Praxair Technology, Inc.

Maulik R Shelat

Vijayaraghavan Srinivasan Chakravarthy

Karl K Kibler

Sang Muk Kwark

Hanfei Tuo

Henry Edward Howard

James R Dray

Neil Mark Prosser

Steven R Falta

Brian S Powell

Zigui Lu

David P Potempa

Dante Patrick Bonaquist

Michael James Lockett

Paul William Belanger

Richard John Jibb

James R Handley

Jonathan Andrew Lane

Nick Joseph Degenstein

Joseph M Corpus

David R Parsnick

Todd Alan Skare

Seth A Potratz

Chao Liang

Lyda Zambrano

Nick J Degenstein

Vijayaraghavan S Chakravarthy

A cryogenic vaporization system and method are provided. A first heat exchanger heats a liquid cryogen via indirect heat exchange to output a cryogenic vapor at a first temperature. A second heat exchanger receives the cryogenic vapor at the first temperature. The second heat exchanger heats the cryogenic vapor via indirect heat exchange to a second temperature. The cryogenic vapor at the second temperature is recirculated to the first heat exchanger to heat the liquid cryogen and cool the recirculated cryogenic vapor to a third temperature. A third heat exchanger receives the cryogenic vapor at the third temperature. The third heat exchanger heats the cryogenic vapor to a fourth temperature. The third heat exchanger outputs the cryogenic vapor at the fourth temperature.

System and method for cryogenic vaporization using circulating cooling loop

Closed-loop refrigeration cycles for liquid oxygen densification are disclosed. The disclosed refrigeration cycles may be turbine-based refrigeration cycles or a Joule-Thompson (JT) expansion valve based refrigeration cycles and include a refrigerant or working fluid comprising a mixture of neon or helium together with nitrogen and/or oxygen.

Refrigeration cycle for liquid oxygen densification

A method for creating a coating onto an inner diameter of conduit, whereby an injection nozzle is moved in a forward direction until its tip is aligned with the end of the conduit. Slurry is pumped from a reservoir into the injection nozzle and then is discharged through the tip of the injection nozzle. The slurry flows, distributes and spreads onto the surface of the conduit. The conduit is rotated and the nozzle is retracted as slurry continues to discharge from the nozzle to coat the remainder of the conduit.

Method for applying a slurry coating onto a surface of an inner diameter of a conduit

A system and method for neon recovery in a double column or triple column air separation unit is provided. The neon recovery system comprises a non-condensable stripping column configured to produce a liquid nitrogen-rich liquid column bottoms and a non-condensable gas containing overhead and one or more condensing units arranged to produce a crude neon vapor stream that contains greater than about 50% mole fraction of neon with the overall neon recovery exceeding 95%. In addition, there is minimal liquid nitrogen consumption and since much of the liquid nitrogen is recycled back to the lower pressure column of the air separation unit, there is minimal impact on the recovery of other products from the air separation unit.

System and method for recovery of neon and helium from an air separation unit

A system and method for producing argon that uses a higher pressure column, a lower pressure column, and an argon column collectively configured to produce nitrogen, oxygen and argon products through the cryogenic separation of air. The present system and method also employs a once through argon condensing assembly that is disposed entirely within the lower pressure column that is configured to condense an argon rich vapor stream from the argon column against the oxygen-enriched liquid from the higher pressure column to produce an argon liquid or vapor product. The control system is configured for optimizing the production of argon product by ensuring an even flow split of the oxygen-enriched liquid is distributed to the argon condenser cores and by adjusting the flow rate of the argon removed from the argon condensing assembly to maintain the liquid/vapor balance in the argon condensing assembly within appropriate limits.

System and method for production of argon by cryogenic rectification of air

A system and method for recovery of rare gases such as neon, helium, xenon, and krypton in an air separation unit is provided. The rare gas recovery system comprises a non-condensable stripping column linked in a heat transfer relationship with a xenon-krypton column via an auxiliary condenser-reboiler. The non-condensable stripping column produces a rare gas containing overhead that is directed to the auxiliary condenser-reboiler where most of the neon is captured in a non-condensable vent stream that is further processed to produce a crude neon vapor stream that contains greater than about 50% mole fraction of neon with the overall neon recovery exceeding 95%. The xenon-krypton column further receives two streams of liquid oxygen from the lower pressure column and the rare gas containing overhead from the non-condensable stripping column and produces a crude xenon and krypton liquid stream and an oxygen-rich overhead.

