METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING A GAS PRODUCT

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and also a device for producing a gas product, wherein a first gas stream is combined with a second gas stream and the first gas stream that is present at a lower output pressure than the second gas stream is fed to a mechanical compressor in order to be compressed to the preset pressure of the gas product. It is characteristic in this case that the pressure of the first gas stream is elevated using a gas jet compressor arranged upstream of the mechanical compressor, to which gas jet compressor at least a part of the second gas stream is fed as pumping medium.

Claims

1. A method for producing a gas product, wherein a first gas stream is combined with a second gas stream and the first gas stream that is present at a lower output pressure than the second gas stream is fed to a mechanical compressor in order to be compressed to the preset pressure of the gas product, characterized in that the pressure of the first gas stream is elevated using a gas jet compressor arranged upstream of the mechanical compressor, to which gas jet compressor at least a part of the second gas stream is fed as pumping medium.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the part of the second gas stream that is used as pumping medium is fed directly to the gas jet compressor with substantially the output pressure of the second gas stream or subsequently to a pressure elevation carried out using the mechanical compressor.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure of the first gas stream is elevated using the gas jet compressor on the output pressure thereof to a value which is greater than or equal to the suction pressure of the mechanical compressor.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method is used in the production of a carbon monoxide product in which a synthesis gas predominantly consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is fractionated in a cryogenic separation process, wherein a carbon monoxide-containing crude hydrogen stream and also at least one carbon monoxide stream which forms the second gas stream are obtained, and wherein the crude hydrogen stream are separated by pressure-swing adsorption into pure hydrogen and also a carbon monoxide-rich purge gas that is the first gas stream.

5. A device for producing a gas product having an appliance comprising a mechanical compressor for combining a first gas stream and a second gas stream, wherein the first gas stream that is present at a lower output pressure than the second gas stream can be compressed in the mechanical compressor to the preset pressure of the gas product, characterized in that said device has a gas jet compressor arranged upstream of the mechanical compressor for elevating the pressure of the first gas stream, to which at least a part of the second gas stream is feedable as pumping medium.

6. The device according to claim 5, comprising two or more parallel- and/or series-arranged gas jet compressors for elevating the pressure of the first gas stream.

7. The device according to claim 5, comprising a gas fractionator having a cryogenic part in which at least one of the two gas streams having different pressures can be generated.

8. The device according to claim 7, comprising a gas fractionator having a cryogenic part and also a pressure-swing adsorber, wherein a synthesis gas substantially consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is fractionatable in the cryogenic part into at least one carbon monoxide stream having product purity, which forms the second gas stream, and a carbon monoxide-containing crude hydrogen stream, from which pure hydrogen and a carbon monoxide-rich purge gas, which is the first gas stream, can be generated in the pressure-swing adsorber.

9. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the cryogenic part of the gas fractionator can be cooled via a cooling circuit that is driven via the mechanical compressor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Hereinafter, the invention is to be described in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown schematically in the FIGURE.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The FIGURE shows an appliance for the cryogenic fractionation of a synthesis gas principally consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, wherein carbon monoxide streams arising at differing pressure levels are combined to form a carbon monoxide product.

[0024] Via line 1, a synthesis gas substantially consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is introduced into the cryogenic part K of the gas fractionator G, where it is fractionated into crude hydrogen 2, and also the carbon monoxide streams 3, 4 and 5. The carbon monoxide streams 3, 4 and 5 all have a purity which would permit them to be delivered as carbon monoxide product, but they are at pressures which are lower than the required product pressure. They are therefore passed in the appliance W to the compressor V having the compressor sections S1, S2 and S3, in order to be combined and compressed to form the carbon monoxide product 6. The design of the compressor V is decisively determined by the carbon monoxide stream 3, the pressure level of which is lowest.

[0025] To separate off carbon monoxide and generate a hydrogen product 7 that has a purity of greater than 99.9% by volume, the crude hydrogen 2 is fed to the pressure-swing adsorption appliance D which is part of the gas fractionator G, in the regeneration of which pressure-swing adsorption appliance a carbon monoxide-rich purge gas 8 arises at a pressure which is only slightly greater than the ambient pressure and is markedly lower than the pressure of the carbon monoxide stream 3. In order to increase the carbon monoxide yield, the purge gas 8 is compressed in the gas jet compressor P to a pressure which is equal to or greater than the pressure of the carbon monoxide stream 3, wherein a part 9 of the carbon monoxide stream 4 serves as pumping medium in the gas jet compressor P. The carbon monoxide stream 10 obtained in the gas jet compressor P is then combined with the carbon monoxide stream 3 and fed via the low-pressure section S1 to the compressor V.