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WO2019053525A1 - Procédé d'utilisation de purge de refroidisseurs intermédiaires de compresseurs à plusieurs étages comme agent de refroidissement pour le traitement d'air - Google Patents

Procédé d'utilisation de purge de refroidisseurs intermédiaires de compresseurs à plusieurs étages comme agent de refroidissement pour le traitement d'air Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2019053525A1
WO2019053525A1 PCT/IB2018/055574 IB2018055574W WO2019053525A1 WO 2019053525 A1 WO2019053525 A1 WO 2019053525A1 IB 2018055574 W IB2018055574 W IB 2018055574W WO 2019053525 A1 WO2019053525 A1 WO 2019053525A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
air
cooling
cooling medium
intercoolers
blowdown
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/IB2018/055574
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English (en)
Inventor
Hamad Mohammed MUDIJ
Nayef Nazzal AL HUSSAINI
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SABIC Global Technologies BV
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SABIC Global Technologies BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by SABIC Global Technologies BV filed Critical SABIC Global Technologies BV
Priority to US16/646,182 priority Critical patent/US20200271381A1/en
Priority to CN201880059571.9A priority patent/CN111316054A/zh
Priority to EP18759398.3A priority patent/EP3682178A1/fr
Publication of WO2019053525A1 publication Critical patent/WO2019053525A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
    • F25J3/02—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream
    • F25J3/04—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream for air
    • F25J3/04006—Providing pressurised feed air or process streams within or from the air fractionation unit
    • F25J3/04012—Providing pressurised feed air or process streams within or from the air fractionation unit by compression of warm gaseous streams; details of intake or interstage cooling
    • F25J3/04018—Providing pressurised feed air or process streams within or from the air fractionation unit by compression of warm gaseous streams; details of intake or interstage cooling of main feed air
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
    • F25J3/02—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream
    • F25J3/04—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream for air
    • F25J3/04406—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream for air using a dual pressure main column system
    • F25J3/04412—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by rectification, i.e. by continuous interchange of heat and material between a vapour stream and a liquid stream for air using a dual pressure main column system in a classical double column flowsheet, i.e. with thermal coupling by a main reboiler-condenser in the bottom of low pressure respectively top of high pressure column
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
    • F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
    • F04D29/58—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer
    • F04D29/582—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
    • F04D29/5826—Cooling at least part of the working fluid in a heat exchanger
    • F04D29/5833—Cooling at least part of the working fluid in a heat exchanger flow schemes and regulation thereto
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
    • F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
    • F04D29/58—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer
    • F04D29/582—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
    • F04D29/5846—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps cooling by injection
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/0002—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures characterised by the fluid to be liquefied
    • F25J1/0012—Primary atmospheric gases, e.g. air
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/02—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
    • F25J3/06—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation
    • F25J3/063—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2200/00—Processes or apparatus using separation by rectification
    • F25J2200/04—Processes or apparatus using separation by rectification in a dual pressure main column system
    • F25J2200/06—Processes or apparatus using separation by rectification in a dual pressure main column system in a classical double column flow-sheet, i.e. with thermal coupling by a main reboiler-condenser in the bottom of low pressure respectively top of high pressure column
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2205/00—Processes or apparatus using other separation and/or other processing means
    • F25J2205/02—Processes or apparatus using other separation and/or other processing means using simple phase separation in a vessel or drum
    • F25J2205/04—Processes or apparatus using other separation and/or other processing means using simple phase separation in a vessel or drum in the feed line, i.e. upstream of the fractionation step
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2215/00—Processes characterised by the type or other details of the product stream
    • F25J2215/42—Nitrogen or special cases, e.g. multiple or low purity N2
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2215/00—Processes characterised by the type or other details of the product stream
    • F25J2215/50—Oxygen or special cases, e.g. isotope-mixtures or low purity O2
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2215/00—Processes characterised by the type or other details of the product stream
    • F25J2215/58—Argon
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2230/00—Processes or apparatus involving steps for increasing the pressure of gaseous process streams
    • F25J2230/02—Compressor intake arrangement, e.g. filtering or cooling
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2230/00—Processes or apparatus involving steps for increasing the pressure of gaseous process streams
    • F25J2230/04—Compressor cooling arrangement, e.g. inter- or after-stage cooling or condensate removal
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
    • F25J2245/00—Processes or apparatus involving steps for recycling of process streams
    • F25J2245/02—Recycle of a stream in general, e.g. a by-pass stream

Definitions

  • the present invention generally relates to air compression processes. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air compression process that uses water blowdown from intercoolers of a multistage compressor as a cooling medium to cool the air feeding into the multistage compressor.
