Abstract: A heat exchanger can be configured to utilize multiple sections of hardway fins that can be configured so that an upper first section of the fins can build up liquid head and a second lower section of the fins can be configured to distribute liquid in an even, or uniform, manner. The first section of fins can utilize a different type of hole arrangement than the second section of fins. For instance, the diameter or width of the holes in the first section may differ from the diameter or width of the holes of the second section. In addition (or as an alternative), fin frequency and/or spacing between immediately adjacent holes in the first section of fins may be different from the spacing between immediately adjacent holes in the second section of fins.

Abstract: An adsorbent vessel for removing contaminants from a feed gas upstream from a cryogenic distillation process using pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, or thermal-pressure swing adsorption. The adsorbent vessel having an adsorbent bed comprised of multiple layers of adsorbent material, including two layers of adsorbent material that selective adsorbs carbon dioxide. Each of the two layers is formed from an adsorbent material having a different capacity for adsorbing carbon dioxide.

Abstract: An adsorbent vessel for removing contaminants from a feed gas upstream from a cryogenic distillation process using pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, or thermal-pressure swing adsorption. The adsorbent vessel having an adsorbent bed comprised of multiple layers of adsorbent material, including two layers of adsorbent material that selective adsorbs carbon dioxide. Each of the two layers is formed from an adsorbent material having a different capacity for adsorbing carbon dioxide.

Abstract: A heat exchanger can be configured to utilize multiple sections of hardway fins that can be configured so that an upper first section of the fins can build up liquid head and a second lower section of the fins can be configured to distribute liquid in an even, or uniform, manner. The first section of fins can utilize a different type of hole arrangement than the second section of fins. For instance, the diameter or width of the holes in the first section may differ from the diameter or width of the holes of the second section. In addition (or as an alternative), fin frequency and/or spacing between immediately adjacent holes in the first section of fins may be different from the spacing between immediately adjacent holes in the second section of fins.

Abstract: A heat exchanger apparatus can be configured so that there is at least one “U” or “C” shape configured manifold in combination with at least one “Z” or “S” shape configured manifold for the heat exchanger apparatus for the input and output of fluid into and out of the heat exchangers of the heat exchanger apparatus. In some embodiments, downstream and/or upstream lines can be connected to the manifolds at a center or off-center point for conveying inlet fluid and outlet fluid. A method of retrofitting a pre-existing plant, building a new plant, or designing a new plant that utilizes an embodiment of the heat exchanger apparatus can help provide an improved heat exchanger arrangement without significantly increasing the footprint needed for the arrangement so that a plant can be improved with an embodiment of the apparatus without requiring an enlarged footprint for the plant.

Abstract: An integrated adsorption/cryogenic distillation process is set forth for the separation of an air feed. The air feed is passed through a vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) unit to remove impurities comprising water and carbon dioxide which will freeze out at cryogenic temperatures. The VSA sequence includes an adsorbent regeneration step whereby the impurity-saturated adsorbent is purged under vacuum with a purge gas. The resulting impurity-depleted air feed is fed to a cryogenic distillation column for rectification into a gaseous nitrogen overhead and a liquid oxygen bottoms. A waste stream from the distillation column is expanded, warmed against the impurity-depleted air feed to recover its refrigeration and subsequently recycled as the purge gas to the VSA unit. A key to the present invention is that the waste stream is expanded to the required sub-ambient pressure level in the cryogenic portion of the process.

Abstract: The present invention relates an improvement to a cryogenic process for the separation of air which produces at least a nitrogen product and is carried out in a distillation column system having at least one distillation column from which the nitrogen product is produced. The distillation column of the distillation column system must comprise a rectifying section. In the process of the present invention, air is compressed, freed of impurities which will freeze out at cryogenic temperatures, cooled to near its dew point and fractionated in the distillation column system to produce the nitrogen product.The improvement is the operation of the distillation column such that the ratio of downward liquid to upward vapor flow rate (L/V) is no less than 0.65, preferably greater than 0.75, but less than 1.0 in the rectifying section of a distillation column from which the nitrogen product is produced. The flowrates are in moles per unit time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the heat exchanger system in a process for the cryogenic distillation of air. In particular, the present invention is an improvement to the heat exchanger system to increase the operational efficiency of the process.

Abstract: The present invention is an improvement to a process for the separation of air into its constituent components in a cryogenic distillation column system having a high pressure column and a low pressure column which are thermally integrated with each other. The improvement for producing both nitrogen and oxygen products at a medium pressure comprises the following steps: (a) operating the low pressure column at a pressure of between 10 to 75 psig and the high pressure column at a pressure which is about 60 to 160 psi higher than the low pressure column; (b) removing and subsequently warming at least a portion of the lower pressure nitrogen overhead from the top of the low pressure column and recovering the warmed, lower pressure nitrogen overhead portion as medium pressure gaseous nitrogen product; and (c) recovering medium pressure gaseous oxygen product from the low pressure column. There are two alternative ways to recover the medium pressure oxygen product of step (c).

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: In a process for the production of an oxygen-enriched air product, feed air is fed to the main heat exchangers at two pressures. The high pressure feed air from the main exchanger is partially condensed to vaporize the oxygen-enriched air product. This partially condensed feed air is separated with the vapor phase being warmed and expanded to supply refrigeration and subsequently being fed to the low pressure fractionation section, and the liquid phase being used to reflux both the high pressure and low pressure fractionation sections of a double distillation column. The low pressure feed air from the main heat exchangers is fed to the high pressure fractionation section. The high pressure fractionation section condenser is used to provide reboiler duty to the low pressure fractionation section.

Abstract: In a process, utilizing high and low pressure distillation columns, for the separation of air to produce low purity oxygen and waste nitrogen streams, feed air from the cold end of the main heat exchangers is used to reboil a low pressure distillation column and to vaporize the low purity oxygen product. This heat duty for column reboil and product vaporization is supplied by splitting the air feed into at least three substreams. One of the substreams is totally condensed and used to provide reflux to both the low pressure and high pressure distillation column, preferably the substream which is fed to the oxygen vaporizer, while a second substream is partially condensed with the vapor portion of the partially condensed substream being fed to the bottom of the high pressure distillation column and the liquid portion providing reflux to the low pressure column. The third substream is expanded to recover refrigeration and then introduced to the low pressure column as column feed.

Abstract: In a process utilizing high and low pressure distillation columns for the production of an oxygen-enriched air product, feed air is fed to the main heat exchangers at two pressures. The high pressure feed air from the main exchanger used to supply refrigeration, by expanding a portion of the high pressure air prior to introducing that portion into an intermediate location in the low pressure column, and to vaporize the oxygen-enriched air product prior to using the stream as reflux for the high pressure column. The low pressure feed air from the main heat exchangers is partially condensed to supply reboiler duty to a low pressure column and is then fed to a high pressure column. The high pressure column condenser is used to reboil an intermediate liquid in the low pressure column.