Air separation apparatus and method
US5456083A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 26, 1994 |
| Grant date | Oct 10, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 26, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF25J2250/50
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An air separation apparatus and method in which a high pressure gaseous product is produced as a liquid, pumped to a delivery pressure and then vaporized prior to its discharge as product. In order to accomplish the requisite vaporization, a subsidiary stream of incoming air is compressed by a booster compressor and then passed into indirect heat exchange with the pumped liquid in a falling film evaporator. The falling film evaporator maintains an essentially constant temperature difference between the air and falling film, formed of the pumped liquid. As a result, a very small temperature differences can be maintained as compared with the conventional use of a thermosyphon reboiler. As a result, less booster compression is required for the subsidiary air stream over a prior art plant.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.