  • Atmospheric air is generally processed in an air separation plant to produce nitrogen, oxygen, argon and other inert gases. These products separated from air are utilized in many industries including chemical industry, medical industry, and semiconductor industry.
  • atmospheric air is first cleaned via filters to remove dust suspended in the air. Clean atmospheric air is subsequently compressed by an air compressor unit. In the compression process, clean air is compressed and cooled by a series of air compressors and intercoolers. Water fraction from the clean air is condensed in intercoolers and separated from the air. After trace water is further removed from the compressed air via molecular sieve, a heat exchanger is generally used to liquefy at least part of the compressed air, to form purified oxygen. The remaining gas is further distilled in a high pressure column and a low pressure column to produce purified nitrogen and purified argon. [0005] However, the conventional air separation process is highly energy intensive.
  • the method provides a solution for the above mentioned problems associated with air separation process.
  • the solution resides in a method of processing air prior to separating the components of the air.
  • the atmospheric air feeding into the compressor becomes denser and the temperature of the atmospheric air can be reduced. This can be beneficial for reducing the energy consumption of the multistage compressor as the volume of the air is reduced when it is cooled, thereby lowering the power required to compress the air.
  • the cooling process of the atmospheric air can be performed using the blowdown water collected from the intercoolers of the multistage compressor as the cooling medium, thus avoiding additional costs for cooling medium.
  • the blowdown water from each of the intercoolers of the multistage compressor can be collected in a storage tank and used to spray and mix in the atmospheric air, via a water sprinkler and/or water mister, thereby cooling the atmospheric air.
  • the energy required by the method to compress the atmospheric air can be reduced compared to using the currently available method.
  • Embodiments of the invention include a method of processing air prior to separating components of the air.
  • the method comprises cooling the air with a cooling medium to produce cooled air.
  • the method may further include compressing the cooled air in a compressor unit that comprises one or more compressors and one or more intercoolers.
  • the method includes collecting water blowdown from the one or more intercoolers, wherein the water blowdown is used as the cooling medium.
  • Embodiments of the invention include a method of processing air prior to separating components of the air.
  • the method includes cooling the air with a cooling medium to produce cooled air.
  • the method may further include compressing the cooled air in a multistage compressor unit.
  • the multistage compressor unit comprises at least two compressors for two compression stages and at least one intercooler for cooling compressed air from the at least two compressors.
  • the method further includes collecting water blowdown from the at least one intercooler of the multistage compressor unit. In this method, the water blowdown is used as the cooling medium.
  • Embodiments of the invention include a method of processing air prior to separating components of the air. The method includes measuring humidity and temperature of the air.
  • the air is cooled by a cooling medium if humidity of the air exceeds a predetermined humidity value and temperature of the air exceeds a predetermined temperature value.
  • the method further includes compressing the cooled air in a multistage compressor unit.
  • the multistage compressor unit includes at least three compressors for three compression stages and at least two intercoolers. Still further, the method includes collecting water blowdown from at least one of the intercoolers of the multistage compressor unit. The water blowdown is used as the cooling medium.
  • wt.% refers to a weight, volume, or molar percentage of a component, respectively, based on the total weight, the total volume, or the total moles of material that includes the component. In a non-limiting example, 10 moles of component in 100 moles of the material is 10 mol.% of component.
  • substantially and its variations are defined to include ranges within
  • Embodiment 1 is a method of processing air prior to separating components of the air.
  • the method includes the steps of cooling the air with a cooling medium to produce cooled air; compressing the cooled air in a compressor unit that comprises one or more compression stages and one or more intercoolers to produce compressed process air; and collecting water blowdown from the one or more intercoolers, wherein the water blowdown is used as the cooling medium.
