Patent ID: 7444834

Claim:
A method for supplying a pressurized gas by vaporization of a cryogenic liquid from at least two cryogenic separation units, at least one of said units comprising a heat exchanger and a system of columns, in which, in each separation unit, a) a compressed and purified gas mixture is cooled in the heat exchanger to produce a compressed, purified and cooled gas mixture, b) the compressed, purified and cooled gas mixture is separated in the system of columns, c) a cryogenic liquid is withdrawn from the system of columns, pressurized, and, in a first operating mode, a first portion of the pressurized cryogenic liquid is vaporized in the heat exchanger to supply a portion of the pressurized gas, and d) the pressurized gas is supplied from each unit, and in which, according to the first operating mode: e) a second portion of the cryogenic liquids from each cryogenic separation unit is sent to a common storage facility, and f) cryogenic liquid from the storage facility is sent to each heat exchanger to be vaporized therein, wherein, in case of shutdown of a cryogenic separation unit, of a second operating mode, the common storage facility supplies a common vaporizer, preferably after a pressurization step, in which the cryogenic liquid from the common storage facility is vaporized by heat exchange with a heating liquid to supply all or a portion of the pressurized gas.