L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des

Christian Barbe

Jean-Renaud Brugerolle

Christian Monereau

Jean-Yves Lehman

Serge Moreau

Xavier Vigor

Maurice Bosquain

Wilfrid Petrie

Frederic Fillet

Francois Darchis

Pierre Jeannot

Patrice Andre

Jean-Francois Alleaume

Michel Eclancher

Guy Salzgeber

A process for operating a permeable membrane generator at above or below design conditions therefor, which entails adjusting the permeation temperature of a feed stream permeating said membrane generator by heating or cooling means, thereby providing a desired amount, purity and pressure of a product gas.

Membrane generators having high flexibility

The invention relates to a process for the separation of a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen into each of its constituents, including bringing the mixture to be separated, in an adsorption zone, into contact with a selective adsorbent for nitrogen, the adsorbent being an agglomerated zeolite exhibiting an Si/Al ratio lower than 5, a porosity of between 0.38 and 0.60 and a parameter a.sub.k of at least 0.5 s.sup.-1, the parameter a.sub.k characterizing the kinetics of adsorption of nitrogen on the adsorbent in the adsorption zone in accordance with the Linear Driving Force model, it being understood that when the adsorbent is a zeolite containing lithium its porosity can vary between 0.25 and 0.60.

Process for the separation of mixtures of oxygen and of nitrogen

A process for treating a gaseous mixture, particularly air, by pressure swing adsorption (PSA), of the type in which three adsorbers (1 to 3) are used in each of which is carried out, for a given nominal production, a cycle comprising the following successive stages, the cycle being offset from one adsorber to the other by a third of the nominal duration (T) of the cycle:

Process for the treatment of a gaseous mixture by adsorption with

A process for supplying nitrogen to at least two user stations, whose requirements as to nitrogen purity are different. Compressed air is passed from an air compressor (12) to at least one air treatment station (13) permitting effecting at least one of the following treatments of oil removal, filtering out a major portion of the particles, drying, and bringing the air to the desired temperature. The compressed air is then sent to a centralized gas separation unit (14), so as to produce at the outlet of the unit impure nitrogen of intermediate purity. The gas from the centralized separation unit (14) is directed to at least two utilization lines (3-5), each comprising a local gas separation unit (6-8), in which the gas is again treated, so as to obtain at the outlet of each local separation unit nitrogen of a purity suitable for the uses of each of the user stations (9, 10) at the end of the line.

Process for supplying nitrogen by means of semi-permeable membranes or

A membrane nitrogen generator exhibiting increased flexibility and productivity in response to changes in customer demand which entails a membrane generator capable of generating nitrogen of variable flow rate and purity, bulk storage capacity for storing nitrogen of a purity which is higher than that required by a customer and flow and purity controllers for delivery to a customer plant.

Membrane gas generator in association with bulk storage for increased

Fast response membrane generator using heat accumulation

A membrane nitrogen gas generator, containing a feed stream compressor, one or more filtering membranes, each having a permeate side and a non-permeate side, in fluid connection with and downstream of the feed stream compressor, and one or more product storage containers capable of storing a product having a higher purity than is required by customer demand, and which generator is capable of generating an increased flow rate during periods of high demand.

Membrane nitrogen gas generator with improved flexibility

A membrane gas generator, which contains: a) a feed stream compressor having a feed stream input, b) a heat source downstream of the feed stream compressor, and in fluid connection therewith, c) a heat accumulator downstream of the heat source, and in fluid connection therewith; and d) at least one membrane with a permeate side and a non-permeate side downstream of the heat accumulator.

A process for generating a nitrogen-enriched gas from a feed stream of atmospheric air or a mixture of nitrogen which is not continuously supplied to a membrane system, which membrane system comprises a non-permeate side and a permeate side, and being more permeable to oxygen than nitrogen, which process entails feeding the feed stream side of the membrane, and recovering an oxygen enriched gas being recovered on the permeate side of the membrane system while a nitrogen-enriched gas is recovered from the non-permeate side of the membrane, wherein a feed back of nitrogen gas or nitrogen- containing gas having an oxygen gas concentration lower than 21% is supplied to the non-permeate side of the membrane system during at least a part of the period of time where the air feed stream is not supplied to the membrane system thereby avoiding any substantial retrodiffusion of oxygen through the membrane system from the permeate side to the non-permeate side of the membrane during those periods of time where the feed stream is not supplied to the membrane system.

Fast response high purity membrane nitrogen generator

A membrane nitrogen generator adapted to deliver a flow rate of nitrogen gas having a purity at least equal to P.sub.0, which contains:

The different compartments of the preserving vessel are sequentially supplied with a controlled atmosphere by means of a first permeator providing a controlled atmosphere with an oxygen content of about 2% for the step of loading the compartment, then by means of an another separator providing a controlled atmosphere with an oxygen content which does not exceed 1% for a phase of extended conservation. The separators are typically of the type with a membrane and are supplied through a group of common compression, and the oxygen contents of the gases which are provided are controlled by means of flow limiters located downstream.

Method and apparatus for establishing a controlled atmosphere in the

A gas under pressue is sent to a first compartment of a separation module having permeation membrane, the first modified gas mixture which exits from the first compartment being introduced into the enclosure to constitute therein a controlled atmosphere which is removed and circulated in counter-current in the second compartment of the module towards the discharge orifice of the latter so as to substantially recombine the two gaseous modified mixtues before discharging same thereby increasing the performances of the separation module.

Process for providing a controlled atmosphere inside an enclosure and

This distributor comprises: a peripheral crown; a series of vertical partitions fixedly mounted on the crown at both ends thereof and extending parallel to one another; sealingly closing means bounding, between the vertical partitions, alternate spaces for collecting gas and liquid; means enabling the upward evacuation of the gas contained in the spaces for collecting gas; and a perforated bottom disposed at the base of each liquid collecting space and sealingly connected to the or each adjacent vertical partition and to the crown. Application to air distillation columns.

Growing community of inventors

Fontenay Aux Roses, France

Christian Barbe