  • Embodiment 2 is the method of embodiment 1, wherein the compressor unit is a multi-stage compressor unit.
  • Embodiment 3 is the method of embodiment 2, wherein the multi-stage compressor unit includes at least two compression stages and at least one intercooler for cooling compressed air from the at least two compression stages.
  • Embodiment 4 is the method of any of embodiments 2 and 3, wherein the multi-stage compressor unit includes at least three compression stages in series and at least two intercoolers for cooling compressed air from the at least three compression stages.
  • Embodiment 5 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 4, further including a step, before the cooling, of measuring humidity and temperature of the air, wherein the step of cooling the air with a cooling medium is performed in response to the humidity of the air greater than a predetermined humidity value and temperature of the air greater than a predetermined temperature value.
  • Embodiment 6 is the method of embodiment 5, wherein the predetermined humidity value include a humidity ratio of 8.42> ⁇ 10 "3 .
  • Embodiment 7 is the method of any of embodiments 5 and 6, wherein the predetermined temperature value is about 15°C.
  • Embodiment 8 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the water blowdown is used as the cooling medium at an air to cooling medium ratio of 37: 1 to 1000: 1.
  • Embodiment 9 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the water blowdown directly contacts the air in the cooling step.
  • Embodiment 10 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein cooling the air with a cooling medium is performed by spraying the air with the cooling medium and mixing the air with the cooling medium.
  • Embodiment 11 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the water blowdown is collected and stored in a storage tank.
  • Embodiment 12 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the cooled air has a temperature in a range of 15 to 30°C.
  • Embodiment 13 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the cooled air has a density in a range of 1.05> ⁇ 10 "3 to 1.25x 10 " 3 g/cm 3 .
  • Embodiment 14 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the intercooler includes a heat exchanger.
  • Embodiment 15 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the cooling medium has a temperature of 10 to 35°C.
  • Embodiment 16 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the compressed process air is at a pressure of 0.54 to 0.59 MPa.
  • Embodiment 17 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the compressed process air is gaseous.
  • Embodiment 18 is the method of any of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the compressed process air is sent to a cryogenic separation unit and separated into one or more of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon.
  • Embodiment 19 is a method of processing air prior to separating components of the air.
  • the method includes the steps of measuring humidity and temperature of the air; if humidity of the air exceeds a predetermined humidity value and temperature of the air exceeds a predetermined temperature value, cooling the air with a cooling medium to produce cooled air; compressing the cooled air in a multi-stage compressor unit, the multi-stage compressor unit including at least three compression stages and at least two intercoolers; and collecting water blowdown from at least one of the intercoolers of the multi-stage compressor unit, wherein the water blowdown is used as the cooling medium.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an air compression system, according to embodiments of the invention
  • FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method of compressing air, according to embodiments of the invention
  • FIG. 3 shows results of sensitivity analysis based on simulation runs on a method of compressing air, according to embodiments of the invention.
  • the currently available method of compressing atmospheric air includes directly compressing atmospheric (or cleaned atmospheric) air by a multistage compressor. This is highly energy intensive especially when the temperature of the atmospheric air is elevated, and the volume of atmospheric air is expanded.
  • the present invention provides a solution to this problem.
  • the solution is premised on a method of compressing atmospheric air that includes a step of cooling the atmospheric air feeding into a multistage compressor prior to flowing the air into the multistage compressor. Therefore, the volume of the atmospheric air can be reduced, decreasing the power required to compress the air.
  • the cooling medium used in the cooling step can be at least some of the blowdown water collected from the intercooler of the multistage compressor, thereby recycling the water in the atmospheric air and saving costs for cooling medium.
  • the humidity level in the atmospheric air may be sufficient to provide all the cooling medium needed in the method of the present invention.
  • An air compression system can be part of cryogenic air separation unit, providing compressed air for the subsequent cryogenic air separation processes.
  • atmospheric air or filtered atmospheric air is directly fed into the inlet of a multistage compressor.
  • the volume of the air can be expanded when the outdoor temperature is elevated.
