Abstract: Air separation method in which air is separated within cryogenic rectification processes conducted in first and second cryogenic air separation plants. The first cryogenic air separation plant is designed to produce an oxygen-rich product stream and the second cryogenic air separation plant is designed to produce an impure oxygen vapor stream. At least part of the impure oxygen vapor stream is introduced into a lower pressure column of the first cryogenic air separation plant and oxygen contained in such stream along with air separated within the first air separation plant is used in producing the oxygen-rich product stream.

Abstract: Systems and methods for second chance games are disclosed. According to one particular embodiment, a computer-implemented method may comprise: receiving information of a first chance game established on a first medium, wherein a play of the first chance game provides an access mechanism for a second chance game; establishing the second chance game on a second medium based at least in part on the information of the first chance game; predetermining, by at least one processor, an outcome of the second chance game by a associating predetermined results with a plurality of game sessions; receiving from a player a request to access the second chance game submitted based on the access mechanism; assigning to the player one of the plurality of game sessions having a predetermined result; and facilitating the player's play of the second chance game to reveal to the player the predetermined result of the assigned game session.

Abstract: Systems and methods for map-based prize discovery game are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for map-based prize discovery games may comprise: establishing an online game based on a map that includes a plurality of grid units; placing at least one object in hidden association with one or more predetermined grid units in the map; receiving from a first player at least one token and a selection of at least one available first grid unit; associating the selected at least one first grid unit with the first player; determining whether the first player wins a prize based on the selection of the at least one first grid unit and the placement of the at least one object in hidden association with the one or more predetermined grid units in the map. In another exemplary embodiment, it may be determined whether the first player wins based on a probability algorithm.

Abstract: A method of producing a liquid product stream, for example, a liquid nitrogen product stream, at a production rate that is selectively varied. This variation is produced in either a waste expansion or air expansion process by increasing the pressure and flow rate of the feed stream during periods in which a high rate of liquid production is desired without substantially increasing the pressure of the exhaust stream produced by a variable speed turboexpander. This increases the expansion ratio across the turboexpander and therefore the refrigeration supplied to increase liquid production. At the same time, the increase in flow rate prevents a decrease in the performance of the variable speed turboexpander.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to produce oxygen and nitrogen co-products in which a compressed a compressed and purified air stream is cooled, fully or partially condensed and then rectified in a main distillation column to form a nitrogen-rich vapor column overhead and crude liquid oxygen. A crude liquid oxygen stream is depressurized and then stripped in an auxiliary distillation column with a stripping gas to produce an oxygen-rich liquid. The nitrogen-rich vapor column overhead from the main distillation column is used to form a nitrogen product and the crude liquid oxygen is partially vaporized to produce the stripping gas, a residual oxygen-rich liquid and liquid nitrogen reflux to the main distillation column. The oxygen product is formed from the residual oxygen-rich liquid by either providing the heat exchange duty in condensing the compressed and purified air stream or by condensing nitrogen-rich vapor used in refluxing the main distillation column.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to produce oxygen and nitrogen co-products in which a compressed a compressed and purified air stream is cooled, fully or partially condensed and then rectified in a main distillation column to form a nitrogen-rich vapor column overhead and crude liquid oxygen. A crude liquid oxygen stream is depressurized and then stripped in an auxiliary distillation column with a stripping gas to produce an oxygen-rich liquid. The nitrogen-rich vapor column overhead from the main distillation column is used to form a nitrogen product and the crude liquid oxygen is partially vaporized to produce the stripping gas, a residual oxygen-rich liquid and liquid nitrogen reflux to the main distillation column. The oxygen product is formed from the residual oxygen-rich liquid by either providing the heat exchange duty in condensing the compressed and purified air stream or by condensing nitrogen-rich vapor used in refluxing the main distillation column.

Abstract: A method of producing a liquid product stream, for example, a liquid nitrogen product stream, at a production rate that is selectively varied. This variation is produced in either a waste expansion or air expansion process by increasing the pressure and flow rate of the feed stream during periods in which a high rate of liquid production is desired without substantially increasing the pressure of the exhaust stream produced by a variable speed turboexpander. This increases the expansion ratio across the turboexpander and therefore the refrigeration supplied to increase liquid production. At the same time, the increase in flow rate prevents a decrease in the performance of the variable speed turboexpander.

