Abstract: A packing material capable of improving the uniformity of liquid distribution and of achieving a preferable gas-liquid contact reaction, even in the case where the specific surface area of the packing material is small, includes a plurality of projections provided on the surface of a thin plate, and a plurality of holes provided respectively between the projections. In one embodiment, the transfer extension of each projection is larger than a longitudinal extension thereof, so that descending liquid flows downward while being transversely dispersed by the projection. The holes are provided between the projections so that they do not obstruct the transfer dispersion of liquid at the projection. Moreover, the holes accelerate the transverse dispersion of liquid, or the dispersion of liquid between front and rear surfaces of the thin plate, by the surface tension of the liquid. As a result, excellent uniformity of liquid distribution can be obtained on the surface of the thin plate.

Abstract: Highly pure argon is obtained from an argon waste gas composition by adding a stoichiometrically excess amount of oxygen to the waste gas composition to combust hydrogen and the like impurities and to convert into water and carbon dioxide, adding a stoichiometrically excess amount of a hydrocarbon gas to the resulting gas composition to remove the residual oxygen by the reaction with the oxygen and the hydrocarbon gas so as to convert into water and carbon dioxide, and subjecting the resulting gas composition to a pressure swing adsorption-desorption treatment to remove the impurities.

Abstract: The invention relates to separation of a gas mixture for recovering product gas from material gas by a pressure difference adsorption method in which pressurized adsorptive operation and depressurized desorptive operation are repeated in turn. To reduce the length of adsorption zone in adsorption towers (A1, A2, B1, B2, . . . ) and to restrain disturbance thereof, plural stages of pressure difference adsorption units (UA, UB, UC, . . . , UX) are employed so that refined gas or condensed refined gas from the previous pressure difference adsorption unit (UA, UB, UC, . . . ) is directly introduced (2A, 2B, . . . ) to the subsequent pressure difference adsorption unit (UB, UC, . . . , UX) for separation of the gas mixture. Exhaust gas released from the depressurized desorptive operation in the subsequent pressure difference adsorption unit (UB, UC, . . . , UX) is introduced (3B, 5A, 3C, 5B, . . . ) to the previous or still former pressure difference adsorption unit (UA, UB, UC, . . .

Abstract: A process and apparatus for recovering a high-purity inert gas by removing the impurities in a used inert gas (e.g., Ar), comprising a combustible component reaction step and reaction unit for adding oxygen to a raw gas containing a carbonaceous combustible component to thereby react the combustible component in said raw gas with the oxygen; a carbon dioxide gas removing step and removing unit for removing the carbon dioxide in the raw gas sent from said combustible component reaction unit; an oxygen reaction step and reaction unit for adding hydrogen to the raw gas after the carbon dioxide gas removal to react the oxygen remaining in said raw gas with the hydrogen; a moisture removing step and removing unit for removing the moisture in the raw gas sent from the oxygen reaction unit; and a refining step and refining unit for removing the remaining impurities from the raw gas after the moisture removal to recover a high-purity inert gas.

Abstract: A gas liquefying system of the type in which a compressed gas is divided into a part which is to be used for the generation of cold heat and a part which is to be liquefied, the part of the gas for generation of cold heat being introduced into a high-pressure expansion turbine to generate the cold heat and, after an adjustment of the temperature thereof at the outlet of the high-pressure expansion turbine, supplied to a low-pressure expansion turbine to further generate the cold heat while becoming the returning gas of a low temperature, the returning gas being supplied to a liquefier to liquefy the part of gas to be liquefied.