  • atmospheric air can be highly expanded in the summer when the ambient temperature is greater than 35 °C, or even greater than 40 °C. This may escalate the power load of the existing air compressor system, further increasing the operating costs for the overall air separation process.
  • the present invention provides a system that can cool down the atmospheric air prior to the inlet of the multistage air compressor, thereby reducing the power load of the air compressor.
  • the present invention requires minimal capital expenditure and substantially no additional operating cost to facilitate the cooling of the atmospheric air prior to the multistage compression.
  • the air compression system of the present invention uses water blowdown collected from the intercoolers of the multistage air compressor as cooling medium for the atmospheric air, avoiding need of any other coolants.
  • the water blowdown can be simply sprayed and mixed into the atmospheric air via a water sprinkler or water mister, thereby requiring minimal costs for equipment or instruments.
  • FIG. 1 a schematic diagram shows air compression system
  • air compression system 100 may include air cooler 101 adapted to receive and cool down atmospheric air.
  • air cooler 101 may be a spray water cooler.
  • the spray water cooler may include a water sprinkler or a water mister adapted to mix water with atmospheric air.
  • An outlet of air cooler 101 may be in fluid communication with an inlet of a multistage air compressor unit.
  • the multistage air compressor unit may include one or more compressors and one or more intercoolers.
  • the multistage air compressor unit can include at least two compressors (two compression stages) and at least one intercooler for cooling compressed air from a first stage compressor.
  • the at least two compressors are installed in series.
  • An intercooler may be installed between two adjacent compressor stages.
  • Non- limiting examples of the intercooler include a heat exchanger with various cooling media such as cooling water or other cooled media.
  • the multistage air compressor unit may include three compressors in series (three compression stages) and two intercoolers, each of which is installed between two adjacent compressors (compression stages).
  • first stage compressor 102 (first compression stage) is in fluid communication with air cooler 101.
  • First stage compressor 102 (first compression stage) may be adapted to receive cooled air stream 11 from air cooler 101 and compress cooled air to form first compressed air stream 12.
  • First compressed air stream 12 may have a pressure of 0.22 MPa to 0.27 MPa and all values and ranges there between including 0.23 MPa, 0.24 MPa, 0.25 MPa, 0.26 MPa.
  • An outlet of first stage compressor 102 may be in fluid communication with an inlet of first stage intercooler 103, which is adapted to cool down first compressed air stream 12 to form first cooled and compressed air stream 13 and first water blowdown stream 14.
  • first stage intercooler 103 may be configured to reduce a temperature of compressed air stream 12 by 75 to 80 °C including 76 °C, 77 °C, 78 °C, and 79 °C.
  • a water outlet of first stage intercooler 103 may be in fluid communication with an inlet of blowdown storage tank 104, which is configured to receive first water blowdown stream 14 from first stage intercooler 103.
  • an outlet of blowdown storage tank 104 may be in fluid communication with air cooler 101.
  • Blowdown storage tank 104 may be configured to provide water as cooling medium for cooling down atmospheric air.
  • blowdown storage tank may be adapted to provide water to water sprinkler and/or water mister of air cooler 101 for mixing atmospheric air with water blowdown.
  • blowdown storage tank may further include an overflow valve, which is adapted to drain overflowing water blowdown when excess amount of water blowdown is collected therein.
  • a cooled air outlet of first stage intercooler may be in fluid communication with second stage compressor 105 (second compression stage) for flowing first cooled and compressed air stream 13 from first stage intercooler 103 to second stage compressor 105.
  • Second stage compressor 105 may be configured to further compress cooled and compressed air stream 13 to form second compressed air stream 15.
  • second compressed air stream 15 may have a pressure in a range of 0.39 MPa to 0.45 MPa and all values and ranges there between including 0.40 MPa, 0.41 MPa, 0.42 MPa, 0.43 MPa, and 0.44 MPa.
  • An outlet of second stage compressor 105 may be in fluid communication with an inlet of second stage intercooler 106.
  • Second stage intercooler 106 may be adapted to cool down second compressed air stream 15 to form second cooled and compressed air stream 16 and second water blowdown stream 17.
