Praxair Technology, Inc.

Kirk Frederick Larson

Guang X Chen

Paul William Belanger

Steven C Brown

John P Ricotta

Richard D Lenz

Kevin J Saboda

Jeremy D Faust

Henry Edward Howard

Neil Mark Prosser

Richard John Jibb

Yang Luo

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.

Annular divided wall column

An annular divided wall column is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall and radially spaced therefrom to define an annulus column region as the space between the first annular column wall and the second annular column wall. An interior core column region is also defined by the interior space of the second annular column wall. The present annular divided wall column further includes a plurality of packing elements, disposed within the interior core column region within the annulus column region having different surface area densities and optionally, also have different geometries.

Annular divided wall column with ring shaped collectors and distributers

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall and radially spaced therefrom to define an annulus column region as the space between the first annular column wall and the second annular column wall. An interior core column region is also defined by the interior space of the second annular column wall. The present annular divided wall column further includes a plurality of packing elements, plurality of trays or a heat exchange device disposed within the interior core column region; and a plurality of packing elements disposed within the annulus column region.

Annular divided wall column for an air separation unit

Annular divided wall column for an air separation unit having a ring shaped support grid

Annular divided wall column with ring shaped collectors and distributers for an air separation unit

A method and apparatus for argon rejection and recovery in which argon is separated from air within a cryogenic air separation plant having a divided wall argon rejection column arrangement and condensed using an argon condenser disposed internally within the lower pressure column. The divided wall argon rejection column arrangement may be an annular arrangement or a side-by-side arrangement (i.e. segmented or planar configuration). The resulting argon stream is subsequently rejected or recovered and optionally purified within an integrated adsorbent based argon refining and purification subsystem to produce product grade argon.

Method and apparatus for argon rejection and recovery

A structured packing formed of a plurality of corrugated, rectangular sheets and a method relating to the use thereof. End regions of the corrugations are provided with straight, parallel corrugations extending inwardly from opposed edges of the sheets and a right angles thereto to reduce pressure drop at the interfaces between packing layers and thereby increase hydraulic capacity. Contact is promoted between descending liquid and ascending vapor phases within a main region of the corrugations that have straight, parallel sections of the corrugations oriented at an acute angle to the opposed edges. Transition regions having arcuate sections of the corrugations connect corrugations within the main and end regions to reduce internal pressure drop within the structured packing and thereby further reduce pressure drop at the interfaces and further increase the hydraulic capacity.

Structured packing and method

Method and apparatus of separating an oxygen and nitrogen containing feed stream, for example, air, in higher and lower pressure columns. A crude liquid oxygen stream condenses nitrogen vapor in the higher pressure column for reflux purposes and results in the partial vaporization of the crude liquid oxygen stream to produce vapor and liquid fractions thereof. The liquid fraction condenses a lower pressure part of the feed stream and results in the liquid fraction being at least partially vaporized. Both the vapor fraction of the crude liquid oxygen stream and the liquid fraction after having been at least partially vaporized are introduced into the lower pressure column. Boil-up is produced within a bottom region of the lower pressure column by partially vaporizing an oxygen-rich liquid column bottoms against condensing a higher pressure part of the feed stream and then utilizing vapor or residual liquid as an oxygen product.

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Amherst, NY, United States of America

Kirk Frederick Larson