Patent ID: 7076970

Claim:
A system for supplying a carbon dioxide to a plurality of applications, the system comprising: (a) a carbon dioxide source comprising: a bulk storage vessel having a carbon dioxide feed that is selected from a purified carbon dioxide feed, an unpurified carbon dioxide feed, or a partially purified carbon dioxide feed; (b) a low pressure carbon dioxide delivery system in fluid communication with the carbon dioxide source and each of the applications wherein the pressure of the carbon dioxide feed within the carbon dioxide delivery system is at a first pressure which is below the critical pressure of carbon dioxide and is below the required pressure, wherein each of the plurality of applications comprises: (i) a low pressure storage vessel that stores at least a portion of the carbon dioxide feed at the first pressure; (ii) a pressure elevating device that increases the pressure of the at least a portion of the carbon dioxide feed to a second pressure that is equal to or greater than the required pressure prior to operation of the process tool utilizing the stream; and (iii) at least one process tool wherein the at least one process tool receives the carbon dioxide feed at the required pressure and converts at least a portion of the carbon dioxide feed to a spent carbon dioxide stream, wherein the spent carbon dioxide stream is not returned to the low pressure carbon dioxide delivery system.