Abstract: A cryogenic air separation method and apparatus in which a lower pressure distillation column is configured to receive, at successively higher locations of the lower pressure column and at successively lower temperatures, crude oxygen derived from a crude liquid oxygen stream discharged from a higher pressure column, an intermediate reflux stream and a nitrogen-rich reflux stream. All of the streams are subcooled and depressurized. The subcooling is conducted such that the intermediate reflux stream and the nitrogen-rich liquid stream cocurrently, indirectly exchange heat to a nitrogen-rich vapor stream withdrawn from the lower pressure column and the intermediate reflux stream is subcooled to a temperature between the temperatures over which the nitrogen-rich liquid stream is subcooled. Additionally, the crude liquid oxygen stream and the intermediate reflux stream can, cocurrently, indirectly exchange heat to a pressurized liquid stream used in forming an oxygen product and the nitrogen-rich vapor stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing a pressurized product stream product by cryogenic rectification. A main heat exchanger, used in the cryogenic rectification, warms a pumped product stream composed of oxygen-rich or nitrogen-rich liquid and thereby produces the pressurized product stream. Layers of the main heat exchanger are designed such that a reduction in the heat transfer area provided within the main heat exchanger for warming the pumped product stream occurs at a location at which the temperature of the pumped product stream exceeds either the critical or a dew point temperature of such stream. The reduction in heat transfer area leaves regions of the layers able to heat or cool another stream that is used in connection with the cryogenic rectification. Such other stream can be a refrigerant stream that allows the introduction of additional refrigeration to increase production of liquid products.

Abstract: A plate-fin heat exchanger having a plurality of layers for indirectly exchanging heat between two or more fluids. The heat exchanger is provided with two sections and inlets and outlets to the sections to cause streams of the fluids to flow within the two sections parallel to the length of the heat exchanger between central locations and the ends of the heat exchanger. In such manner, the cross-sectional flow area of such a heat exchanger is greater than the heat exchanger in which the flow is from one end to the other end of the heat exchanger. This increase in cross-sectional flow area reduces the pressure drop within the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating air in which the recovery rate of an oxygen product is increased by increasing the liquid to vapor ratio in a lower pressure column connected to a higher pressure column in a heat transfer relationship. A crude liquid oxygen column bottoms stream produced in the higher pressure column is partially vaporized against condensing argon-enriched vapor of the lower pressure column which is fed back to an argon stripping section of the lower pressure column. A supplemental nitrogen-rich reflux stream and an oxygen-enriched stream having a greater oxygen content than the crude liquid oxygen stream are fed into the lower pressure column. These streams are formed from a two phase stream produced, at least in part, from the crude liquid oxygen stream after the partial vaporization thereof.

Abstract: Method and apparatus of separating an oxygen and nitrogen containing feed stream, for example, air, in higher and lower pressure columns. A crude liquid oxygen stream condenses nitrogen vapor in the higher pressure column for reflux purposes and results in the partial vaporization of the crude liquid oxygen stream to produce vapor and liquid fractions thereof. The liquid fraction condenses a lower pressure part of the feed stream and results in the liquid fraction being at least partially vaporized. Both the vapor fraction of the crude liquid oxygen stream and the liquid fraction after having been at least partially vaporized are introduced into the lower pressure column. Boil-up is produced within a bottom region of the lower pressure column by partially vaporizing an oxygen-rich liquid column bottoms against condensing a higher pressure part of the feed stream and then utilizing vapor or residual liquid as an oxygen product.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the processing, storing, and displaying of map data are disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention facilitate more efficient storage, processing, communication, and display of maps and map-related data in connection with modern computers and communications systems. While originally developed for a map-based game, the techniques disclosed herein also have practical applications to other technical fields including but not limited to image processing (e.g., partitioning of images much like maps for storage, communication, or display) and heat mapping (e.g., visualization of a geographical distribution of certain attributes).

