The distillation column system has a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column, a main condenser and a low-pressure-column top condenser. Feed air is cooled in a main heat exchanger and introduced into the high-pressure column. An oxygen-enriched liquid stream is withdrawn from the high-pressure column and introduced into the low-pressure column. A gaseous nitrogen stream is withdrawn from the high-pressure column, warmed in the main heat exchanger and withdrawn as gaseous pressurized nitrogen product. The high-pressure column has a barrier-plate section arranged immediately above the point at which the feed air is introduced. The oxygen-enriched liquid stream is withdrawn from the high-pressure column above the barrier-plate section. A purge stream is withdrawn below the barrier-plate section. The gaseous nitrogen stream, before being warmed in the main heat exchanger, is warmed in a counter-current subcooler in indirect heat exchange with the oxygen-enriched liquid stream from the high-pressure column.

Disclosed herein are new processes for adsorbing oxygen using adsorbent compositions comprising RHO zeolites kinetically selective for oxygen. The RHO zeolites can be used in pressure swing adsorption processes for separating oxygen from oxygen containing streams, such as for, but not limited to, purifying a crude argon feed stream or separating oxygen from an air feed stream.

A method for separating air by cryogenic distillation in a system of columns comprising a first column and a second column operating at a lower pressure than the first column, comprising the steps of compressing all of the feed air in a first compressor to a first output pressure of at least 1 bar greater than the pressure of the first column, sending a first portion of the air under the first output pressure to the second compressor, and compressing the air to a second output pressure, cooling and condensing at least a portion of the air under the second output pressure in a heat exchanger, withdrawal of a liquid from a column of the system of columns, pressurising the liquid and evaporating the liquid by heat exchange in the heat exchanger, and pressure reduction of a portion of the compressed air to a second output pressure, at least partially evaporating said air in the heat exchanger, optionally additional heating of said air in the heat exchanger, and sending at least a portion of this air to the second compressor.

Disclosed herein are new processes for adsorbing oxygen using adsorbent compositions comprising RHO zeolites kinetically selective for oxygen. The RHO zeolites can be used in pressure swing adsorption processes for separating oxygen from oxygen containing streams, such as for, but not limited to, purifying a crude argon feed stream or separating oxygen from an air feed stream.

The invention relates to a method and device for generating two purified partial air streams under different pressures. A total air stream (1) is compressed to a first total air pressure. The compressed total air stream (5) is cooled with cooling water under the first total air pressure by way of heat exchange (4, 6). The heat exchange with cooling water for cooling the total air stream (5) is carried out as a direct heat exchange in a first direct contact cooler (6), at least in part. The cooled total air stream (9) is divided into a first partial air stream (10) and a second partial air stream (11). The first partial air stream (10) is purified in a first purification device (18) under the first total air pressure, generating the first purified partial air stream (19). The second partial air stream (11) is re-compressed to a higher pressure (12), which is higher than the first total air pressure. The re-compressed second partial air stream (14) is cooled with cooling water in a second direct contact cooler (15) by way of direct heat exchange (13, 15). The cooled second partial air stream (17) is purified under the higher pressure in a second purification device (30), thus generating the second purified partial air stream (31).

In a cyclic adsorptive gas purification process, an impurity laden adsorbent is regenerated by exposing it first to an unheated gas for a pre-determined time period to desorb at least some of the impurity, followed by heating the adsorbent using a flowing stream of a heated gas to desorb the remaining impurities over another pre-determined time period, further followed by cooling of the adsorbent using a flowing stream of gas for yet another pre-determined time period to make it ready for repeating the adsorptive cycle. Introducing an unheated purge stream reduces the energy requirements for the regeneration step compared to a traditional TSA process.

An air gas separation plant comprising, in the direction of circulation of the air stream: a compression means that makes it possible to compress the air stream to a pressure P1 of between 1.15 bar abs and 2 bar abs, an adsorption unit of TSA type, and a cryogenic distillation unit, with the adsorption unit comprising at least two adsorbers A and B each having a parallelepipedal casing arranged horizontally and comprising: an air stream inlet and an air stream outlet, a fixed bed adsorbent mass, likewise of parallelepipedal shape, the faces of which are parallel to the faces of the casing; and a set of volumes allowing the air stream to pass through the adsorbent mass horizontally, over the entire cross-section and throughout the entire thickness thereof.

A process and air separation plant for producing one or more air products by cryogenic separation of air in an air separation plant wherein a first fraction and a second fraction of feed air quantity are post-compressed in a post-compressor from a first pressure level to a second pressure level at least 3 bar above the first pressure level, and are extracted from a post-compressor jointly at the second pressure level, impure nitrogen, the nitrogen content of which lies below an overhead product of a high-pressure column, is extracted from the high-pressure column at the first pressure level and is expanded using a second turboexpander which is mechanically coupled to a first booster, and a fluid enriched with argon is extracted from a low-pressure column, is depleted of argon and is recycled into the low-pressure column.

A distributor module for a process plant, in particular an air-separation plant, which can be connected by means of fluid lines to a main-air-compressor arrangement, at least two adsorbers, each of which can be operated in an adsorption phase and a regeneration phase, and a main-heat-exchanger arrangement, comprising a compressor connection, comprising, for each adsorber to be connected, a pair of connections having a first adsorber connection and a second adsorber connection, comprising a first heat-exchanger connection and a second heat-exchanger connection, and comprising a residual-gas connection or a residual-gas outlet; and a valve-and-flap assembly which is designed to act, according to choice, for each pair of connections, in a first state of the pair of connections, or; in a second state of the pair of connections.

The present invention relates to a cryogenic air separation process that provides high pressure oxygen for an oxy-fired combustion of a fuel (e.g., a carbonaceous fuel). The air separation process can be directly integrated into a closed cycle power production process utilizing a working fluid, such as CO.sub.2. Beneficially, the air separation process can eliminate the need for inter-cooling between air compression stages and rather provide for recycling the adiabatic heat of compression into a process step in further methods wherein an additional heat supply is beneficial.