US 12,442,491 B2
Process and apparatus for establishing vacuum insulation under cryogenic condition
Alain Briglia, Zhejiang (CN); Vincent Gueret, Zhejiang (CN); and Ren Chen, Zhejiang (CN)
Assigned to L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
Appl. No. 16/474,102
Filed by L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
PCT Filed Dec. 29, 2016, PCT No. PCT/CN2016/112920
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 27, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/119831, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 5, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0248872 A1, Aug. 6, 2020
Int. Cl. F17C 13/00 (2006.01); F25J 3/04 (2006.01); F25J 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC F17C 13/001 (2013.01) [F25J 3/04945 (2013.01); F25J 3/0695 (2013.01); F17C 2203/0391 (2013.01); F17C 2223/0161 (2013.01); F25J 2290/30 (2013.01); F25J 2290/42 (2013.01)] 34 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for establishing an insulation enclosure, the process comprising the steps of:
a) providing the insulation enclosure having a casing encompassing a cryogenic equipment, wherein the cryogenic equipment comprises a rectification column used in cryogenic air separation to produce oxygen, nitrogen, argon or other pure components of air;
b) providing a filling gas of a desired purity to the insulation enclosure;
c) performing a first purging cycle to the insulation enclosure by evacuating the insulation enclosure from a first starting pressure to a first intermediate vacuum, followed by re-pressuring the insulation enclosure with the filling gas to a second starting pressure;
d) creating and maintaining a primary vacuum in the insulation enclosure filled primarily with the filling gas; and
e) operating the cryogenic equipment to cool the insulation enclosure and the filling gas to a temperature sufficiently low to solidify the filling gas, thus creating a final vacuum in the insulation enclosure;
wherein starting from the primary vacuum, the filling gas undergoes transformation from gas phase to solid phase directly during cooling caused by the operation of the cryogenic equipment,
wherein at least a portion of the filling gas comes in direct contact with the rectification column during step e),
wherein the process further comprises an absence of adding an insulating material to the inside of the insulation enclosure.