A method for separating components from a fluid is disclosed. A cooling element is provided and is disposed in contact with a distal side of one or more thermally-conductive surfaces. One or more resistive heating elements are provided and are disposed in contact with or embedded in a proximal side of the one or more thermally-conductive surfaces. A fluid comprising one or more secondary components is provided. The fluid is passed across the one or more thermally conductive surfaces, the one or more secondary components freezing, crystallizing, desublimating, depositing, condensing, or combinations thereof, out of the fluid. The one or more resistive heating elements engage such that the one or more solid secondary components detach and pass out the solids outlet. The one or more resistive heating elements disengage, restarting production of the one or more solid secondary components.

A portion of feed air is expanded and cooled in front of a main heat exchanger, and is used as cold for precooling the remaining unexpanded feed air inside the main heat exchanger. A portion of the feed air precooled inside the main heat exchanger is removed to outside the main heat exchanger, expanded and cooled, and used as cold to cool the remaining unexpanded precooled feed air inside the main heat exchanger.

A method for producing ammonia by catalytically reacting hydrogen provided in a first feed stream and nitrogen provided in a second feed stream is proposed, the hydrogen in the first feed stream being at least in part formed by water electrolysis and the nitrogen in the second feed stream being at least in part formed by cryogenic air separation, wherein said cryogenic air separation is performed using an air separation unit comprising a rectification column system, a recycle stream being formed in the air separation unit from a gas stream at least predominantly comprising nitrogen which is withdrawn from the rectification column system, the recycle stream being, in the order indicated, compressed, cooled, expanded and reintroduced into the rectification column system, and wherein waste heat from said catalytically reacting hydrogen and nitrogen is transferred to a steam system providing steam.

A method for separating components from a fluid is disclosed. A cooling element is provided and is disposed in contact with a distal side of one or more thermally-conductive surfaces. One or more resistive heating elements are provided and are disposed in contact with or embedded in a proximal side of the one or more thermally-conductive surfaces. A fluid comprising one or more secondary components is provided. The fluid is passed across the one or more thermally conductive surfaces, the one or more secondary components freezing, crystallizing, desublimating, depositing, condensing, or combinations thereof, out of the fluid. The one or more resistive heating elements engage such that the one or more solid secondary components detach and pass out the solids outlet. The one or more resistive heating elements disengage, restarting production of the one or more solid secondary components.

A method for producing electrical energy in a combined energy generation plant which comprises an air treatment unit and a power station unit is proposed. In a first operating mode, air is liquefied to form an air liquefaction product and, in a second operating mode, an air liquefaction product is converted into a gaseous or supercritical state, in which said product is introduced into the power station unit and is used for producing electrical energy. In a third operating mode, air is condensed in the air treatment unit and used in the power station unit directly for producing electrical energy. It is envisaged that, in the first operating mode, the air is cooled to several temperature levels by two liquid coolants and the air liquefaction product is correspondingly heated. In addition, in the first operating mode, the air is condensed stepwise over several pressure levels.

The present invention relates to a gas storage apparatus and method, and more specifically to liquid air energy storage and its use to facilitate both Demand Side Reduction (DSR) and the use of reduced-cost electricity by industrial compressed-air users. A related electricity generating apparatus and method is also disclosed. The apparatus and method use a first sensible heat coolth store and second latent heat coolth store to first reduce the gas in temperature and then to change it into a liquid phase. Coolth top up devices are also disclosed.

Cryogenic energy storage systems, and particularly methods for capturing cold energy and re-using that captured cold energy, are disclosed. The systems allow cold thermal energy from the power recovery process of a cryogenic energy storage system to be captured effectively, to be stored, and to be effectively utilised. The captured cold energy could be reused in any co-located process, for example to enhance the efficiency of production of the cryogen, to enhance the efficiency of production of liquid natural gas, and/or to provide refrigeration. The systems are such that the cold energy can be stored at very low pressures, cold energy can be recovered from various components of the system, and/or cold energy can be stored in more than one thermal store.

This invention is about an air separation apparatus to produce oxygen and nitrogen through isobaric separation, which is based on the Rankine cycle system of similar thermal energy power circulation apparatus at cryogenic side, a liquid pump is used to input work and the cold is made up to the air separation apparatus with refrigerating media, so as to realize the isobaric separation of air to produce nitrogen and oxygen. The air separation apparatus of this invention can save energy by over 30% as compared with the traditional advanced apparatus with the identical refrigerating capacity, and it can also realize centralize gas supply via the air separation apparatus, therefore it constitutes a breakthrough to the traditional air separation technology and refrigeration theory, with substantial economic, social and environmental protection benefits.

A proposed method provides a highly efficient fueled power output augmentation of the liquid air energy storage (LAES) with zero carbon emissions of its exhaust. It combines the production of liquid air using excessive power from the renewable or/and conventional energy sources and an effective recovery of stored air for production of on-demand power in the fueled supercharged reciprocating internal combustion engine (ICE) and associated expanders. A mutually beneficial integration between the LAES and ICE makes possible to recover the ICE exhaust energy for increase in power produced by the LAES expanders and to use a cold thermal energy of air re-gasified at the LAES facility for cryogenic capture of CO.sub.2 emissions from the ICE exhaust.

Cryogenic energy storage systems, and particularly methods for capturing cold energy and re-using that captured cold energy, are disclosed. The systems allow cold thermal energy from the power recovery process of a cryogenic energy storage system to be captured effectively, to be stored, and to be effectively utilised. The captured cold energy could be reused in any co-located process, for example to enhance the efficiency of production of the cryogen, to enhance the efficiency of production of liquid natural gas, and/or to provide refrigeration. The systems are such that the cold energy can be stored at very low pressures, cold energy can be recovered from various components of the system, and/or cold energy can be stored in more than one thermal store.