Abstract:
The invention relates to a method and devoice for obtaining compressed oxygen and compressed nitrogen by the low-temperature separation of air in a distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation, said distillation column system having at least one high-pressure column (8) and one low-pressure column (460), wherein the low-pressure column (460) is in a heat-exchanging connection with the high-pressure column (8) by means of a main condenser (461) designed as a condenser-evaporator. Feed air is compressed in an air compressor (2). The compressed feed air (6, 734, 802, 840) is cooled down in a main heat exchanger (20) and at least partially introduced into the high-pressure column (8). An oxygen-enriched liquid (462, 465) is removed from the high-pressure column (8) and fed to the low-pressure column (460) at a first intermediate position (464, 467, 906). A nitrogen-enriched liquid (468, 470) is removed from the high-pressure column (8) and/or the main condenser (461) and fed to the head of the low-pressure column (460). A liquid oxygen flow (11, 12) is removed from the distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation, brought to an elevated pressure in the liquid state (13), introduced into the main heat exchanger (20) at said elevated pressure, evaporated or pseudo-evaporated and heated to approximately ambient temperature in the main heat exchanger (20), and finally obtained as a gaseous compressed oxygen product (14). A high-pressure process flow (34, 734) is brought into indirect heat exchange with the oxygen flow in the main heat exchanger (20) and then depressurized (36, 38; 736, 738), wherein the depressurized high-pressure flow (37, 737) is introduced at least partially in the liquid state into the distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation. A gaseous circuit nitrogen flow (18, 19) is drawn from the high-pressure column and at least partially (21) compressed in a circuit compressor (22). A first sub-flow (45, 46; 244, 242, 230; 845, 846) of the circuit nitrogen flow is removed from the circuit compressor (22, 322), cooled down in the main heat exchanger (20), at least partially condensed in the bottom evaporator (9, 209) of the high-pressure column (8) in indirect heat exchange with the bottom liquid of the high-pressure column (8), and conducted back into the distillation column system for nitrogen-oxygen separation. A second sub-flow of the circuit nitrogen flow is branched off upstream and/or downstream of the circuit compressor and/or from an intermediate stage of the circuit compressor at a product pressure (P, P1, P2, P3, P4) and obtained as a compressed nitrogen product (27, 29, 53, 564, 565). The circuit compressor (22, 322) is designed as a hot compressor and is driven by means of external energy.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method and to a device that serve for producing compressed nitrogen by low-temperature decomposition of air in a distillation column system which has a high-pressure column (202), a low-pressure column (203), a high-pressure column head condenser (204) and a low-pressure column head condenser (205). A main air compressor (9) constitutes the only gas compressor powered by external energy. In the main air compressor (9) the feed air is compressed to a total air pressure which is at least 5 bars above the operating pressure of the high-pressure column (202). A first part-stream (56) of the high-pressure total air stream (11, 811) from the main air compressor (9) is expanded to perform work as operating pressure of the high-pressure column or a higher pressure (57) and is introduced into the distillation column system (201). A second part-stream (52, 55) of the high-pressure total air stream (11, 811) is cooled in a main heat exchanger (51) and is introduced at least partially in liquid form into the distillation column system (206, 210). An internally compressed nitrogen stream is formed by a part-stream (319) of the liquid nitrogen stream (215) from the high-pressure column head condenser (204) and/or a part-stream (234, 334) of the liquid nitrogen stream (232) from the low-pressure column head condenser (205); the internally compressed nitrogen stream is brought in the liquid state to a product pressure (235, 335a, 335b) which is between 15 and 100 bars; then the internally compressed nitrogen stream is heated in the main heat exchanger (51) and then extracted as a gaseous compressed nitrogen product (60) below the product pressure.
Abstract:
A method for producing electrical energy in a combined energy generation plant (100, 200) which comprises an air treatment unit (10) and a power station unit (20) is proposed. In a first operating mode, air (AIR) is liquefied to form an air liquefaction product (LAIR) and, in a second operating mode, an air liquefaction product (LAIR) is converted into a gaseous or supercritical state, in which said product is introduced into the power station unit (20) and is used for producing electrical energy. In a third operating mode, air (AIR) is condensed in the air treatment unit (10) and used in the power station unit (20) directly for producing electrical energy. It is envisaged that, in the first operating mode, the air (AIR) is cooled to several temperature levels (T1 - T5) by two liquid coolants and the air liquefaction product (LAIR) is correspondingly heated. In addition, in the first operating mode, the air (AIR) is condensed stepwise over several pressure levels (LP, MP, MP1, HP). In addition, in the second operating mode, the air liquefaction product (LAIR) is heated to a further pressure level (HP1) and introduced into the power station unit (20) at this pressure level in gaseous form. Finally, in the third operating mode, the air (AIR) is introduced into the power station unit (20) in separate batches and at different pressure levels (MP1, HP or HP1). A corresponding energy generation plant (100, 200) is likewise the subject matter of the invention.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method and device for generating two purified partial air streams under different pressures. A total air stream (1) is compressed to a first total air pressure. The compressed total air stream (5) is cooled with cooling water under the first total air pressure by way of heat exchange (4, 6). The heat exchange with cooling water for cooling the total air stream (5) is carried out as a direct heat exchange in a first direct contact cooler (6), at least in part. The cooled total air stream (9) is divided into a first partial air stream (10) and a second partial air stream (11). The first partial air stream (10) is purified in a first purification device (18) under the first total air pressure, generating the first purified partial air stream (19). The second partial air stream (11) is re-compressed to a higher pressure (12), which is higher than the first total air pressure. The re-compressed second partial air stream (14) is cooled with cooling water in a second direct contact cooler (15) by way of direct heat exchange (13, 15). The cooled second partial air stream (17) is purified under the higher pressure in a second purification device (30), thus generating the second purified partial air stream (31).