Abstract: Systems and methods for map-based lottery games are disclosed. According to one particular embodiment, a method for a map-based lottery game may comprise: establishing a game having a gameboard based on a map that includes a plurality of units; receiving from each of a plurality of players a selection of at least one available unit on the gameboard; uniquely associating each said player with the selected at least one unit such that each unit on the gameboard is associated with no more than one of the plurality of players; and conducting a lottery drawing to select at least one first unit from some or all of the plurality of units such that any player associated with said at least one first unit becomes a first winner of a prize.

Abstract: Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented method may comprise: establishing a map-based game associated with a gameboard comprising a map of a geographical area, the map being divided into a plurality of units wherein each unit represents a geographic location in the mapped geographical area; providing at least a portion of the gameboard for display to a player via a personal computing device, thereby accepting enrollment of a plurality of players in the map-based game; receiving from each player a selection of at least one geographic location of interest corresponding to at least one unit on the map; and for each lottery drawing, making a substantially random selection from some or all of the units on the gameboard to select at least one first unit to win a first prize.

Abstract: An Apparatus for purifying a feed stream containing carbon dioxide in which the feed stream, after having been compressed and dried, is partly cooled and then used to reboil a stripping column. Thereafter, the feed stream is further cooled and expanded to a lower operational temperature of the stripping column. A carbon dioxide product stream composed of the liquid column bottoms of the stripping column is expanded at one or more pressures to generate refrigeration, then fully vaporized within the main heat exchanger and compressed by a compressor to produce a compressed carbon dioxide product. Refrigeration is recovered in the main heat exchanger from a column overhead stream extracted from the stripping column within the main heat exchanger either directly or indirectly by auxiliary processing in which carbon dioxide is further separated and optionally recycled back to the main compressor used in compressing the feed stream.

Abstract: A distillation apparatus and method in which first and second compressed streams are formed from a compressed feed stream, for example, compressed air. The first compressed stream is fully cooled within a main heat exchanger so that it is substantially condensed. The second compressed stream is partly cooled within the main heat exchanger and then introduced into a turboexpander at a temperature such that the turboexpander exhaust stream is superheated. Part of the first compressed stream is mixed with the exhaust stream to produce a combined stream that is no more than 10° C. above saturation temperature at the pressure of the exhaust stream. The combined stream is introduced into a distillation column unit to produce one or more products that are enriched in components of the feed to be separated. In such manner the turboexpansion can occur at a higher temperature and with increased refrigerating effect.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating air in which an argon refining column of a distillation column system is reboiled with a liquid air stream. The argon refining column further refines crude argon produced by a crude argon column connected to a lower pressure column of the distillation column system. At least one intermediate reflux stream is formed, at least indirectly, from at least part of the liquid air stream, and is introduced into the lower pressure column at a level thereof above where a crude liquid oxygen column bottoms of a higher pressure column of such system is further refined to increase a liquid to vapor ratio below said level and therefore, argon recovery from the argon refining column.

Abstract: Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented method may comprise: establishing a map-based game that is scheduled to have a number of lottery drawings associated with a plurality of grid units on a map; accepting enrollment of players in the map-based game, each player being associated with at least one grid unit on the map and being committed to participate in a plurality of the lottery drawings by contributing tokens of value; receiving, from each player, a designated number of tokens to be contributed, on behalf of each of the at least one grid unit, to each lottery drawing said player is committed to participate in; and executing the map-based game by pooling the contributed tokens to form a jackpot and conducting a drawing, from grid units participating in said drawing, to select at least one grid unit to win a first prize.

Abstract: Method and apparatus of separating a nitrogen from a compressed and purified feed stream in a cryogenic rectification plant that employs a distillation column to produce a nitrogen-rich vapor as a column overhead and an oxygen-rich liquid column bottoms. Reflux is generated for the column by condensing part of the nitrogen-rich vapor within a down-flow heat exchanger. A stream of the oxygen-rich liquid column bottoms is introduced into an ejector which draws a stream of an oxygen-rich liquid phase produced from the outlet of a down-flow heat exchanger. The combined oxygen-rich liquid exiting the ejector is fed to the down-flow heat exchanger to condense the nitrogen-rich vapor. In such manner, part of the oxygen-rich liquid phase is recirculated to prevent dry-out of the down-flow heat exchanger outlet and to maintain effective condensation of the nitrogen-rich vapor.