Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Janice C Peterson

Rakesh Agrawal

Stephen P DiMartino, Sr

Kenneth William Kovak

Roger M McGuinness

Thaddeus N Dobracki

John D Dubbs

This invention relates to an improved process for preparing high purity argon employing a cryogenic adsorptive technique. In the process air is separated into its components and a crude argon feed containing 0.8 mol % oxygen or less and 0.5 mol % nitrogen or less is generated. The crude argon feed is initially subjected to cryogenic adsorption for effecting nitrogen removal and then further subjected to cryogenic adsorption for effecting removal of oxygen. By conducting cryogenic adsorption in this manner, essentially no supplemental refrigeration is required in the cryogenic adsorption steps.

Method of purifying argon through cryogenic adsorption

The present invention is a liquefaction process for atmospheric gases. In the process, one or more atmospheric gas streams (e.g., air, nitrogen, etc.) are compressed in a compression zone to provide both an intermediate stream and a high pressure stream. The high pressure stream is then cooled and at least a portion of it is expanded to provide refrigeration. The remaining high pressure stream is then further cooled and expanded whereby it is partially liquefied and separated into a vapor stream and a liquid atmospheric gas product stream. The intermediate pressure stream is cooled and at least a portion of it is expanded to provide refrigeration. The remaining intermediate pressure stream is further cooled and combined with the expanded portion of the high pressure stream and expanded to provide refrigeration. The discharge from this expansion, the vapor stream, and the discharge of the expansion of the portion of the intermediate pressure stream are warmed and recycled to the compression zone. The process of the present invention can include the use of companders and a dense-fluid expander.

Recycle liquefier process

The present invention is a process for recovering hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing feed stream using a metal hydride adsorption cycle. The adsorption cycle utilizes at least six separate metal hydride adsorption beds, and has been expanded over conventional adsorption cycles to include several additional process steps. Each of the separate beds successively undergoes adsorption, first equalization, rinse or second equalization, desorption, repressurization with rinse effluent, repressurization with equalization effluent and final repressurization with feed gas.

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Allentown, PA, United States of America

Janice C Peterson