A method and apparatus for producing a purified liquid argon product in which liquid argon having oxygen impurities is produced in a cryogenic air separation plant by separating argon from oxygen within an argon column. An impure liquid argon stream, composed of part of the liquid argon, is purified in an adsorbent bed by adsorbing the oxygen impurities in an adsorbent to produce a purified liquid argon stream that constitutes the purified liquid argon product. During adsorption, the adsorbent bed is maintained at a reduced temperature with a coolant to prevent vaporization of the liquid argon. The bed is then regenerated by draining residual liquid argon from the adsorbent bed, introducing the residual liquid argon back into the air separation plant and then desorbing the oxygen impurities with a regeneration gas. After regeneration, the adsorbent bed is refilled with purified liquid argon prior to being brought back on-line.

A method and apparatus for producing a purified liquid argon product in which liquid argon having oxygen impurities is produced in a cryogenic air separation plant by separating argon from oxygen within an argon column. An impure liquid argon stream, composed of part of the liquid argon, is purified in an adsorbent bed by adsorbing the oxygen impurities in an adsorbent to produce a purified liquid argon stream that constitutes the purified liquid argon product. During adsorption, the adsorbent bed is maintained at a reduced temperature with a coolant to prevent vaporization of the liquid argon. The bed is then regenerated by draining residual liquid argon from the adsorbent bed, introducing the residual liquid argon back into the air separation plant and then desorbing the oxygen impurities with a regeneration gas. After regeneration, the adsorbent bed is refilled with purified liquid argon prior to being brought back on-line.

The present invention relates to a nitrogen adsorbent having nitrogen selective adsorptivity by including an organic-inorganic hybrid nanoporous material having a coordinatively unsaturated metal site with density of 0.2 mmol/g to 10 mmol/g in a skeleton, surface or pore; and use thereof, such as a device separating nitrogen from a gas mixture containing nitrogen and methane, a pressure swing adsorption separation device and a temperature swing adsorption separation device for separating nitrogen provided, a method for separating nitrogen and methane from a gas mixture containing nitrogen and methane, a device for separating nitrogen, oxygen or argon, a method for separating nitrogen, oxygen or argon from a gas mixture containing nitrogen, oxygen or argon, and a method for preparing nitrogen or high purity inert gas all separated from a gas mixture containing nitrogen and inert gas.

A host material may be used for the separation of elements or compounds, wherein the host material is an organic molecular solid with suitable cavities for accommodating a guest material to be separated, and with interconnections between the cavities to allow the guest material to diffuse through the host material, and wherein said interconnections are closed for a proportion of the time or have a static pore limiting diameter which is smaller than the static dimension of the guest material. Applications include separations of rare gases, chiral molecules, and alkanes. One class of suitable host materials may be made by imine condensation.

A method and apparatus for producing a purified liquid argon product in which liquid argon having oxygen impurities is produced in a cryogenic air separation plant by separating argon from oxygen within an argon column. An impure liquid argon stream, composed of part of the liquid argon, is purified in an adsorbent bed by adsorbing the oxygen impurities in an adsorbent to produce a purified liquid argon stream that constitutes the purified liquid argon product. During adsorption, the adsorbent bed is maintained at a reduced temperature with a coolant to prevent vaporization of the liquid argon. The bed is then regenerated by draining residual liquid argon from the adsorbent bed, introducing the residual liquid argon back into the air separation plant and then desorbing the oxygen impurities with a regeneration gas. After regeneration, the adsorbent bed is refilled with purified liquid argon prior to being brought back on-line.