Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Linde Gmbh

Dimitri Goloubev

Alexander Alekseev

Lars Kirchner

Dirk Schwenk

Georg Demski

Thomas Rathbone

Ayhan Yayli

Frances Masterson

A method and the apparatus for the cryogenic separation of air in an air separation plant which has a main air compressor, a main heat exchanger and a distillation column system with a high-pressure column and a low-pressure column. All of the feed air is compressed in the main air compressor to a first air pressure which is at least 3 bar higher than the operating pressure of the high-pressure column. A first part of the compressed total air flow, as first air flow at the first air pressure, is cooled and liquefied or pseudo-liquefied in the main heat exchanger, then expanded and introduced into the distillation column system. A second part of the compressed total air flow, as second air flow, is post-compressed in an air post-compressor to a second air pressure and at least part is further compressed in a first turbine-driven post-compressor to a third air pressure.

Method and apparatus for the cryogenic separation of air

A method and apparatus serve for the cryogenic separation of air in an air separation plant which has a main air compressor, a main heat exchanger and a distillation column system with a high-pressure column and a low-pressure column. All of the feed air is compressed in the main air compressor to a first air pressure which is at least 3 bar higher than the operating pressure of the high-pressure column. A first part of the compressed total air flow, as first air flow at the first air pressure, is cooled and liquefied or pseudo-liquefied in the main heat exchanger, then expanded and introduced into the distillation column system. A second part of the compressed total air flow, as second air flow, is post-compressed in a turbine-driven post-compressor to a second air pressure.

Method and device for generating gaseous compressed nitrogen by the low-temperature separation of air in a distillation column system, having a pre-column, a high-pressure column and a low-pressure column. The feed air is compressed, purified in a purification apparatus and cooled. A first sub-flow of the cooled feed air is introduced in a predominantly liquid state into the distillation column system. A gaseous fraction from the pre-column in introduced into the liquefaction chamber of a pre-column head condenser with liquid formed therein fed as reflux into the pre-column. A first gaseous nitrogen product fraction is drawn from the high-pressure column, heated, and obtained as first gaseous compressed nitrogen product. At least a part of the second sub-flow is introduced into the evaporation chamber of the pre-column head condenser. A third sub-flow of the cooled feed air is expanded to perform work and subsequently introduced into the liquefaction chamber.

Method and device for generating gaseous compressed nitrogen

A method and the apparatus for obtaining a compressed gas product by means of cryogenic separation of air in a distillation column system which has a high-pressure column and a low-pressure column. All of the feed air is compressed in a main air compressor to a first pressure which is at least 4 bar higher than the operating pressure of the high-pressure column. A first partial flow of the feed air compressed in the main air compressor is cooled to an intermediate temperature in a main heat exchanger and is expanded so as to perform work in a first air turbine. At least a first part of the first partial flow expanded so as to perform work is introduced into the distillation column system.

Method and apparatus for obtaining a compressed gas product by cryogenic separation of air

The method and the device arc used for the cryogenic decomposition of air in a distillation column system for separating nitrogen and oxygen, said system having a first high-pressure column (), a low-pressure column (), and three condenser-evaporators, namely a high-pressure column head condenser (), a low-pressure column bottom evaporator (), and an auxiliary condenser ().

Method and device for the cryogenic decomposition of air

The invention relates to a method and device for generating two purified partial air streams under different pressures. A total air stream () is compressed to a first total air pressure. The compressed total air stream () is cooled with cooling water under the first total air pressure by way of heat exchange (). The heat exchange with cooling water for cooling the total air stream () is carried out as a direct heat exchange in a first direct contact cooler (), at least in part. The cooled total air stream () is divided into a first partial air stream () and a second partial air stream (). The first partial air stream () is purified in a first purification device () under the first total air pressure, generating the first purified partial air stream (). The second partial air stream () is re-compressed to a higher pressure (), which is higher than the first total air pressure. The re-compressed second partial air stream () is cooled with cooling water in a second direct contact cooler () by way of direct heat exchange (). The cooled second partial air stream () is purified under the higher pressure in a second purification device (), thus generating the second purified partial air stream ().

