The Boc Group, Inc.

Paul Alfred Sweeney

Ramachandran Krish Krishnamurthy

Neeraj Saxena

Satish S Tamhankar

Akhilesh Kapoor

Venkat Natarajan

Chien-Kuo Lee

Andrew P Owen

Colleen Prince

Iron ore is reduced to molten iron by introducing the ore into a reactor while combusting coal with pure oxygen in the reactor. The molten iron phase, which forms at the bottom of the reactor, is stirred by injecting carbon monoxide into the molten iron. In a preferred embodiment, finely pulverized iron ore is injected with pure oxygen tangentially into a cyclone section of the furnace situated on top of a converter section, thereby causing melting and preliminary reduction of the ore to take place in the cyclone section. Primary reduction of the iron oxide occurs in the converter section of the furnace.

Iron manufacturing process

A heat exchanger for indirectly exchanging heat between first and second fluids. The heat exchanger is provided with a plurality of parallel plates to define first and second heat exchange passages for the first fluids to undergo indirect heat transfer. Corrugated fin-type material is positioned within the first and second heat exchange passages to increase the heat transfer area within the first and second heat exchange passages. Liquid distribution means are provided for distributing liquid composed of the second fluid to the second heat exchange passages. Overflow weirs are provided in such distribution means from which liquid overflows and falls into the second heat exchange passages. The overflow weirs are positioned to feed both sides of the second heat exchange passages and the corrugated fin-type material of the second heat exchange passage extend above the second heat exchange passage to ensure entry of the liquid into each corrugation. In such wetting of all corrugations is promoted.

Heat exchanger

A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between first and second fluids. A plurality of vertically oriented passages are defined between alternating first and second passage walls. The first and second passages are provided for bringing the first and second fluids into a heat transfer relationship. To this end, the first passage incorporates an inlet and an outlet, for instance, to admit gaseous nitrogen into the top of the first passages and to discharge condensed nitrogen from the bottom of the first passages. An inlet is provided to introduce the second fluid into the second passages. The second fluid, which is a liquid is to be at least in part vaporized within the second passages. Liquid film, composed of the liquid, is distributed within the second passages by way of an arrangement of slotted dividing bars having staggered slots along the length of such slotted dividing bars to urge liquid against the passage walls defining the passages. Additionally, or in place of the dividing bar arrangement, a multi-domain corrugated fin material arrangement can be provided to effect a liquid film distribution within the second passages.

A process for recovering a given component from a first gas stream in which the given component is intermittently present by PSA or TSA using an adsorbent which more strongly adsorbs the given component by introducing into the first gas stream, prior to PSA or TSA treatment, a second gas stream that is enriched in the given component. The second gas stream may be introduced into the first gas stream only during periods when the concentration of given component in the first gas stream is below its maximum concentration or it may be continuously introduced into the first gas stream at a level which is greater than the maximum concentration of given component originally present in the first gas stream.

Process for the recovery of perfluorinated compounds

A cryogenic refrigeration method for use in connection with a cryogenic temperature swing adsorption process. The cryogenic temperature swing adsorption process has a discontinuous production cycle during which production of a purified vapor stream ceases or is reduced through use of purified vapor to purge a regenerating adsorption bed. Additionally, the purified vapor stream in part of the production cycle is superheated through use of the purified vapor stream to cool the regenerating adsorption bed. A heat exchange stream is liquefied against the vaporization of at least part of an impure liquid stream to produce an impure vapor stream to be purified by the adsorption process. Process liquid is continually produced from the liquefaction of the process stream. The process liquid is used to in turn liquefy the purified vapor stream at varying flow rates that are sufficient to liquefy the purified vapor stream throughout the production cycle. When production is reduced or ceases, process liquid accumulates fiber later use in liquefying purified vapor. Although process liquid is supplemented, the requirement for the heat exchange stream, for instance nitrogen, is constant. This allows the refrigeration method of the present invention to be integrated with an air separation plant without placing undue cyclic loadings on the air separation unit thereof.

Cryogenic refrigeration method for use in connection with a cryogenic

A process and apparatus for producing a high purity nitrogen vapor product from the rectification of air within high and low pressure columns operatively associated with one another by a condenser-reboiler. The high pressure column incorporates a sufficient number of theoretical stages to produce a high purity nitrogen vapor which after being condensed by the condenser-reboiler, serves to partially condense a lower purity nitrogen vapor tower overhead produced in the low pressure column through indirect heat exchanger. In such service, the condensed, high purity nitrogen vapor is at least partially vaporized and utilized as a product stream. Since there is no direct heat exchange with the high purity nitrogen produced within the high pressure column and the lower purity nitrogen vapor produced in the low pressure column, the low pressure column can incorporate fewer theoretical stages and therefore can be built at less expense than similar air separation plants of the prior art.

Air separation process and apparatus for the production of high purity

A cryogenic air separation process and method in which air is cooled and after compression and purification then rectified in a rectification column to produce an oxygen rich liquid. An argon-oxygen stream containing liquid lean in nitrogen is separated to form oxygen and argon streams. Argon vapor is condensed to supply reflux to the argon column. An oxygen rich liquid stream is expanded to a pressure at which the oxygen rich liquid is at or below the condensation temperature of the argon vapor and is then vaporized against condensing the argon vapor. The vaporized oxygen rich liquid is then introduced into a nitrogen stripper column and nitrogen is stripped therefrom by a stripper gas to produce the argon-oxygen liquid which is introduced into the argon column. The nitrogen stripper column is regulated to operate at a predetermined pressure range so that the entry level at which oxygen enters the nitrogen stripper column has a pressure level no greater than the pressure of the oxygen rich liquid after expansion. Argon is removed from the top of the argon column as a product. The process and apparatus can be operated to produce high purity argon vapor or liquid very lean in nitrogen and oxygen with the use of trays and/or structured packing as liquid contacting mass transfer elements in the columns. Additionally, high purity oxygen and nitrogen products can also be produced by such process and apparatus.

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Basking Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Paul Alfred Sweeney