The Boc Group, Inc.

Robert F Duke

Joseph Paul Naumovitz

Charles M Brooks

A method and apparatus for separating out is used to produce an oxygen product in which an air stream after having been compressed and purified is introduced into a bottom reblower located in a bottom region of the distillation column to produce boil up in such distillation column. The resultant air stream liquefies to produce a liquid air stream. The liquid air stream after having been valve expanded is stripped within the distillation column to produce a column bottoms which can be extracted as a product stream that is vaporized within a main heat exchanger. Product stream can be pressurized by being pumped to atmospheric a pressure hence liquefying a further compressed air stream to produce further liquid air is also stripped within the distillation column. The distillation column operates at near atmospheric pressures that is pressures between 1 and 1.3 bar absolute. Refrigeration is introduced into the plant by injecting liquid preferably liquid oxygen into a bottom region of the distillation column.

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Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

Robert F Duke