Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140000841 | COMPRESSED GAS COOLING APPARATUS | 01-02-2014 |
20140208799 | APPARATUS AND AIR SEPARATION PLANT - The present invention relates to an apparatus and air separation plant in which a pumped liquid oxygen stream is heated within a heat exchanger through indirect heat exchange with compressed air to produce an oxygen product. The liquid oxygen stream is pressurized in a range above about 55 bar(a) and no greater than about 150 bar(a) and is a supercritical fluid after having been heated within the heat exchanger. The air is compressed to an air pressure that is a function of the oxygen pressure that will result in a minimum power being expended in the compression of the air. The heat exchanger can be a brazed fin heat exchanger fabricated from aluminum in which the fins located in heat exchange passages have an undulating configuration to increase the flow path length and induce flow separation and thereby increase the heat transfer coefficient within the heat exchanger. | 07-31-2014 |
20150211789 | CONDENSER-REBOILER SYSTEM AND METHOD - 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. | 07-30-2015 |
20150316318 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF ARGON BY CRYOGENIC RECTIFICATION OF AIR - 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 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. | 11-05-2015 |
20150323247 | HEAT EXCHANGER ASSEMBLY AND SYSTEM FOR A CRYOGENIC AIR SEPARATION UNIT - A sub-cooler type heat exchanger assembly and system for use in a cryogenic air separation plant is provided. The sub-cooler type heat exchanger includes at least two separate heat exchange segments within the same housing or shell and is configured to concurrently cool two or more upward flowing cryogenic liquids using nitrogen-rich streams from the lower pressure distillation column. | 11-12-2015 |
20160003539 | ARGON CONDENSATION SYSTEM AND METHOD - 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. | 01-07-2016 |
20160076809 | CONDENSER-REBOILER SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH PERFORATED VENT TUBES - 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 by means of a venting apparatus having a plurality of perforated tubes. | 03-17-2016 |
20160131425 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF CRUDE ARGON BY CRYOGENIC RECTIFICATION OF AIR - 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 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. | 05-12-2016 |