  • Second intercooler 106 may be configured to reduce a temperature of second compressed air stream 15 for 60 to 65 °C and all ranges and values there between including 61 °C, 62 °C, 63 °C, and 64 °C.
  • a water outlet of second stage intercooler 106 may be in fluid communication with blowdown storage tank 104 for flowing second water blowdown stream 17 into blowdown storage tank 104.
  • An air outlet of second stage intercooler 106 may be in fluid communication with third stage compressor 107 (third compression stage), which is configured to further compress second cooled and compressed air stream 16 to form compressed process air stream 18.
  • compressed process air stream 18 may have a pressure of 0.54 to 0.59 MPa and all ranges and values there between including 0.55 MPa, 0.56 MPa, 0.57 MPa, and 0.58 MPa.
  • a temperature of compressed process air stream 18 may be in a range of 80 to 90 °C and all ranges and values there between including 81 °C, 82 °C, 83 °C, 84 °C, 85 °C, 86 °C, 87 °C, 88 °C, and 89 °C.
  • third stage compressor 107 may be in fluid communication with an air separation unit.
  • the air separation unit may include cryogenic high pressure distillation column and cryogenic low pressure distillation column.
  • water blowdown from each intercooler may be collected in blowdown storage tank 104 as cooling medium for water cooler 101.
  • the last air compressor (the last compression stage) that the air passes through may be in fluid communication with the air separation unit.
  • air compression system 100 may further include a control system adapted to control flowrate of blowdown water used to cool down atmospheric air that is flowed into air cooler 101.
  • the control system may include a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the atmospheric air that is flowed into air cooler 101.
  • the control system may further include a humidity sensor configured to measure a humidity a humidity level of the atmospheric air that is flowed into air cooler 101.
  • the control system may still further include a flow controller configured to adjust a flowrate of water blowdown in air cooler 101 in response to measurements of the temperature sensor and/or the humidity sensor.
  • the blowdown water can be used to spray the atmospheric air flowed into the air cooler.
  • the humidity measurement from the humidity sensor is less than about 8.42> ⁇ 10 "3
  • no water blowdown can be collected in blowdown storage tank 104, thereby flow rate of blowdown water in water cooler may be substantially zero.
  • flow rate of blowdown water may be set to zero by the flow controller as spraying water on the atmospheric air may result in dew formation instead of cooling atmospheric air.
  • FIG. 2 shows method 200 for processing air prior to separating components of the air.
  • Method 200 may be implemented by air compression system 100 as shown in FIG. 1.
  • method 200 may include measuring humidity and/or temperature of the air.
  • the measuring at block 201 may be performed at an inlet of water cooler 101.
  • the 200 may include cooling the air with a cooling medium to produce cooled air.
  • the air may be cooled by latent heat of the cooling medium and the cooling medium may be vaporized during the cooling at block 202.
  • the cooling medium may include water blowdown collected from one or more of first stage intercooler 103 and second stage intercooler 106.
  • the cooling medium at block 202 may directly contact the air.
  • the water blowdown can be sprayed to and mixed in the air in the cooling step at block 202.
  • an air to cooling medium ratio in the step of cooling the air may be in a range of 37: 1 to 1000: 1 and all ranges and values there between including ranges of 37: 1 to 50: 1, 50: 1 to 100: 1, 100: 1 to 150: 1, 150: 1 to 200: 1, 200: 1 to 250: 1, 250: 1 to 300: 1, 300: 1 to 350: 1, 350: 1 to 400: 1, 400: 1 to 450: 1, 450: 1 to 500: 1, 500: 1 to 550: 1, 550: 1 to 600: 1, 600: 1 to 650: 1, 650: 1 to 700: 1, 700: 1 to 750: 1, 750: 1 to 800: 1, 800: 1 to 850: 1, 850: 1 to 900: 1, 900: 1 to 950: 1, and 950: 1 to 1000: 1.
  • 202 may be performed in response to the humidity of the air measured at block 201 being no less than a predetermined humidity value and the temperature of the air measured at block
  • the predetermined humidity value may include a humidity ratio of about 8.42 ⁇ 10 "3 .
