An improved procedure for the criogenic separation of air in at least one liquid product and at least one gaseous product. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

摘要

An improved process for the cryogenic separation of air in at least one liquid product and at least one gaseous product, by fractional distillation at high pressure and subsequently at low pressure, where the compressed air is cooled by heat exchange with cold currents from the process, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: compressing the air at a main pressure of 8,43 to 49,21 kg/cm2 gauge, which is greater than the high pressure distillation; selectively absorb atmospheric impurities from the compressed air prior to cryogenic cooling, in such a way that prepurified air is supplied; cooling and expanding by work a first minor portion comprising 1 to 20% of said prepurified air at a pressure lower than high pressure distillation and recovering the refrigerant capacity of the resulting low pressure, cold gas for the process; cooling and liquefying a second minor portion comprising 1 to 20% of said prepurified air to form liquid air and distilling said liquid air, cooling for said liquification being supplied by the cold streams that are thereby partially heated; partially cooling the main portion of the prepurified air by the partially heated cold streams, to a temperature above the temperature of the cooled and liquefied second lower portion, and expanding the partially cooled main portion to the pressure of the high pressure distillation by work, so that the cold, expanded fluid is substantially completely gaseous, and flowing at least part of the resulting cold gas to high pressure distillation; and extracting at least one liquid product and at least one gaseous product from the distillation and discharging the liquid and gaseous products from the process. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)