Method and device for generating two purified partial air streams

A method and device to produce oxygen by the low-temperature separation of air at variable energy consumption. A distillation column system comprises a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column and a main condenser, a secondary condenser and a supplementary condenser. Gaseous nitrogen from the high-pressure column is liquefied in the main condenser in indirect heat exchange with an intermediate liquid from the low-pressure column. A first liquid oxygen stream from the bottom of the low-pressure column is evaporated in the secondary condenser in indirect heat exchange with feed air to obtain a gaseous oxygen product. The supplementary condenser serves as a bottom heating device for the low-pressure column and is heated by means of a first nitrogen stream from the distillation column system, which nitrogen stream was compressed previously in a cold compressor.

Method and device for oxygen production by low-temperature separation of air at variable energy consumption

The invention relates to a method and device for obtaining compressed oxygen and compressed nitrogen by the low-temperature separation of air in a distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation, said distillation column system having at least one high-pressure column () and one low-pressure column (), wherein the low-pressure column () is in a heat-exchanging connection with the high-pressure column () by means of a main condenser () designed as a condenser-evaporator. Feed air is compressed in an air compressor (). The compressed feed air () is cooled down in a main heat exchanger () and at least partially introduced into the high-pressure column (). An oxygen-enriched liquid () is removed from the high-pressure column () and fed to the low-pressure column () at a first intermediate position (). A nitrogen-enriched liquid () is removed from the high-pressure column () and/or the main condenser () and fed to the head of the low-pressure column (). A liquid oxygen flow () is removed from the distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation, brought to an elevated pressure in the liquid state (), introduced into the main heat exchanger () at said elevated pressure, evaporated or pseudo-evaporated and heated to approximately ambient temperature in the main heat exchanger (), and finally obtained as a gaseous compressed oxygen product (). A high-pressure process flow () is brought into indirect heat exchange with the oxygen flow in the main heat exchanger () and then depressurized (), wherein the depressurized high-pressure flow () is introduced at least partially in the liquid state into the distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation. A gaseous circuit nitrogen flow () is drawn from the high-pressure column and at least partially () compressed in a circuit compressor (). A first sub-flow () of the circuit nitrogen flow is removed from the circuit compressor (), cooled down in the main heat exchanger (), at least partially condensed in the bottom evaporator () of the high-pressure column () in indirect heat exchange with the bottom liquid of the high-pressure column (), and conducted back into the distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation. A second sub-flow of the circuit nitrogen flow is branched off upstream and/or downstream of the circuit compressor and/or from an intermediate stage of the circuit compressor at a product pressure (P, P, P, P, P) and obtained as a compressed nitrogen product (). The circuit compressor () is designed as a hot compressor and is driven by means of external energy.

Method and device for obtaining compressed oxygen and compressed nitrogen by the low-temperature separation of air

The method and the apparatus described are used for generating electrical energy in a combined system comprising a power plant and a low-temperature air separation unit. A feed air stream is compressed in a main air compressor, cooled, and introduced into a distillation column system having a high-pressure column and a low-pressure column. A first oxygen-enriched stream from the distillation column system is introduced into the power plant. In a first operating mode, cryogenic liquid from the distillation column system is introduced into a liquid tank and is stored there at least in part. In a second operating mode, stored cryogenic liquid is removed from the liquid tank and introduced into the distillation column system. A second process fluid from the distillation column system is heated and then actively depressurized in a hot expansion turbine. In addition, in the second operating mode, a nitrogen-enriched product stream from the high-pressure column is also heated to a high temperature and then depressurized in the hot expansion turbine.

Method and device for generating electrical energy

The disclosed process and apparatus provide for air separation and steam generation in a combined system that comprises a steam system () and an air separation plant (), wherein a feed air stream () is introduced into a multistage air compression system () having n stages (n&#x3e;=3) and compressed to a first high pressure that is equal to the final pressure of the air compression system, and, at this final pressure, is introduced () into the air separation plant (). An intercooler is arranged between an i-th stage () (1&#x3c;=i&#x3c;n) and an i+1-th stage () of the air compression system; there, the feed air stream () is cooled in indirect heat exchange with a feed water stream ().

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Munich, Germany

Dimitri Goloubev