A method for installation of a cryogenic distillation apparatus is provided. The method can include the steps of: providing an upper module section having an upper column section disposed within and secured to the upper module section, wherein the upper module comprises a roof; providing a lower module section having a lower column section disposed within and secured to the lower module section; erecting the lower module section from a horizontal position to a vertical position at an installation site; lifting the upper module section from a horizontal position and attaching the upper module section, while in a vertical position, to a top portion of the lower module section; lowering the upper column section, independent of the upper module section, toward the lower column section; and welding the upper column section and the lower column section together.

The jacking system and method for using it to lower an upper column section without the use of a crane is provided. The jacking system is configured to be disposed on a roof of a cold box module and may include: a structural assembly; and a plurality of suspension rods supported at an upper end by the structural assembly, wherein the plurality of suspension rods is configured to provide support to the upper column section

An arrangement of insulation within a container to prevent heat leakage from the ambient to an apparatus located within the container that operates at a cryogenic temperature. The arrangement of insulation includes bulk insulation filling the container and an insulation layer that is located within the container, between the apparatus and the container. The insulation layer as opposed to the bulk insulation has a lower thermal conductivity. An exterior region of the apparatus is situated closer to an opposite container wall region of the container than remaining exterior regions of the apparatus. The insulation layer is sized to only insulate the exterior region of the apparatus from heat leakage from the opposite container wall region. The insulation layer can be formed of an aerogel.

A pre-fabricated or shop-built structural support assembly cold box structures containing distillation columns or other cold box equipment in an air separation unit is provided.

Provided are a refrigerator including an aerogel serving as an auxiliary insulation material and a manufacturing method thereof.

The refrigerator includes a main body including an inner case constituting a storage compartment and an outer case disposed outside the inner case, a main insulation material disposed between the inner case and the outer case, and an aerogel coating layer formed on a rear surface of the inner case or a front surface of the outer case by coating a liquid-phase aerogel and curing the aerogel.

A method of transporting at least one panel intended to form part of a distillation apparatus in which a first, possibly partial, enclosure is built to contain an element of a distillation apparatus that is to operate at a temperature other than ambient temperature, at least one panel is attached to the first enclosure, the first enclosure attached to the at least one panel is transported to an erection site, the at least one panel is detached from the first enclosure and used to finish building the first or to build the second enclosure or to build a completely different element of the plant.

An apparatus for modular heat exchanger assembly is provided for horizontal transport and vertical orientation installation can include a frame that can be configured to retain a heat exchanger for transport and installation. The frame can facilitate transportation of the heat exchanger while the heat exchanger is in its horizontal orientation and can also facilitate lifting of the frame to orient the heat exchanger in its vertical orientation for installation and use.

The invention relates to an insulated chamber comprising at least one element that may operate at sub-ambient temperature, the space around the element(s) being filled with solid insulation and means for injecting a gas containing at least 95 mol-% nitrogen into the insulation, at least some of the gas-injection means opening at a position vertically above at least one element to insulate.

A process for establishing vacuum insulation under cryogenic condition and an apparatus compatible with such process are described. When an insulation enclosure filled with high purity CO.sub.2 is evacuated to around 100 absolute Pa at ambient temperature, hard vacuum of below 1 absolute Pa may be automatically obtained within the insulation enclosure when temperature drops to around or below 170 C. This process can be employed to provide vacuum insulation for cold box housing air separation units operated under cryogenic condition.

A liquefier device which may be a retrofit to an air separation plant or utilized as part of a new design. The flow needed for the liquefier comes from an air separation plant running in a maxim oxygen state, in a stable mode. The three gas flows are low pressure oxygen, low pressure nitrogen, and higher pressure nitrogen. All of the flows are found on the side of the main heat exchanger with a temperature of about 37 degrees Fahrenheit. All of the gases put into the liquefier come out as a subcooled liquid, for storage or return to the air separation plant. This new liquefier does not include a front end electrical compressor, and will take a self-produced liquid nitrogen, pump it up to a runnable 420 PSIG pressure, and with the use of turbines, condensers, flash pots, and multi pass heat exchangers. The liquefier will make liquid from a planned amount of any pure gas oxygen or nitrogen an air separation plant can produce.