Airgas, Inc.

Paul Sweeney

Adam Histed

A method for converting excess liquid oxygen into liquid nitrogen, including introducing a gaseous nitrogen stream into a main heat exchanger, therein exchanging heat with a vaporized oxygen stream, a vapor phase nitrogen steam, and a waste liquid nitrogen stream; thereby producing a cold gaseous nitrogen stream, an oxygen vent stream, a nitrogen vent steam, and a gaseous nitrogen waste stream, introducing the cold gaseous nitrogen stream into a secondary heat exchanger, therein exchanging heat with a liquid oxygen stream; thereby producing the vaporized oxygen stream and a cold liquid nitrogen stream, introducing the cold liquid nitrogen stream into a nitrogen pressure reduction valve thereby producing a two-phase nitrogen stream, introducing the two-phase nitrogen stream into a nitrogen flash vessel thereby producing a liquid phase nitrogen stream and the vapor phase nitrogen stream, wherein the method is performed in the absence of refrigerant turbo-expanders, refrigerant expansion turbines, or refrigerant compressors.

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King of Prussia, PA, United States of America

Paul Sweeney