Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

International Coal Refining Company

Doohee Kang

Robert M Thorogood

Rodney John Allam

Steven Lee Russek

Anthony Knut Topham

Edward P Foster

Rakesh Agrawal

Edwin N Givens

Rajagopalan S Srinivasan

David Douglas Brengel

A method for the recovery of oxygen from air in which a high-temperature ion transport membrane system is integrated with combustion turbine system. Coproduction of oxygen and electric power is achieved in an alternative embodiment by integrating a combined cycle power generation system with an ion transport membrane system. The design performance of the gas turbine in the combined cycle system is maintained by controlled water injection into the membrane non-permeate stream, all or a portion of which optionally is introduced into the gas turbine combustor. Water can be introduced directly into the combustor air inlet. Alternatively, makeup air is added to the membrane feed to maintain the performance of the gas turbine. NOx formation is reduced by introducing the oxygen-depleted non-permeate from the membrane system to the gas turbine combustor.

Integrated production of oxygen and electric power

Oxygen is separated from air by a high temperature ion transport membrane which is integrated with a gas turbine system for energy recovery from the membrane nonpermeate stream. Air is compressed, heated in a first heating step, and passed through the feed side of a mixed conductor membrane zone to produce a high purity oxygen product on the permeate side of the membrane zone. Nonpermeate gas from the membrane zone is heated in a second heating step and passed through a hot gas turbine for power recovery. Water is added to the nonpermeate gas prior to the hot gas turbine to increase mass flow to the turbine and thus balance the mass flows of the air feed compressor and the expansion turbine. The operating temperatures of the membrane zone and the expansion turbine are independently maintained by controlling the rate of heat addition in the first and second heating steps and by controlling the rate of water addition, whereby the membrane zone and expansion turbine are thermally delinked for maximum oxygen recovery efficiency.

High temperature oxygen production with steam and power generation

Oxygen is recovered from a heated, compressed, oxygen-containing feed gas by selective permeation of oxygen through an ion transport membrane separation system and the hot, pressurized non-permeate gas is passed through an expansion turbine to recover power for compressing the feed gas and optionally generating electric power. Membrane performance and process heat recovery are enhanced by the addition of water to selected process streams. Steam raised by process heat is used to sweep the permeate side of the membrane to increase the oxygen permeation rate. The injection of partially or fully vaporized water into the expansion turbine inlet gas recovers process heat and increases mass flow to the turbine.

Production of oxygen by ion transport membranes with steam utilization

Oxygen is separated from air by a high temperature ion transport membrane which is integrated with a gas turbine system for energy recovery from the membrane nonpermeate stream. Air is compressed, heated in a first heating step, and passed through the feed side of a mixed conductor membrane zone to produce a high purity oxygen product on the permeate side of the membrane zone. Nonpermeate gas from the membrane zone is heated in a second heating step and passed through a hot gas turbine for power recovery. The operating temperatures of the membrane zone and the expansion turbine are independently maintained by controlling the rate of heat addition in the first and second heating steps, whereby the membrane zone and expansion turbine are thermally delinked for maximum oxygen recovery efficiency.

Integrated high temperature method for oxygen production

The present invention is directed to a chemical air separation process using a molten salt solution of alkali metal nitrate and nitrite wherein the materials of construction of the containment for the process are chosen from intermetallic alloys of nickel and/or iron aluminide wherein the aluminum content is 28 atomic percent or greater to impart enhanced corrosion resistance.

Iron aluminides and nickel aluminides as materials for chemical air

A process for preparing a stabilized coal particle suspension which includes the steps of providing an aqueous media substantially free of coal oxidizing constituents, reducing, in a nonoxidizing atmosphere, the particle size of the coal to be suspended to a size sufficiently small to permit suspension thereof in the aqueous media and admixing the coal of reduced particle size with the aqueous media to release into the aqueous media coal stabilizing constituents indigenous to and carried by the reduced coal particles in order to form a stabilized coal particle suspension. The coal stabilizing constituents are effective in a nonoxidizing atmosphere to maintain the coal particle suspension at essentially a neutral or alkaline pH. The coal is ground in a nonoxidizing atmosphere such as an inert gaseous atmosphere to reduce the coal to a sufficient particle size and is admixed with an aqueous media that has been purged of oxygen and acid-forming gases.

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Macungie, PA, United States of America

Doohee Kang