In a process for starting up an air separation unit, which is at a temperature of above 0? C., the air separation unit comprising a main air compressor for compressing the feed air, a booster driven by a turbine and a venting conduit connected downstream of the booster and upstream of the main heat exchanger wherein in order to start up the air separation unit, once the turbine is operating at said given speed, the venting conduit is opened to send at least part of the air compressed in the booster from the booster outlet to the atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a refrigerant composition. According to the invention it is envisioned that the composition comprises comprising an inert gas selected from nitrogen, argon, neon and a mixture thereof, and a mixture of at least two C.sub.1-C.sub.5 hydrocarbons. The present invention further relates to the use of the refrigerant composition in a method for liquefying a gaseous substance, particularly hydrogen or helium.

A method and apparatus for separating air in which production of the liquid products can be selectively varied between high and low production rates by varying the pressure ratio across a turboexpander used in imparting refrigeration with the use of a branched flow path. The branched flow path has a system of valves to selectively and gradually introduce a compressed refrigerant air stream into either a booster compressor branch having a booster compressor to increase the pressure ratio during high modes of liquid production or a bypass branch that bypasses the booster compressor to decrease the pressure ratio during low modes of liquid production. A recycle branch is connected to the booster compressor branch to allow compressed air to be independently recycled from the outlet to the inlet of the booster compressor during turndown from the high to the low liquid mode of liquid production to prevent surge.

A nitrogen production system that can produce high purity nitrogen containing a desired concentration of oxygen and ultrahigh purity nitrogen containing a desired concentration of argon in a single rectifying column while restraining increase in electric power consumption, and a production process thereof are provided. The nitrogen production system includes a heat exchanger that cools material air, a nitrogen rectifying column including a rectifying unit into which the material air cooled by the heat exchanger is introduced and a condenser that is located in a column top, a first introduction pipe that introduces the material air from the heat exchanger into a buffer unit located at a lower part from a position of the rectifying unit, a second introduction pipe for introducing an oxygen-enriched liquefied gas into the condenser from the buffer unit of the nitrogen rectifying column, a first derivation pipe for deriving ultrahigh purity nitrogen from the rectifying unit and recovering the ultrahigh purity nitrogen, and a second derivation pipe for deriving high purity nitrogen from an intermediate plate of the rectifying unit and recovering the high purity nitrogen.

A proposed method for thermally assisted electric energy storage is characterized by a significant increase in round-trip efficiency through a profitable use of waste heat energy streams from the co-located power generation and industrial facilities, combustion of renewable or fossil fuels, or harnessing the renewable energy sources. In the charge operation mode it is achieved by superheating and expansion of recirculating air stream in the liquid air energy storage with self-producing a part of power required for air liquefaction. In the discharge operation mode it is attained through the repeated and efficient use of a stream of discharged air in auxiliary power production cycle.

A method of operation of a thermal power plant having an air separation system with a plurality of air storage unit (ASU) compressors and a liquid oxygen/liquid air (LOX/LA) storage facility for oxyfuel firing of fossil fuel and a power plant having a control system to perform the same are described. The method is characterized by the step of controlling the net power output of the plant in response to short term variations in grid demanded net plant output by dynamically adjusting the works power of the ASU compressors preferably in conjunction with co-ordinated changes in firing demand. The method is in particular a method to produce an improved primary and secondary response to transient changes in grid demand and to provide accurate response to load dispatch ramps.

Process for producing gaseous oxygen by cryogenic distillation of air, wherein a portion of the feed air flow is brought to a pressure P.sub.1, by means of a first compressor, the suction temperature T.sub.0 of which is between 0 and 50 C., the gas at the pressure P.sub.1 is cooled, in order to generate an air stream at the pressure P.sub.1 and the temperature T1 between 5 and 45 C., a portion of the air compressed in the first compressor undergoes an additional compression step starting from the temperature T.sub.1 and pressure P.sub.1 to a pressure P.sub.2 greater than P.sub.1, then is cooled, to the temperature T.sub.2 where T.sub.2 and T.sub.1 differ by less than 10 C.

A method for the liquefaction of an industrial gas by integration of a methanol plant and an air separation unit (ASU) is provided. The method can include the steps of: (a) providing a pressurized natural gas stream, a pressurized purge gas stream originating from a methanol plant, and a pressurized air gas stream comprising an air gas originating from the ASU; (b) expanding three different pressurized gases to produce three cooled streams, wherein the three different pressurized gases are the pressurized natural gas stream, the pressurized purge gas stream, and the pressurized air gas stream; and (c) liquefying the industrial gas in a liquefaction unit against the three cooled streams to produce a liquefied industrial gas stream. The industrial gas to be liquefied is selected from the group consisting of a first portion of the pressurized natural gas stream, a nitrogen gas stream, hydrogen and combinations thereof.

A method for the liquefaction of an industrial gas by integration of a methanol plant and an air separation unit (ASU) is provided. The method can include the steps of: (a) providing a pressurized natural gas stream, a pressurized purge gas stream composed predominately of hydrogen and originating from a methanol plant, and a pressurized air gas stream comprising an air gas from the ASU; (b) expanding three different pressurized gases to produce three cooled streams, wherein the three different pressurized gases consist of the pressurized natural gas stream, the pressurized purge gas stream, and the pressurized air gas stream; and (c) liquefying the industrial gas in a liquefaction unit against the three cooled streams to produce a liquefied industrial gas stream, wherein the industrial gas to be liquefied is selected from the group consisting of a first portion of the pressurized natural gas stream, a nitrogen gas stream, hydrogen and combinations thereof

It is proposed to integrate a gas processing unit with a liquefaction unit. The industrial gas stream may be but is not limited to air gases of oxygen, nitrogen argon, hydrocarbon, LNG, syngas or its components, CO.sub.2, or any other molecule or combination of molecules. It is proposed to integrate the underutilized process inefficiencies of a gas processing unit into the liquefaction unit to produce a liquid at a reduced operating cost. The gas processing unit may be any system or apparatus which alters the composition of a feed gas. Examples could be, but are not limited to, a methanol plant, steam methane reformer, cogeneration plant, and partial oxidation unit.