Abstract:
The process and the apparatus serve to generate electric energy in a combined system comprising a power station and air treatment plant. The power station has a first gas expansion unit (300) which is connected to a generator for generating electric energy. The air treatment plant has an air compression unit (2), a heat exchanger system (21) and a tank (200) for liquid. In a first operating mode, feed air is, in the air treatment plant, compressed in the air compression unit (2) and cooled in the heat exchanger system (21), a storage fluid containing less than 40 mol% of oxygen is produced from the compressed and cooled feed air and the storage fluid is stored as low-temperature liquid (101) in the tank (200) for liquid. In a second operating mode, low-temperature liquid (103) is taken from the tank (200) for liquid and vaporized or pseudovaporized under superatmospheric pressure and the gaseous high-pressure storage fluid (104) produced in this way is expanded in the gas expansion unit (300). In the second operating mode, the (pseudo)vaporization of the low-temperature liquid is carried out in the heat exchanger system (21) of the air treatment plant.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method and a device used for the low-temperature separation of air in a distillation column system, comprising at least one high-pressure column (11) and a low-pressure column (12). The method has a high pre-liquifaction of 30% or more. Feed air is introduced into the distillation column system. The distillation column system further has a pre-column (10), the operating pressure of which is higher than the operating pressure of the high-pressure column (11). A first partial stream (1) of the feed air is introduced into the pre-column (10). The pre-column (10) has a head condenser (14), which is configured as a condenser-evaporator having a condensation chamber and an evaporation chamber. A gaseous fraction (30, 31) from the upper region of the pre-column (10) is introduced into the condensation chamber of the head condenser (14). Fluid (6) formed in the condensation chamber is at least partially applied to the pre-column (10) as runback (7). A second partial stream (2a; 2b) of the feed air is introduced into the evaporation chamber of the head condenser (14).
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for producing at least one air product, wherein an air separation system (100) is used which has a primary air compressor (10), a primary heat exchanger (20) and a distillation column system (30), and which comprises a first and a second operation mode, wherein, in the first operating mode, at least one liquid air product (LIN, LOX) produced in the distillation column system (30) is saved and, in the second operating mode, the at least one air product (LIN, LOX, LAIR) saved in the first operating mode and/or at least one additional liquid air product is supplied to the distillation column system (30). The method is characterized in that, in the second operating mode, at least one gaseous pressure flow (b - g) at a temperature level which lies below a hot-side temperature of the primary heat exchanger (20) is supplied to a cold compressor (45), compressed in the cold compressor (45) from a first above-atmospheric pressure level to a second above-atmospheric pressure level, and is supplied to at least one distillation column (31, 32) of the distillation column system (30) at the second above-atmospheric pressure level. The invention further relates to a corresponding air separation system (100) and to a method and to a device for producing electrical energy.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method and to a device for generating electrical energy in a combined system consisting of a power plant and an air handling system. The power plant comprises a first gas expansion unit (300) which is connected to a generator for generating electrical energy. The air handling system comprises an air compression unit (2), a heat exchange system (21), and a fluid tank (200). In a first operating mode, feed air is compressed in the air compression unit (2) in the air handling system and is cooled in the heat exchange system (21) against a first and a second coolant. A storage fluid is generated from the compressed and cooled feed air and is stored as cryogenic fluid (101) in the fluid tank (200). In a second operating mode, cryogenic fluid (103) is removed from the fluid tank (200) and is vaporized, or pseudo-vaporized, at superatmospheric pressure, and is heated in the heat exchange system (21) against a second coolant (164) and a first coolant (162). The gaseous high pressure storage fluid (104) thus generated is expanded in the gas expansion unit (300). In the first operating mode, the feed air compressed in the air compression unit (2) in the heat exchange system (21) enters, at the same pressure, into indirect heat exchange with the first liquid coolant and with the second liquid coolant.
Abstract:
The process and the device serve for cryogenic air fractionation, in particular for supplying an oxygen-enriched product stream to an oxyfuel power plant. The distillation column system for nitrogen/oxygen separation has a high-pressure column (26) and a low-pressure column (32). The high-pressure column (26) and the low-pressure column (32) are thermally coupled via a condenser-evaporator (37). Feed air (1) is compressed in an air compressor (3), cooled at least in a first post-cooler (6) and purified in a purification device (22), cooled in a main heat exchanger (23a, 23b, 23c) and introduced at least in part (25, 29) into the high-pressure column (26). At least one liquid stream (33, 35) is introduced from the high-pressure column (26) into the low-pressure column (32). An oxygen-enriched product stream (41, 45, 46,47, 48) is taken off from the low-pressure column (32). A first nitrogen stream (63, 64, 65, 66) is withdrawn from the high-pressure column (26) and warmed to a temperature of at least 280 K (6). The warmed first nitrogen stream (67) is work-expanded (72) in a first warm expansion engine (68). The first nitrogen stream (70, 71) which is expanded in the first warm expansion engine (68) is work-expanded in a second warm expansion engine (72).
Abstract:
The process and the apparatus serve for separation of a fluid mixture. The fluid mixture (1) is supplied to a pressure increase (2) in the liquid state at a first pressure (P1) which is subcritical and a first temperature (T1) which is subcritical. The pressure increase (2) involves bringing the fluid mixture to a second pressure (P2) which is supercritical without a phase transition. Under the second pressure (P2), it is heated (4) to a second temperature (T2) which is supercritical and then subjected to a decompression (7) to a third pressure (P3) which is subcritical. The decompressed fluid mixture (8) is finally supplied to a separation step (9) in which at least one component of the fluid mixture is removed, the separation step being performed at a third temperature (T3) which is subcritical.