  • the predetermined temperature value may be about 15 °C.
  • water blowdown from one or more intercoolers of the air compressor unit may not be used as the cooling medium in the step of cooling the air at block 202.
  • the humidity ratio of the air is less than 8.42> ⁇ 10 "3 , no water blowdown may be collected as cooling medium.
  • the spraying of the water blowdown may lead to dew formation instead of cooling down the air.
  • the temperature of the air before the cooling at block 202 may be greater than 30 °C, greater than 35 °C, and greater than 40 °C.
  • the cooled air may have a temperature in a range of 15 to 30
  • the step of cooling the air at block 202 may reduce a temperature of the air by 10 to 16 °C and all ranges and values there between.
  • the cooled air may have a density in a range of 1.05 > ⁇ 10 "3 to 1.25> ⁇ 10 "3 g/cm 3 and all ranges and values there between including 1.05 x l0 "3 to 1.07x l0 "3 g/cm 3 , 1.07x l0 "3 to 1.09x 10 "3 g/cm 3 , 1.09x l0 "3 to l .
  • method 200 may further include compressing the cooled air in a compressor unit, as shown in block 203.
  • the compressor unit may be the multistage air compressing unit of air compressor system 100. More particularly, the step of compressing at block 203 may include compressing cooled air stream 1 1 in first stage compressor 102 (first compression stage) to form first compressed air stream 12. In certain aspects, first compressed air stream 12 may have a pressure of 0.22 to 0.27 MPa and all ranges and values there between.
  • the step of compressing at block 203 may further include cooling first compressed air stream 12 in first stage intercooler 103 to form first cooled and compressed air stream 13 and first water blowdown stream 14.
  • the cooling in the first stage intercooler 103 may reduce the temperature of first compressed air stream 12 by 0.75 to 80 °C and all ranges and values there between including ranges of 0.75 to 1 °C, 1 to 5 °C, 5 to 10 °C, 10 to 15 °C, 15 to 20 °C, 25 to 30 °C, 30 to 35 °C, 35 to 40 °C, 40 to 45 °C, 45 to 50 °C, 50 to 55 °C, 55 to 60 °C, 60 to 65 °C, 65 to 70 °C, 70 to 75 °C, and 75 to 80 °C.
  • First cooled and compressed air stream 13 may be further compressed in second stage compressor 105 (second compression stage) to form second compressed air stream 15.
  • second compressed air stream 15 may have a pressure of 0.39 to 0.45 MPa and all ranges and values there between including 0.40 MPa, 0.41 MPa, 0.42 MPa, 0.43 MPa, and 0.44 MPa.
  • second compressed air stream 15 may be cooled by second stage intercooler 106 to form second cooled and compressed air stream 16 and second water blowdown stream 17.
  • the cooling in the second stage intercooler 106 may reduce the temperature of second compressed air stream 15 by 60 to 65 °C and all ranges and values there between including 61 °C, 62 °C, 63 °C, and 64 °C.
  • Second cooled and compressed air stream 16 may be further compressed in third stage compressor 107 (third compression stage) to form compressed process air stream 18.
  • compressed process air stream 18 may have a pressure of 0.54 to 0.59 MPa and all ranges and values there between including 0.55 MPa, 0.56 MPa, 0.57 MPa, and 0.58 MPa.
  • Compressed process air stream 18 may be at a temperature of 80 to 90 °C and all ranges and values there between including 81 °C, 82 °C, 83 °C, 84 °C, 85 °C, 86 °C, 87 °C, 88 °C, and 89 °C.
  • the multistage compressor unit of air compressor system 100 may include n compressor (n compression stages) and n- ⁇ intercoolers, where n represents the number of compression stages in the multistage compressor unit (n is a positive integer and n>2).
  • the compressing at block 203 may include compressing cooled air stream 1 1 by the n compressors in series and cooling the compressed air by the n- ⁇ intercoolers, each of which is installed between two adjacent compression stages.
  • the compressed process air from the rP 1 compressor may have a pressure of 0.54 to 0.8 MPa and a temperature of 75 to 90 °C.
  • the compressed process air may be in gas form (only for gaseous air). Water blowdown may be formed in and collected from at least one of the n- ⁇ intercoolers.
