Abstract: A method which include an air intake into an air separation unit; extracting from the separation unit at least a gas stream, essentially consisting of an air gas, in particular oxygen or nitrogen, and directing one or more of these gas streams towards the combustion chamber of a gas turbine; controlling at least one parameter related to the or each gas stream, by acting on a compressor in each gas stream arranged downstream of the air separating unit; assigning to one or more parameter a variable setpoint value, based on a value representing the load of the gas turbine.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for renovating a combined system consisting of a blast furnace supplied with an oxidant fluid received at least partly from an air/gas separation unit (ASU). The inventive method consists in injecting, before renovation, at least 50% of the flow rate of the blower feeding the blast furnace into an air/gas cryogenic separation unit in order to produce oxygen whose purity is greater than 90% by volume of O2 which feeds the blast furnace, in controlling the blower airflow rate and the pressure of the air derived therefrom by means of a regulator which measures said flow rate and/or pressure at the input and/or output of a cleaning stage which is mounted upstream of the separation unit in such a way that the flow rate and pressure of the air derived from the blower is controlled. The fluid feeding the blast furnace consists of pure oxygen or diluted by air produced by the cryogenic separation unit.

Abstract: In a process for supplying a pressurized gas, a pressurized gas at a high production pressure is produced as an end product by separating a gaseous mixture in a separator apparatus (3, 5), a liquid to be pressurized is stored in a store (9), storing liquid is tapped, and it is pressurized with a pump (11) and at least part of the pressurized liquid is sprayed in a sprayer (27) to produce the pressurized backup gas (29) having substantially the same pressure or a pressure higher than the pressurized gas to be produced, liquid is circulated in a substantially vertical duct (13), optionally within the cold box (33) of the separator apparatus, and at least part of the duct length is at a level above the sprayer and before and/or after starting up the pump (11), liquid is sent from the duct to the sprayer where the liquid is sprayed to provide pressurized backup gas having substantially the same purity or a purity higher than the pressurized gas to be produced (31).

Abstract: The invention concerns a method involving the intake (through 16) of air in an intake of an air separation plant (14), supplying (though 16) at least a fraction of the intake air from a gas turbine compressor section (2), and extracting from the air separation plant (16) two gas streams (through 20, 24, 32, and 36) respectively nitrogen-enriched and oxygen-enriched streams; detecting (through 18) a substantial decrease in the flow rate of the air fraction from the gas turbine compressor section (2), then recycling (through 28, 42), to the inlet of the air separation plant (14) at least part of one of the two gas streams, and thus avoiding any major fluctuation of the intake air flow rate of said air separation plant.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method which consists in: intake (through 16) of air in an inlet of the separation plant (14), supplying (through 16) at least a fraction of the intake air from the gas turbine (2), and extracting from the separation plant (16) two gas streams (through 20, 24, 32, 36) respectively nitrogen-enriched and oxygen-enriched; detecting (through 18) a substantial decrease in the flow rate of the air fraction from the gas turbine (2), then recycling (through 28, 42), to the inlet of the separation plant (14) at least part of one of the two gas streams, thereby avoiding any major fluctuation of the intake air flow rate of said separation plant.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method which consists in: intake (through 18) of air into said separation unit (16); extracting from said separation unit at least a gas stream (through 20, 26), essentially consisting of an air gas, in particular oxygen or nitrogen, and in directing the or each gas stream towards a combustion chamber (8) of the gas turbine (2); controlling at least one parameter related to the or each gas stream, by acting on a compressor (22, 28) of said gas stream arranged downstream of said air separating unit (16); assigning to the or each parameter a variable setpoint value, based on a value representing the load of the gas turbine (2).

Abstract: To reduce the level of oxygen concentration in the waste gases emitted by the stack of such installations, according to the invention, connecting means (15) connect the respective internal spaces of a chamber (13), for discharging an inert gas miscible with oxygen and of lower density than air, such as nitrogen, and of the stat (2); thus, this inert gas is mixed with at least the oxygen flowing through the stack and the mixture obtained is discharged with a velocity at least equal to approximately 7 m/s at the exit of the stack.

Abstract: To reduce the level of oxygen concentration in the waste gases emitted by the stack of such installations, according to the invention, connecting means (15) connect the respective internal spaces of a chamber (13), for discharging an inert gas miscible with oxygen and of lower density than air, such as nitrogen, and of the stack (2); thus, this inert gas is mixed with at least the oxygen flowing through the stack and the mixture obtained is discharged with a velocity at least equal to approximately 7 m/s at the exit of the stack.

