EP 1120616 A2 20010801 - Air separation method
Title (en)
Air separation method
Title (de)
Verfahren zur Luftzerlegung
Title (fr)
Méthode de séparation de l'air
Publication
Application
Priority
GB 0002084 A 20000128
Abstract (en)
Air is separated in a double rectification column 40. An oxygen product and a nitrogen product are obtained from its lower pressure column 46. None or less than 5% of the air to be separated is liquefied upstream of the rectification. The higher pressure column 44 is operated at a pressure at its bottom in the range of 8 to 15 bar. A stream of vaporous oxygen product is passed through a main heat exchanger 36 at a pressure not greater than the pressure at the bottom of the lower pressure column 46. A stream of liquid product is passed through the main heat exchanger 36 at a pressure between 15 and 80 bar so as to counteract the tendency for Joule-Thomson expansion of fluid separated in the higher pressure column 44 to cause relatively inefficient heat exchange in the main heat exchanger 36 at temperatures less than 160K without creating any severe pinch point in the main heat exchanger 36. <IMAGE>
IPC 1-7
IPC 8 full level
F25J 3/04 (2006.01)
CPC (source: EP)
F25J 3/04036 (2013.01); F25J 3/0409 (2013.01); F25J 3/04169 (2013.01); F25J 3/04175 (2013.01); F25J 3/04296 (2013.01); F25J 3/04303 (2013.01); F25J 3/04448 (2013.01); F25J 3/04545 (2013.01); F25J 3/04575 (2013.01); F25J 3/04593 (2013.01); F25J 3/04606 (2013.01); F25J 2200/20 (2013.01); F25J 2200/50 (2013.01); F25J 2200/54 (2013.01); F25J 2205/62 (2013.01); F25J 2240/40 (2013.01); F25J 2240/80 (2013.01); F25J 2245/50 (2013.01); F25J 2250/20 (2013.01); F25J 2250/42 (2013.01); F25J 2250/50 (2013.01); F25J 2290/10 (2013.01)
Designated contracting state (EPC)
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR
DOCDB simple family (publication)
EP 1120616 A2 20010801; EP 1120616 A3 20020828; GB 0002084 D0 20000322
DOCDB simple family (application)
EP 01300189 A 20010110; GB 0002084 A 20000128