THERMALLY POWERED OXYGEN/NITROGEN PLANT INCORPORATING AN OXYGEN SELECTIVE ION TRANSPORT MEMBRANE

摘要

A low energy cost process for the co-production of oxygen and nitrogen productgases employs a fuel feed tube (506) which extends into oxygen selective iontransport membrane (424) whereby fuel (440) is introduced adjacent its closedend and flows concurrently with oxygen containing gas in annulus (510) and anoxygen selective ion transport membrane having separator section (436) andreactor section (438). Oxygen-containing feedstock (406) is compressed andthen contacts cathode side (426) of separator section (436) where a portion ofthe oxygen is transported to anode side (428) and recovered as an oxygenproduct gas. Substantially the remainder of the oxygen is transported fromcathode side (426) to anode side (428) and exothermically reacted with a fuel.Hot nitrogen rich product gas is expanded into a turbine to generate the powernecessary to compress the feedstock. Expanded nitrogen rich gas may then berecovered from the turbine exhaust.