(19)
(11) EP 1 746 374 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
21.12.2011 Bulletin 2011/51

(43) Date of publication A2:
24.01.2007 Bulletin 2007/04

(21) Application number: 06117128.6

(22) Date of filing: 13.07.2006
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
F25J 3/04(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR
Designated Extension States:
AL BA HR MK RS

(30) Priority: 21.07.2005 US 681749 P

(71) Applicant: L'AIR LIQUIDE, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
75007 Paris (FR)

(72) Inventors:
  • Pawulski, Tadeusz
    The Woodlands, TX 77381 (US)
  • Turney, Michael A.
    Houston, TX 77094 (US)

(74) Representative: Mercey, Fiona Susan 
L'Air Liquide SA, Direction de la Propriété Intellectuelle, 75, Quai d'Orsay
75321 Paris Cedex 07
75321 Paris Cedex 07 (FR)

   


(54) Process and apparatus for the separation of air by cryogenic distillation


(57) A cryogenic distillation apparatus for the separation of air using a column system comprises at least one column (HP,LP,M) a main heat exchanger (E1), a conduit (5,11,7) for sending cooled compressed air to the main heat exchanger and from the main heat exchanger to the column system, conduits (33,19) for sending oxygen enriched, and nitrogen enriched streams from the column system to the main heat exchanger, a purge vaporizer (E2), a conduit for removing a purge stream (31) from the column system and sending the purge stream to the purge vaporizer, a conduit (13) for sending compressed and purified air (9) to the purge vaporizer and a conduit for sending compressed and purified air from the purge vaporizer to the column system.







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