Abstract: A distillation method and column in which a gaseous mixture is introduced into a bottom region of a packed column having a plurality packed beds using structured packing. The gaseous mixture comprises higher and lower volatility components. The packed column is operated so that the higher and lower volatility components have a relative volatility within the column in a range of between 1.05 and 1.8. In order to alleviate the effect of liquid maldistribution in the lowermost bed of such a column, the lowermost bed is sized to be between about 50% and about 80% of the height of the next overlying bed, with 80% being preferred and the total height of the packing within the column is at least about six meters.

Abstract: The strongly adsorbed component of a gas mixture is produced in enhanced purity and yield by novel PSA cycles. The basic steps of the cycles include an adsorption vessel prepressurization step, a cocurrent nonadsorbed gas production step, a cocurrent purge step with strongly adsorbed gas product and a countercurrent depressurization step which produces the strongly adsorbed gas product that is used in the cocurrent purge step. In addition to the basic steps, a first depressurization equalization step precedes or follows the cocurrent purge step and a corresponding first pressurization equalization step follows the countercurrent depressurization step. The cycle optionally includes one or two depressurization equalization steps before the cocurrent purge step and one or two corresponding pressurization equalization steps after the first pressurization equalization step.

Abstract: A high pressure purge is incorporated into the cycle of a PSA process designed for the recovery of strongly adsorbed product gas from a gas mixture. The high pressure purge stream is obtained by compressing the low pressure cocurrent purge step that precedes the countercurrent depressurization or evacuation step. The high pressure purge step is included in the cycle following the adsorption step of the process.

Abstract: Oxygen is separated from air by a high temperature ion transport membrane which is integrated with a gas turbine system for energy recovery from the membrane nonpermeate stream. Air is compressed, heated in a first heating step, and passed through the feed side of a mixed conductor membrane zone to produce a high purity oxygen product on the permeate side of the membrane zone. Nonpermeate gas from the membrane zone is heated in a second heating step and passed through a hot gas turbine for power recovery. Water is added to the nonpermeate gas prior to the hot gas turbine to increase mass flow to the turbine and thus balance the mass flows of the air feed compressor and the expansion turbine.

Abstract: Oxygen is separated from air by a high temperature ion transport membrane which is integrated with a gas turbine system for energy recovery from the membrane nonpermeate stream. Air is compressed, heated in a first heating step, and passed through the feed side of a mixed conductor membrane zone to produce a high purity oxygen product on the permeate side of the membrane zone. Nonpermeate gas from the membrane zone is heated in a second heating step and passed through a hot gas turbine for power recovery. The operating temperatures of the membrane zone and the expansion turbine are independently maintained by controlling the rate of heat addition in the first and second heating steps, whereby the membrane zone and expansion turbine are thermally delinked for maximum oxygen recovery efficiency.

Abstract: High-purity oxygen is recovered from air by a high-temperature ion transport membrane system comprising two or more stages in which each stage operates at a different feed side to permeate side pressure ratio. Operation of the system in multiple stages at controlled pressure ratios produces oxygen at a lower specific power consumption compared with single-stage operation.

Abstract: Bundles of hollow filament membranes suitable for use in fluid separation, such as in the separation of air into gases more concentrated in oxygen and nitrogen are made in a cylindrical form and annular cross-section with multiple filaments of each layer lying in generally parallel helical paths at a common angle to the axis of symmetry of the bundle. Continuous lengths of filaments are laid down on the core while same is rotated first in a "forward" sense and the filament lay-down point is traversed from a first end of the core to the second, and then in a "reverse" sense while the filament lay-down point is traversed from the second end to the first. Reversing of the direction of core rotation and filament end-to-end traversal is repeated with said reversing controlled in such a manner that the path of the filament returning from either end to the other is displaced incrementally from that of the filament portion laid down in the immediately preceding traversal.

Abstract: The invention is a process for recovering oxygen from an oxygen-containing gaseous mixture containing one or more components selected from water, carbon dioxide or a volatile hydrocarbon which process utilizes ion transport membranes comprising a multicomponent metallic oxide containing barium. The process utilizes a temperature regime which overcomes problems associated with degradation of barium-containing multicomponent oxides caused by carbon dioxide.

