The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 16, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 01, 1999
Stefan Lochner, Grafing, DE;
Linde Aktiengesellschaft, Wiesbaden, DE;
Abstract
The process and the apparatus serve for producing pressurized oxygen and krypton/xenon by low-temperature fractionation of air. The rectifying system has a low-pressure column (,) for the nitrogen-oxygen separation and a krypton-xenon enrichment column (,). Compressed and prepurified feed air (,) is introduced into the rectifying system. A first oxygen fraction (,) is taken off from the low-pressure column (,), brought (,) to an elevated pressure in the liquid state, vaporized and removed as gaseous pressurized oxygen product (,). In addition, a second oxygen fraction (,) is taken off from the low-pressure column (,) and passed (,) into the lower or central region of the krypton-xenon enrichment column (,). The first oxygen fraction (,) is taken off at least one actual or theoretical plate above the bottom of the low-pressure column (,) and, after the pressure elevation (,) is introduced (,) in the liquid state into the upper region of the krypton-xenon enrichment column (,). A krypton-enriched and/or xenon-enriched fraction (,) is taken off from the lower region of the krypton-xenon enrichment column (,). The pressurized oxygen product (,) is withdrawn in the gaseous state from the upper region of the krypton-xenon enrichment column (,).