초록

A cryogenic air separation process for producing liquid oxygen and other liquid products wherein refrigeration generation for the process is decoupled from the flow of process streams and is produced at least in part by at least on multicomponent refrigerant fluid refrigeration circuit.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A process for the production of liquid oxygen by the cryogenic rectification of feed air comprising:(A) compressing a multicomponent refrigerant fluid, cooling the compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid, expanding the cooled, compressed multicomponent refrigerant f

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A process for the production of liquid oxygen by the cryogenic rectification of feed air comprising:(A) compressing a multicomponent refrigerant fluid, cooling the compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid, expanding the cooled, compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid, and warming the expanded multicomponent refrigerant fluid by indirect heat exchange with said cooling compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid and also with feed air to produce cooled feed air;(B) passing the cooled feed air into a higher pressure cryogenic rectification column and separating the feed air by cryogenic rectification within the higher pressure cryogenic rectification column into nitrogen-enriched fluid and oxygen-enriched fluid;(C) passing nitrogen-enriched fluid and oxygen-enriched fluid into a lower pressure cryogenic rectification column, and separating the fluids passed into the lower pressure column by cryogenic rectification to produce nitrogen-rich fluid and oxygen-rich fluid; and(D) withdrawing oxygen-rich fluid from the lower portion of the lower pressure column liquid and recovering the withdrawn oxygen-rich fluid as product liquid oxygen.