Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Martin Streich

Anton Pocrnja

Fritz Jakob

Methods for utilizing the heat content of a heated carrier agent are disclosed including indirectly contacting the carrier agent with a working fluid which boils at a temperature lower than water, in order to vaporize the working fluid, producing mechanical energy by expanding the working fluid to a number of reduced pressures, including the condensation pressure of the working fluid corresponding to atmospheric temperature conditions at the time, and a reduced pressure intermediate between the initial elevated pressure of the working fluid and that condensation pressure, separating the working fluid into separate streams corresponding to the working fluid at each of these reduced pressures, condensing the working fluid stream at the lowest pressure by indirectly contacting it with the atmospheric air, condensing the working fluid at the condensation pressure by indirectly contacting it with a liquid heat carrier, and repressurizing both of those working fluid streams for recycle. In this manner the size of these various working fluid streams determines the amount of the heat content of the heated carrier agent used for producing mechanical energy and/or useful heat therefrom.

Methods for converting heat into mechanical energy and/or useful heat

In an adsorption-desorption process for separating gaseous mixtures comprising passing a stream of crude gaseous mixture under superatmospheric pressure through a first adsorber, withdrawing from said first adsorber a stream of product gas depleted in undesired component; switching the stream of crude gaseous mixture to a second adsorber when the impurity concentration at a given location before the exhaust end of the first adsorber exceeds a given value in the gas; after the crude gas stream is switched away from said first adsorber, decompressing said first adsorber in at least one decompression stage to release residual product gas therefrom; and employing said residual product gas to re-pressurize an adsorber, the improvement which comprises conducting said decompressing in at least two separate decompression stages, collecting the residual product gas from each decompression stage in separate storage vessels, withdrawing residual product gas from one storage vessel and purging the decompressed adsorber to desorb undesired impurities therefrom, and withdrawing residual product gas from another of said storage vessels and partially re-pressurizing the purged adsorber therewith.

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Socking, Germany

Martin Streich