System and method for recovery of non-condensable gases such as neon, helium, xenon, and krypton from an air separation unit

An argon reflux condensation system and method in which a plurality of once-through condensers are connected to an argon column of an air separation plant to condense argon-rich vapor streams for production of reflux to the argon column. Condensation of the argon-rich vapor streams is brought about through indirect heat exchange with crude liquid oxygen streams that partially vaporize and are introduced into a lower pressure column of the plant for further refinement. The flow rate of the crude liquid oxygen streams are sensed and controlled at locations in the air separation plant where the crude liquid oxygen is in a liquid state and in proportion to the size of the once-through heat exchangers. Prior to flowing into the once-through condensers, the partially vaporized crude oxygen stream enters a phase separator which separates the crude oxygen vapor from the crude liquid oxygen. The separated crude oxygen vapor bypasses the once-through condensers and is mixed with the vaporized oxygen stream that exits the one-through condensers. Feed stream flow rate to the argon column is controlled in response to air flow rate to the plant and product flow rate is controlled in response to the feed stream flow rate to the argon column.

Argon condensation system and method

A porous metallic coating is provided. The coating is characterized by a combination of optimized properties that improve coating performance, as measured by heat transfer efficiency. The porous coating has optimal ranges for properties such as porosity, particle size and thickness, and has particular applicability in boiling heat transfer applications as part of an air separations unit. The porous coatings are derived from slurry-based formulations that include a mixture of metallic particles, a binder and a solvent.

Air separation unit heat exchanger with porous boiling surface coatings

An argon reflux condensation system and method in which a plurality of once-through heat exchangers are connected to an argon column of an air separation plant to condense argon-rich vapor streams for production of reflux to the argon column. Condensation of the argon-rich vapor streams is brought about through indirect heat exchange with crude liquid oxygen streams that partially vaporize and are introduced into a lower pressure column of the plant for further refinement. The flow rate of the crude liquid oxygen streams are sensed and controlled at locations in the plant where the crude liquid oxygen is in a liquid state and in proportion to the size of the once-through heat exchangers. Feed stream flow rate to the argon column is controlled in response to air flow rate to the plant and product flow rate is controlled in response to the feed stream flow rate to the argon column.

A system and method for the concurrent condensation of a nitrogen-rich vapor and vaporization of an oxygen-rich liquid in a distillation column based air separation unit is provided. The disclosed system includes a condenser-reboiler heat exchanger located between a lower pressure column and a higher pressure column and configured to condense a nitrogen-rich vapor from the higher pressure column and partially vaporize an oxygen-rich liquid from the lower pressure column. Within the condenser-reboiler heat exchanger, the nitrogen-rich vapor flows in an upward direction such that any non-condensables present in the nitrogen-rich vapor will accumulate proximate the upper portion or top of the condenser-reboiler modules where they can be easily removed through venting.

Condenser-reboiler system and method

Porous coatings

A method and main heat exchange system for use in a cryogenic air separation plant in which down-flow and thermosiphon heat exchangers are employed to partially vaporize an oxygen-rich liquid produced in a lower pressure column and to condense the nitrogen-rich vapor in a higher pressure column. A greater proportion of the oxygen-rich liquid can be partially vaporized in the down-flow heat exchangers than in the thermosiphon heat exchangers and the nitrogen-rich vapor condensed in the thermosiphon heat exchangers can have a higher oxygen content than the nitrogen-rich vapor condensed in the down-flow heat exchangers. This allows the higher pressure column to operate at a lower pressure than would otherwise be possible. A central conduit can extend from the higher pressure column into the lower pressure column to introduce the nitrogen-rich vapor into at least the down-flow heat exchangers for purposes of reducing pressure drop and column height.

Growing community of inventors

Williamsville, NY, United States of America

Maulik R Shelat