for regeneration purposes and the cooler waste nitrogen stream is introduced into the nitrogen water tower to perform cooling duty. The two subsidiary waste nitrogen streams are also connected on the warm side of the main heat exchangers to allow flexible distribution of the flow.

Utilization of nitrogen-enriched streams produced in air separation units comprising split-core main heat exchangers

A method and a device for producing an air product based on cryogenic rectification; after being cooled by a main heat exchanger, raw material air and nitrogen compressed by means of a compressor are sent to a rectification system for low temperature separation. In the rectification system, products such as oxygen and nitrogen are obtained by means of low temperature separation, and oxygen-enriched liquid air is obtained at or near the bottom of a rectification tower. The oxygen-enriched liquid air or liquid-state air in the rectification system is sent out after being raised to a target pressure by means of a low temperature liquid air pump; air products of various pressures can be produced by means of selecting low temperature liquid air pumps with different lifts or by connecting in series different amounts of low temperature liquid air pumps. The present method can avoid the need to arrange additional air compressors, entirely changing the method for producing medium and high pressure air products in a nitrogen circulation process, and importantly can reduce production costs significantly whilst having greater flexibility. In addition, the present method can increase the oxygen extraction rate of an apparatus, thereby improving the energy efficiency level.

Method and device for producing air product based on cryogenic rectification

Plant for the production of argon by cryogenic distillation, comprising an argon separation column, means for sending a gas containing argon and oxygen to the argon separation column, means for extracting a fluid enriched in argon at the top of the argon separation column, means for extracting a liquid enriched in oxygen at the bottom of the argon separation column and at least two storage tanks, positioned one above the other, each storage tank being connected to two different intermediate levels of the argon separation column by two pipes, the two storage tanks being contiguous.

Process and plant for the production of argon by cryogenic distillation of air

The present invention relates to a skid-mounted cold box and its prefabricated structure and assembly method. Each prefabricated structure includes a framework and a first panel that is used to enclose sides of the framework. Ring beams of two adjacent prefabricated structures are connected through bolts on site. A second panel connected through bolts encloses the gap between ring beams of the two adjacent prefabricated structures from sides. The present invention cancels all field welding seams and omits the field welding and nondestructive testing operations. The crane can be dismissed after the upper prefabricated structure of the cold box is lifted into place and bolts corresponding to columns on ring beams are connected. The present invention guarantees the connection strength of steel structures relying on bolt-based connection between ring beams and the second panel connected through bolts guarantees the airtightness of the cold box. This effectively reduces field assembly work and saves time and cost.

Skid-mounted cold box and its prefabricated structure and assembly method

An in situ retrofit assembly for a top entry valve includes an annular conduit () configured to conform with a seat support () at the distal end () and a valve body extension () with an interior annular region (). The valve body extension () comprises an inlet port () fluidically connected to the annular area (). A gland packing push plate () is configured to allow the annular conduit () to pass through thereby forming an outlet port (). This allows the removal of a portion of the fluid from the cold box for downstream processing or manipulation as desired.

Valve adaptation for top entry valve in cryogenic service

A press-fit in situ retrofit assembly for a top entry valve and a method thereof are disclosed. The assembly includes an annular conduit () including a segment () of reduced outside diameter and a shoulder () on the exterior surface at the proximal end (), and is configured to conform with an interior surface () of a valve seat () at the distal end (). A valve body extension () with an interior annular region (), and an inlet port () fluidically connected to the annular region (). A gland packing push plate () is configured to allow the annular conduit () to pass through thereby forming an outlet port (). And a thrust plate () is attached to the thrust screws (). The thrust plate () allows the segment () of reduced outside diameter at the proximal end () of the annular conduit () to pass through, with the thrust plate () seating on the shoulder (). The assembly and the method allow the removal of a portion of the fluid from the cold box for downstream processing or manipulation as desired.

Press fit valve adaptation for top entry valve in cryogenic service

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigeration method, during which a user is supplied with frigories by means of a working gas, such as helium, that is cooled by having the same flow into a cold box that comprises, in series, at least one first aluminum heat exchanger having brazed plates and flanges, one second heat exchanger having welded plates, and one third aluminum heat exchanger having brazed plates and flanges in such a way that the flow of said working gas is at least partially caused to pass, consecutively, through the first exchanger, then through the second exchanger, and finally through the third exchanger before said working gas flow is directed to the user in order to supply the user with frigories.

Refrigeration method, and corresponding cold box and cryogenic equipment

In a process for the cryogenic separation of a feed mixture of at least carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane, the feed mixture is separated in a methane wash column fed by a liquid methane stream at the top of the methane wash column to produce a gas enriched in hydrogen, a liquid stream from the bottom of the methane wash column is treated to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and methane, the mixture of carbon monoxide and methane is separated in a separation column to produce a gas enriched in carbon monoxide and a liquid methane flow at least part of which forms a purge stream, the purge stream being varied to take account of load variations.

Process and apparatus for the separation by cryogenic distillation of a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen

In a process for vaporizing a liquid stream rich in carbon dioxide wherein a liquid first stream rich in carbon dioxide is withdrawn from a chamber containing liquid rich in carbon dioxide and gas rich in carbon dioxide, the gas being at a pressure P, the liquid first stream is sent to a heat exchanger where it is vaporized, all the liquid from the first stream is vaporized in the heat exchanger at a pressure or several pressures greater than P, the vaporized first stream is extracted from the heat exchanger, expanded in a first expansion valve and sent to the heat exchanger where it is heated.

Method and apparatus for vaporising carbon dioxide-rich liquid

A device for separating a gas mixture containing at least 35 mol % carbon dioxide and also at least one gas lighter than carbon dioxide, comprising a first phase separator configured to receive a first partially condensed flow from an exchange line; a first phase separator configured to separate the gas phase from the liquid phase; a cooling means configured to receive the gas phase from the first phase separator and cool said gas phase to form a second partially condensed flow. The resulting liquid phase is then sent to a first valve and is expanded to a lower pressure that is at most 300 mbar lower in order to form a first expanded liquid, which is then mixed with a second liquid originating from the second phase separator in a mixing means that is located upstream of a third valve.

Separation at sub-ambient temperature of a gaseous mixture containing carbon dioxide and a lighter contaminant

A carbon dioxide-rich mixture is cooled in a first brazed aluminum plate-fin heat exchanger, at least one fluid derived from the cooled mixture is sent to a purification step having a distillation step and/or at least two successive partial condensation steps, the purification step produces a carbon dioxide-depleted gas which heats up again in the first exchanger, the purification step produces a carbon-dioxide rich liquid which is expanded, then sent to a second heat exchanger where it is heated by means of a fluid of the method, the exchanger carrying out an indirect heat exchange only between the carbon dioxide-rich liquid and the fluid of the method, the carbon dioxide-rich liquid at least partially vaporizes in the second exchanger and the vaporized gas formed heats up again in the first exchanger to form a carbon dioxide-rich gas which can be the end product of the method.

Method and apparatus for purifying a carbon dioxide-rich mixture at a low temperature

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Hangzhou, China

Alain Briglia