Abstract: A cryogenic installation unit comprises at least one item of equipment (2, 6A to 6H, 15) to be thermally insulated, a structure (1) for containing the at least one item of equipment, a main insulation (3) contained in the structure and, associated with this main insulation, a secondary insulation (5) of lower thermal conductivity than the main insulation, said secondary insulation (5) consisting of a vacuum insulation panel.

Abstract: A cryogenic plant having at least two direct phase separation devices such as distillation columns whose circular perimeters serve to define the perimeter of the cold box encompassing the direct phase separation devices and ancillary equipment for the process.

Abstract: An arrangement of insulation within a container to prevent heat leakage from the ambient to an apparatus located within the container that operates at a cryogenic temperature. The arrangement of insulation includes bulk insulation filling the container and an insulation layer that is located within the container, between the apparatus and the container. The insulation layer as opposed to the bulk insulation has a lower thermal conductivity. An exterior region of the apparatus is situated closer to an opposite container wall region of the container than remaining exterior regions of the apparatus. The insulation layer is sized to only insulate the exterior region of the apparatus from heat leakage from the opposite container wall region. The insulation layer can be formed of an aerogel.

Abstract: This disclosure discusses providing safer and more accessible insulating cold boxes for cryogenic equipment. A cold box of the current invention includes a housing partially extending out of the cold box jacket wherein equipment that may need to be accessed can be located. The housing includes a breakaway barrier between the main cold box and the external housing to allow overpressures to be relieved into the cold box. Cold boxes may contain cryogenic columns, sections of cryogenic columns, distillation columns, mixing columns, storage vessels, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and combinations thereof. The housing may contain auxiliary elements such as rotating equipment, pumps, turboexpanders, instrument devices, valves, and piping. Placing auxiliary elements in a housing outside the main cold box allows for safer access to cryogenic equipment.

Abstract: In this installation (1) for the distillation of air in a double column, the low pressure column and the medium pressure column are disposed side by side and the base of the low pressure column (3) is above the base of the medium pressure column (2). The low pressure column is disposed above an element for confining a cryogenic fluid which can be a mixing column (5), an argon column, a column operating at a pressure intermediate the medium pressure and the low pressure, a storage (32) or an exchanger.

Abstract: The air separation plant is provided with a housing for containing cryogenic equipments, at least one free-standing column to be disposed in the housing, at least one column to be disposed in the housing on a frame constituting the housing, and a powdery thermal insulator packed in the housing, having a packing density to be obtained by packing under atmospheric pressure; the free-standing column being set to have a first natural frequency of not more than 0.7 times or not less than 1.0 times as large as that of the housing. Further, the packing density of the powdery thermal insulator is 55 to 80 kg/m.sup.3.