An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.

Provided is a packed column capable of achieving sufficiently high distillation performance even with the height of its gas-liquid contactors reduced. The packed column is a packed column which includes a gas-liquid contactor 17, 18 inside a tubular body 16 and a liquid distributor 19 in the upper most portion and causes descending liquid and ascending gas to contact each other in the gas-liquid contactor. The operation pressure is in the range of 200 to 1500 kPaG. The relative volatility is in the range of 1.9 to 3.1. The gas-liquid contactor is vertically divided into at least two parts. A gas disperser 20 is provided at at least one position between a lower one of the gas-liquid contactors and an upper one of the gas-liquid contactors, the gas disperser uniformly dispersing the composition of the ascending gas rising from the lower gas-liquid contactor toward the upper gas-liquid contactor.

The invention relates to a column for separating air by means of cryogenic distillation, said column comprising a shell and at least four distillation segments, including at least a first intermediate distillation segment of the low-pressure column, which is surrounded by an auxiliary shell around which a space is defined that is divided into a lower section and an upper section along the radius of the column, the intermediate segment(s) being located in an intermediate part of the low-pressure column, the capacity of the first intermediate segment being greater than that of at least one adjacent segment, and an opening being disposed in the shell between two adjacent segments, which opening can be sealed if the column is to form part of an argon production device.

The plant is used for producing oxygen by cryogenic air separation. The plant has a high-pressure column, a low-pressure column and a main condenser. An argon-elimination column is in fluid connection with an intermediate point of the low-pressure column and is connected to an argon-elimination column head condenser. An auxiliary column has a sump region, into which gas is introduced from the argon-elimination column head condenser. The head of the auxiliary column is connected to a return flow liquid line, in order to introduce a liquid stream from the high-pressure column or the head condenser. The liquid stream has an oxygen content which is at least equal to that of air. At least one part of the crude liquid oxygen from the sump of the high-pressure column is fed to the auxiliary column at a first intermediate point.

A support for a packing column having a support profile with a web section running in the vertical direction and having lower end and an upper end, and having a larger vertical extension than a horizontal extension. The support also has a foot section connected to the upper end of the web section and a head section connected to the lower end of the web section. The head section has an upper face and a sub-section, the width of the upper face being smaller than width of the sub-section and also smaller than the width of the foot section. The support enables a reduced support height and less coverage.

The invention relates to a packing assembly for a material exchange column, comprising at least one structured packing plate and a container in which the at least one structured packing plate is arranged. The at least one structured packing plate has packing packets. Each packing packet has interconnected packing sheets. The packing sheets are corrugated and have corrugation peaks and corrugation valleys. Adjacent packing sheets contact each other at the corrugation peaks. Additional corrugated packing sheets are added between the packing packets such that the at least one packing plate is pretensioned against the container in a radial direction thereof. Both the corrugated packing sheets of the packing packets as well as the additional corrugated packing sheet added between the packing packets are arranged solely on a common preferred plane or parallel thereto.

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.