Abstract: To reduce the level of oxygen concentration in the waste gases emitted by the stack of such installations, according to the invention, connecting means (15) connect the respective internal spaces of a chamber (13), for discharging an inert gas miscible with oxygen and of lower density than air, such as nitrogen, and of the stack (2); thus, this inert gas is mixed with at least the oxygen flowing through the stack and the mixture obtained is discharged with a velocity at least equal to approximately 7 m/s at the exit of the stack.

Abstract: The air distillation unit (2) has a low-pressure column (11C) which operates clearly above atmospheric pressure. The waste nitrogen coming from this column serves to purge, under low pressure, the air purification adsorbers (10A, 10B) in order to desorb them of the contaminants (water and CO2), then is mixed with the impure nitrogen stream sent directly to the nitrogen compressor (14) which feeds the combustion chamber (8) of the gas turbine (1). At the start of regeneration, each adsorber is decompressed down to atmospheric pressure, then brought back up to the low pressure by impure nitrogen.

Abstract: The air distillation unit (2) has a low-pressure column (11C) which operates clearly above atmospheric pressure. The waste nitrogen coming from this column serves to purge, under low pressure, the air purification adsorbers 10A, 10B) in order to desorb at them of the contaminants (water and CO2), then is mixed with the impure nitrogen stream sent directly to the nitrogen compressor (14) which feeds the combustion chamber (8) of the gas turbine (1). At the start of regeneration, each adsorber is decompressed down to atmospheric pressure, then brought back up to the low pressure by means of impure nitrogen.

Abstract: To reduce the level of oxygen concentration in the waste gases emitted by the stack of such installations, according to the invention, connecting means (15) connect the respective internal spaces of a chamber (13), for discharging an inert gas miscible with oxygen and of lower density than air, such as nitrogen, and of the stack (2); thus, this inert gas is mixed with at least the oxygen flowing through the stack and the mixture obtained is discharged with a velocity at least equal to approximately 7 m/s at the exit of the stack.

Abstract: A plant for separating a gas mixture includes several units having different functions, including a compression unit, a purification unit and a separating unit. Each unit has an attendant cabin which contains monitoring and control systems and, optionally, an analysis system and an electrical distribution system which are necessary for the operation of the respective unit only. The plant may be an apparatus for separating air by cryogenic distillation.

Abstract: A process and installation for the separation of air in a cryogenic distillation apparatus (24) comprising a distillation column (30, 42) and in which the supplied air is separated to produce a fraction rich in oxygen and a fraction rich in nitrogen as products. The purities of these products are maintained substantially constant during variations of demand of either product or of the flow rate or of the pressure of the supplied air by introducing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen into the distillation apparatus when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air increases, and by withdrawing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen from the distillation apparatus, and storing this liquid, when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air decreases.

Abstract: A process and installation for the separation of air in a cryogenic distillation apparatus (24) comprising a distillation column (30, 42) and in which the supplied air is separated to produce a fraction rich in oxygen and a fraction rich in nitrogen as products. The purities of these products are maintained substantially constant during variations of demand of either product or of the flow rate or of the pressure of the supplied air by introducing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen into the distillation apparatus when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air increases, and by withdrawing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen from the distillation apparatus, and storing this liquid, when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air decreases.

Abstract: A process and installation for the separation of air in a cryogenic distillation apparatus (24) comprising a distillation column (30, 42) and in which the supplied air is separated to produce a fraction rich in oxygen and a fraction rich in nitrogen as products. The purities of these products are maintained substantially constant during variations of demand of either product or of the flow rate or of the pressure of the supplied air by introducing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen into the distillation apparatus when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air increases, and by withdrawing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen from the distillation apparatus, and storing this liquid, when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air decreases.

Abstract: During restarting an argon column (2), two valves (15, 17) provided at the output of a pump (3) are controlled while maintaining a constant level in the base of the argon column, at the outset at a predetermined first control level (N2), then while progressively lowering the controlled value of the constant level. Use in installations for air distillation whose argon column, of the packed type, has a sufficient height to purify the argon of oxygen to an oxygen content less than 100 ppm.

Abstract: A process and installation for the separation of air in a cryogenic distillation apparatus (24) comprising a distillation column (30, 42) and in which the supplied air is separated to produce a fraction rich in oxygen and a fraction rich in nitrogen as products. The purities of these products are maintained substantially constant during variations of demand of either product or of the flow rate or of the pressure of the supplied air by introducing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen into the distillation apparatus when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air increases, and by withdrawing an excess of liquid rich in nitrogen from the distillation apparatus, and storing this liquid, when the demand for the product or the flow rate of the supplied air decreases.