Air separation plant, method for obtaining a product containing argon, and method for creating an air separation plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10591209-B2
Application number	US-201414765847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2014
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

An air separation plant for obtaining product containing argon by low temperature separation of compressed, cooled feed air. The air separation plant comprises a high-pressure column, a multi-part low-pressure column having a base segment and a head segment and a multi-part crude argon column having a base segment and a head segment. An oxygen-enriched flow is obtained from part of the feed air in the high pressure column, an argon-enriched flow is obtained from part of the oxygen-enriched flow in the low-pressure column, and an argon-rich flow is obtained from part of the argon-enriched flow in the crude argon column. Liquid flow is transferred from a lower region of the head segment of the low-pressure column and from a lower region of the base segment of the crude argon column into an upper region of the base segment of the low-pressure column.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air separation plant for producing an argon-containing product by low-temperature separation of compressed cooled feed air, said air separation plant comprising:
a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column constructed in a multi-piece manner having a foot section and a top section arranged spatially separate therefrom, and a crude argon column constructed in a multi-piece manner having a foot section and a top section arranged spatially separate therefrom, wherein, in the high-pressure column, at least one oxygen-enriched stream is obtainable from at least a part of the feed air, in the low-pressure column at least one argon-enriched stream is obtainable from at least a part of the oxygen-enriched stream, wherein said argon-enriched stream is obtained from a lower part of the top section of the low-pressure column, and in the crude argon column, at least one argon-rich stream is obtainable from at least a part of the argon-enriched stream,
a first pipeline for removing at least one liquid stream from a lower region of the top section of the low-pressure column, a second pipeline for removing at least one liquid stream from a lower region of the foot section of the crude argon column, wherein said first pipeline is in direct fluid communication with a shared pump and wherein the second pipeline is in fluid communication with said shared pump, and a third pipeline for transferring the at least one liquid stream from a lower region of the top section of the low-pressure column and the at least one liquid stream from a lower region of the foot section of the crude argon column from the shared pump into an upper region of the foot section of the low-pressure column.

2. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the foot section and the top section of the crude argon column are arranged geodetically at least in part next to the top section of the low-pressure column.

3. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column is arranged geodetically completely above the top section of the low-pressure column.

4. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the foot section of the low-pressure column is arranged in vertical plan view next to the top section thereof and/or the foot section of the crude argon column is arranged in vertical plan view next to the top section thereof.

5. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the high-pressure column and the foot section of the low-pressure column are arranged in a common cold box.

6. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the top section of the low-pressure column and either the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column are arranged in a common cold box.

7. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 6 , in which said common cold box is connectable by means of a piping module to further components of the air separation plant.

8. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the high-pressure column and the foot section of the low-pressure column are constructed as a structural unit and are in heat-exchange connection to one another via a main condenser.

9. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a pure argon column, wherein at least one fluid of the pure argon column is coolable by the oxygen-enriched stream.

10. A method for obtaining an argon-containing product by low temperature separation of compressed cooled feed air in an air separation plant, said air separation comprising a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column constructed in multi-part form having a foot section and a top section arranged spatially separate therefrom, and a crude argon column constructed in a multi-part form having a foot section and a top section arranged spatially separate therefrom, said process comprising:
introducing at least a part of the feed air into the high-pressure column and obtaining at least one oxygen-enriched stream from the at least a part of the feed air introduced into the high-pressure column,
introducing at least a part of the oxygen-enriched stream into the crude argon column and obtaining at least one argon-enriched stream from at least a part of the oxygen-enriched stream introduced into the crude argon column, wherein said argon-enriched stream is obtained from a lower part of the top section of the low-pressure column,
obtaining at least one argon-rich stream from at least a part of the argon-enriched stream, and
transferring at least one first liquid stream from a lower region of the top section of the low-pressure column via a first pipeline that is in direct fluid communication with a shared pump, transferring at least one second liquid stream from a lower region of the foot section of the crude argon column via a second pipeline that is in fluid communication with said shared pump, and transferring said first and second liquid streams from said a shared pump to an upper region of the foot section of the low-pressure column via a third pipeline.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , in which the foot section and the top section of the crude argon column are arranged geodetically at least in part next to the top section of the low-pressure column.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , in which the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column is arranged geodetically completely above the top section of the low-pressure column.

13. A method for generating an air separation plant, said method comprising:
providing a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column constructed in a multi-part manner having a foot section and a top section, and a crude argon column constructed in a multi-part manner having a foot section and a top section, and
providing a shared pump by means of which at least one liquid stream from a lower region of the top section of the low-pressure column and at least one liquid stream from a lower region of the foot section of the crude argon column are directly transferred to an upper region of the foot section of the low-pressure column.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , in which the foot section and the top section of the crude argon column is arranged geodetically at least in part next to the top section of the low-pressure column.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , in which the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column is arranged geodetically completely above the top section of the low-pressure column.

16. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column is arranged geodetically at least in part next to the top section of the low-pressure column.

17. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the foot section of the low-pressure column is arranged in vertical plan view next to the top section thereof.

18. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 1 , in which the foot section of the crude argon column is arranged in vertical plan view next to the top section thereof.

19. The air separation plant as claimed in claim 10 , in which the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column arranged geodetically at least in part next to the top section of the low-pressure column.

20. The method as claimed in claim 13 , in which the foot section or the top section of the crude argon column is arranged geodetically at least in part next to the top section of the low-pressure column.

21. The method

Assignees

• Linde Ag

Inventors

• Lochner Stefan

Classifications

• F25J2235/52

  the fluid being oxygen enriched compared to air ("crude oxygen") · CPC title

• F25J3/04048

  by compression of cold gaseous streams, e.g. intermediate or oxygen enriched (waste) streams · CPC title

• F25J3/04666

  as a parallel working rectification column of the low pressure column in a dual pressure main column system · CPC title

• F25J3/0489

  Modularity and arrangement of parts of the air fractionation unit, in particular of the cold box, e.g. pre-fabrication, assembling and erection, dimensions, horizontal layout "plot" (F25J3/04872 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25J3/0409

  of oxygen · CPC title