Pressure equalizing system for air separation purification and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11612850-B2
Application number	US-202017082819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2020
Priority date	Nov 8, 2019
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a pressure equalizing system for air separation purification, and a control method. The system comprises: a first air main pipe; a pressurizing gas pipeline, which is connected to the first air main pipe and used for receiving a pressurizing gas and delivering same to the first air main pipe; and a control valve, located on the pressurizing gas pipeline, and having a degree of opening regulated by the flow regulator, thereby regulating an air intake amount of the pressurizing gas pipeline. The present invention solves the problem of an air separation rectification process being affected when dry nitrogen is used for pressure equalization of an adsorber; in the switching process of entering an adsorption stage from a regeneration stage, pressurizing dry nitrogen used in a pressure equalizing step previously mixes with damp air from a main air compressor before entering the adsorber, such that the gas components flowing towards an air separation cold box remain substantially unchanged, in order to reduce disturbance in conditions of gas entering a rectification column to take part in rectification due to a gas component gradually changing from dry nitrogen to dry air in the prior art, thus stabilizing the process conditions of the air separation cold box.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pressure equalizing system for air separation purification, the system comprising:
a first adsorber and a second adsorber arranged in parallel;
a first air main pipe, located upstream of air intake ends of the adsorbers, the first air main pipe being configured to receive damp air from a main air compressor;
a first air intake branch pipe configured to connect the first air main pipe to the air intake end of the first adsorber;
a second air intake branch pipe configured to connect the first air main pipe to the air intake end of the second adsorber;
a second air main pipe, located downstream of air output ends of the adsorbers, the second air main pipe being configured to deliver a flow of dry air that has been purified in the adsorbers to an air separation cold box;
a first air output branch pipe configured to connect the second air main pipe to the air output end of the first adsorber;
a second air output branch pipe configured to connect the second air main pipe to the air output end of the second adsorber;
a pressure equalizing valve, connected to the first air output branch pipe and the second air output branch pipe separately by pipelines;
a flow regulator, located on the second air main pipe, the flow regulator being configured to measure a flow rate of dry air in the second air main pipe,
a pressurizing gas pipeline, which is connected to the first air main pipe and configured to receive a pressurizing gas and delivering same to the first air main pipe;
a control valve, located on the pressurizing gas pipeline, and having a degree of opening regulated by the flow regulator, such that the control valve is configured to regulate an air intake amount of the pressurizing gas pipeline; and
wherein the system further comprises a switch valve and a one-way valve, both located on the pressurizing gas pipeline.

2. The pressure equalizing system for air separation purification according to claim 1 , further comprising a first air intake valve and a second air intake valve, located on the first air intake branch pipe and the second air intake branch pipe respectively; a first air output valve and a second air output valve, located on the first air output branch pipe and the second air output branch pipe respectively; a first pressure transmitter and a second pressure transmitter, connected to the first adsorber and the second adsorber respectively, and configured to measure pressures of the first adsorber and the second adsorber respectively.

3. The pressure equalizing system for air separation purification according to claim 1 , wherein the system is controlled by a distributed control system DCS.

4. The pressure equalizing system for air separation purification according to claim 1 , wherein the pressurizing gas consists of one or more of dry nitrogen, dry air and/or damp air.

5. The pressure equalizing system for air separation purification according to claim 4 , wherein the pressurizing gas does not come from the main air compressor.

6. A pressure equalizing system for air separation purification, the system comprising:
a first adsorber and a second adsorber arranged in parallel;
a first air main pipe, located upstream of air intake ends of the adsorbers, the first air main pipe being configured to receive damp air from a main air compressor;
a first air intake branch pipe configured to connect the first air main pipe to the air intake end of the first adsorber;
a second air intake branch pipe configured to connect the first air main pipe to the air intake end of the second adsorber;
a second air main pipe, located downstream of air output ends of the adsorbers, the second air main pipe being configured to deliver a flow of dry air that has been purified in the adsorbers to an air separation cold box;
a first air output branch pipe configured to connect the second air main pipe to the air output end of the first adsorber;
a second air output branch pine configured to connect the second air main pipe to the air output end of the second adsorber;
a pressure equalizing valve, connected to the first air output branch pipe and the second air output branch pipe separately by pipelines;
a flow regulator, located on the second air main pipe, the flow regulator being configured to measure a flow rate of dry air in the second air main pipe,
a pressurizing gas pipeline, which is connected to the first air main pipe and configured to receive a pressurizing gas and delivering same to the first air main pipe;
a control valve, located on the pressurizing gas pipeline, and having a degree of opening regulated by the flow regulator, such that the control valve is configured to regulate an air intake amount of the pressurizing gas pipeline;
a first air intake valve and a second air intake valve, located on the first air intake branch pipe and the second air intake branch pipe respectively;
a first air output valve and a second air output valve, located on the first air output branch pipe and the second air output branch pipe respectively;
a first pressure transmitter and a second pressure transmitter, connected to the first adsorber and the second adsorber respectively, the first pressure transmitter being configured to measure pressures of the first adsorber and the second pressure transmitter being configured to measure pressures of the second adsorber respectively; and
a switch valve and a one-way valve, both located on the pressurizing gas pipeline; and a distributed control system DCS, for controlling the pressure equalizing system for air separation purification.

7. A method for controlling a pressure equalizing system, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the pressure equalizing system for air separation purification according to claim 6 , wherein when the first adsorber is in an adsorption stage and the second adsorber is in a regeneration stage, the first air intake valve and first air output valve are in an open state, while the other valves are in a closed state;
upon a determination that the second adsorber is to be subjected to pressure equalization, increasing the pressure of the second adsorber by using the DCS to slowly open the pressure equalizing valve, thereby delivering a portion of dry air from the first adsorber to the second adsorber via the pressure equalizing valve;
using the DCS to open the switch valve on the pressurizing gas pipeline; and
measuring a loss in flow rate of dry air flowing towards an air separation cold box using the flow regulator on the second air main pipe, and regulating a degree of opening of the control valve of the pressurizing gas pipeline according to the loss in flow rate, such that the pressurizing gas is delivered to the first air main pipe through the pressurizing gas pipeline, to compensate for the loss in flow rate of dry air in the second air main pipe.

8. The method for controlling the pressure equalizing system according to claim 7 , further comprising the following steps: once values of the first pressure transmitter and second pressure transmitter are nearly equal, the flow regulator on the second air main pipe measures the loss in flow rate of dry air to be zero, the control valve on the pressurizing gas pipeline is closed, at the same time the DCS closes the switch valve, and the pressure equalizing step of the second adsorber ends.

9. The method for controlling the pressure equalizing system according to claim 7 , comprising the following steps: when the first adsorber is in the regeneration stage and the second adsorber is in the adsorption stage, the second air intake valve and second air output valve are in an open state, while the other valves are in a closed state; when it is necessary to subject the first adsorber

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• Lair Liquide Sa Por Letude Et Lexploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude

Inventors

• Day Eric

Classifications

• F25J2210/58

  Argon · CPC title

• F25J2210/50

  Oxygen · CPC title

• F25J2210/42

  Nitrogen · CPC title

• F25J2210/40

  Air or oxygen enriched air, i.e. generally less than 30mol% of O2 · CPC title

• Y02C20/40

  of CO2 · CPC title