Patent ID: 6253577
Filing Date: 2001-07-03
Classification: F25J,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for the production of elevated pressure gaseous oxygen comprising:(A) compressing a multicomponent refrigerant fluid, cooling the compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid, expanding the cooled, compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid, and warming the expanded multicomponent refrigerant fluid by indirect heat exchange with said cooling compressed multicomponent refrigerant fluid and also with feed air to produce cooled feed air;(B) passing the cooled feed air into a higher pressure cryogenic rectification column and separating the feed air by cryogenic rectification within the higher pressure cryogenic rectification column to produce oxygen-enriched fluid;(C) passing the oxygen-enriched fluid into a lower pressure cryogenic rectification column, and producing oxygen-rich liquid by cryogenic rectification within the lower pressure column;(D) withdrawing oxygen-rich liquid from the lower pressure column, elevating the pressure of the oxygen-rich liquid to produce elevated pressure oxygen-rich liquid, and vaporizing the elevated pressure oxygen-rich liquid by indirect heat exchange with the multicomponent refrigerant fluid to produce oxygen rich gas; and(E) recovering the oxygen-rich gas as product elevated pressure gaseous oxygen.