US 12,123,647 B2
Air separation device and air separation method
Hiroshi Tachibana, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to TAIYO NIPPON SANSO CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/624,707
Filed by TAIYO NIPPON SANSO CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jul. 10, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/027313
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/005744, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0252344 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. F25J 3/04 (2006.01)
CPC F25J 3/04478 (2013.01) [F25J 3/04018 (2013.01); F25J 3/04448 (2013.01); F25J 3/04715 (2013.01); F25J 3/04787 (2013.01); F25J 3/048 (2013.01); F25J 2200/08 (2013.01); F25J 2210/40 (2013.01); F25J 2215/04 (2013.01); F25J 2215/42 (2013.01); F25J 2215/50 (2013.01); F25J 2215/58 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air separation device, comprising:
a high-pressure column configured to distill high-pressure raw material air at a low temperature and separate it into high-pressure nitrogen gas and high-pressure oxygen-enriched liquefied air;
a low-pressure column configured to distill the high-pressure oxygen-enriched liquefied air at a low temperature and separate it into low-pressure nitrogen gas, low-pressure liquefied oxygen, and argon-enriched liquefied oxygen;
an argon column configured to distill the argon-enriched liquefied oxygen having a pressure higher than the pressure of the low-pressure column at a low temperature and separate it into argon gas and medium-pressure liquefied oxygen;
a first indirect heat-exchanger configured to indirectly heat-exchange between the argon gas and the low-pressure liquefied oxygen, liquefy the argon gas to generate liquefied argon, and vaporize the low-pressure liquefied oxygen to generate low-pressure oxygen gas;
a second indirect heat-exchanger configured to indirectly heat-exchange between the high-pressure nitrogen gas and the medium-pressure liquefied oxygen, liquefy the high-pressure nitrogen gas to generate high-pressure liquefied nitrogen, and vaporize the medium-pressure liquefied oxygen to generate medium-pressure oxygen gas;
a first gas-liquid separation chamber configured to separate the low-pressure oxygen gas which has been vaporized by the first indirect heat-exchanger and the low-pressure liquefied oxygen which has not been vaporized by the first indirect heat-exchanger into a gas phase and a liquid phase;
a second gas-liquid separation chamber configured to separate the medium-pressure oxygen gas which has been vaporized by the second indirect heat-exchanger and the medium-pressure liquefied oxygen which has not been vaporized by the second indirect heat-exchanger into a gas phase and a liquid phase;
a first passage configured to communicate the gas phase of the low-pressure column and the gas phase of the second gas-liquid separation chamber;
a second passage configured to communicate the liquid phase of the low-pressure column and the second gas-liquid separation chamber;
a movable first opening/closing mechanism located on the first passage; and
a movable second opening/closing mechanism located on the second passage.