Abstract: The invention is a process for recovering oxygen from an oxygen-containing gaseous mixture containing one or more components selected from water, carbon dioxide or a volatile hydrocarbon which process utilizes ion transport membranes comprising a multicomponent metallic oxide containing strontium, calcium or magnesium. The process utilizes a temperature regime which overcomes problems associated with degradation of strontium-, calcium- and magnesium-containing multicomponent oxides caused by carbon dioxide.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for restoring permeance of an oxygen-permeable ion transport membrane utilized to recover oxygen from an oxygen-containing gaseous mixture which contains water, carbon dioxide or volatile hydrocarbons. The process utilizes a class of ion transport membranes formed from multicomponent metallic oxides wherein permeance of such membranes had been believed to be permanently degraded by water and the like under conventional process operating temperatures. This invention provides a continuous process for restoring oxygen permeance of such membranes caused by deleterious interaction between the membrane and components such as carbon dioxide, water or hydrocarbons at elevated process temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel multi-layer composite solid state membranes which are capable of separating oxygen from oxygen-containing gaseous mixtures at elevated temperatures. The membranes comprise a multicomponent metallic oxide porous layer having an average pore radius of less than about 10 micrometers and a multicomponent metallic oxide dense layer having no connected through porosity wherein the porous and dense layers are contiguous and such layers conduct electrons and oxygen ions at operating temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention involves an efficient process for separating selected components of a gas stream by integrating a cryogenic separation unit and a membrane separation unit. Two embodiments provide for the concurrent generation of an argon-rich stream in the gas or liquid phase, along with a nitrogen-rich product stream, both being produced from a stream normally comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, e.g., air.Broadly, the novel system uses a membrane means to preferentially reject the oxygen component from the recycle stream of the cryogenic unit, concurrently accumulating the argon component to allow its separation as an argon-enriched product stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improvement to a cryogenic air separation process having an argon sidearm column. The improvement to the process for maximizing argon recovery comprises effectuating the intimate contact of the liquid phase stream and the vapor phase stream in the low pressure column and the argon sidearm column of an integrated multi-column, e.g. three column, cryogenic distillation system by utilizing a structured or ordered packing.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved process for the production of nitrogen and oxygen that uses a double distillation column arrangement. The improvement to the process is the recycling of at least a portion of the oxygen-enriched waste stream to the bottom of the high pressure column. As a result of this improvement, the process is capable of making a nitrogen product with high purity (e.g., 5 ppm oxygen product) at high pressures (e.g., 40 to 150 psia) while simultaneously producing high purity oxygen (e.g., 99.6% oxygen). Nitrogen is produced only from the high pressure column.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a three stage process using copper, copper oxide and molecular sieve adsorbent beds for the sequential removal of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water from an inert feed gas. The process is especially suited to the purification of nitrogen gas from an air separation plant, which can be purified from a contaminant level of 30 vppm oxygen+carbon monoxide+hydrogen to less than 10 vppb each of oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and water, without the addition of hydrogen or another reducing gas to the process.

Abstract: A process is set forth for recovery of nitrogen from a feed gas stream, containing nitrogen and oxygen, using a cryogenic separation wherein a recycle stream having an oxygen content above that of the feed gas stream is recycled separately and independent of the feed gas stream to the cryogenic separation zone without any intervening process step that would decrease the oxygen content of the recycle stream.

Abstract: The present invention is an improvement to a standard nitrogen generator. The improvement is two-fold; first, the addition of one or more distillation stages above the reboiler, which stages effectively transform the reboiler/condenser into a partial low pressure column and allow further separation (rectification) of the nitrogen generator bottoms liquid into two streams. Second, the recycle of the overhead stream (at a composition close to that of air) from the top of the low pressure column to the main air compressor. Additionally, at least a portion of the oxygen-enriched stream that exits the low pressure column below the bottom tray is expanded to provide refrigeration for the cycle.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a heat exchanger for reboiler or condenser service in a cryogenic distillation column (e.g. air separation) or other service in which small temperature differences between clean fluids are a primary objective. The exchanger comprises a stack of corrugated sheets having corrugations generally parallel to the diagonal between opposite corners of a sheet assembled with each sheet on an opposed diagonal to that of its neighbor, which provides for alternating condensing and boiling passages. These passages because of their configuration have increased primary heat transfer surfaces resulting in reduced temperature differences in the exchanger. Special edge configurations control boiling and condensing fluid flow patterns to maximize the heat transfer performance. Optionally, the heat exchanger can have an enhanced boiling surface applied to the boiling channel surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and apparatus for boiling flowing liquid such as liquefied gases in a heat exchanger in which a circulating flow is occuring, such as in reboiler-condensers in air separation and similar cryogenic plants or other applications where a high efficiency for boiling heat transfer is beneficial. The important feature of the process and apparatus is the use of two sequential heat transfer zones having different pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics in the same boiling channel, the first zone having a higher pressure drop and high convective heat transfer characteristic and the second zone having a lower pressure drop and an enhanced nucleate boiling heat transfer characteristic.

Abstract: A convective heater for heating fluids such as a coal slurry is constructed of a tube circuit arrangement which obtains an optimum temperature distribution to give a relatively constant slurry film temperature. The heater is constructed to divide the heating gas flow into two equal paths and the tube circuit for the slurry is arranged to provide a mixed flow configuration whereby the slurry passes through the two heating gas paths in successive co-current, counter-current and co-current flow relative to the heating gas flow. This arrangement permits the utilization of minimum surface area for a given maximum film temperature of the slurry consistent with the prevention of coke formation.