  • method 200 may further include collecting water blowdown from the one or more intercoolers.
  • the collected water blowdown may be used as the cooling medium at block 202.
  • water blowdown may be collected from first stage intercooler 103 and/or second stage intercooler 106 to blowdown storage tank 104.
  • the water blowdown from blowdown storage tank 104 may be sprayed to and mixed in the air in air cooler 101.
  • the water blowdown collected from intercoolers may have a temperature of 10 to 35 °C and all values and ranges there between including 10 to 12 °C, 12 to 14 °C, 14 to 16 °C, 16 to 18 °C, 18 to 20 °C, 20 to 22 °C, 22 to 24 °C, 24 to 26 °C, 26 to 28 °C, 28 to 30 °C, 30 to 32 °C, and 32 to 35 °C.
  • the water blowdown collected from intercoolers is sufficient to cool down the air in air cooler 101 when the humidity ratio of the air is above 0.842%.
  • the cooling at block 202 may be performed in a closed loop without adding make up water to air cooler 101 and/or blowdown storage tank 104.
  • make up water may be added to air cooler 101 and/or blowdown storage tank 104 when the humidity ratio of the air is less than 2.70%. When the air humidity reaches saturation (maximum humidity), spraying water on air can cause dew formation.
  • the method of processing air prior to separating components of the air was simulated in ASPEN PLUS platform.
  • the model for the simulation runs was built and validated using real process data from an air separation unit.
  • the initial condition for the air feeding into the air compression system included a temperature of 17.4 °C and a pressure of 1.01 bar.
  • the flow rate of the air feeding into the air compression system was 403839 Normal Cubic Meter per Hour.
  • the compositions of the air included 74.62 mol.% nitrogen, 22 mol.% oxygen, 0.89 mol.% argon, and 2.4 mol.% water.
  • the results of the simulations show that the method of the present invention reduced power consumption of the compressor in terms of withdrawn megawatts when compared to the traditional method, which does not apply cooling at the inlet of multistage compressor.
  • Sensitivity analysis was conducted to optimize the fraction of water blowdown being recycled as cooling medium using the simulation results. According to the results shown in FIG. 3, under the aforementioned initial conditions, the optimal fraction of water blowdown being recycled as cooling medium is about 80%, where the power consumption for air compressor unit is at its lowest point of about 31.2 megawatts and the mix air (i.e. temperature of stream 11) temperature is about 29 °C.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Compressor (AREA)
  • Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
  • Separation By Low-Temperature Treatments (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système et un procédé de traitement de l'air avant la séparation des composants de l'air. Le système comprend un refroidisseur d'air, un ou plusieurs étages de compression actionnés en série, et un ou plusieurs refroidisseurs intermédiaires installés entre deux étages de compression adjacents. Un réservoir de stockage de purge est configuré pour collecter de l'eau provenant d'un ou de plusieurs refroidisseurs intermédiaires et pour fournir un milieu de refroidissement au refroidisseur d'air. De l'air atmosphérique est d'abord pulvérisé à l'eau de purge dans le refroidisseur d'air pour former un flux d'air refroidi. Le flux d'air refroidi est ensuite comprimé dans un ou plusieurs étages de compression et est refroidi par les refroidisseurs intermédiaires entre deux étages de compression adjacents. L'eau de purge provenant d'un ou plusieurs des refroidisseurs intermédiaires est collectée et recyclée en tant que milieu de refroidissement pour refroidir l'air atmosphérique avant son entrée dans le premier étage de compression.
PCT/IB2018/055574 2017-09-15 2018-07-25 Procédé d'utilisation de purge de refroidisseurs intermédiaires de compresseurs à plusieurs étages comme agent de refroidissement pour le traitement d'air Ceased WO2019053525A1 (fr)

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US16/646,182 US20200271381A1 (en) 2017-09-15 2018-07-25 Process for utilizing of multi stage compressors intercoolers blowdown as a coolant for process air
CN201880059571.9A CN111316054A (zh) 2017-09-15 2018-07-25 利用多级压缩机中冷器排放物作为用于工艺空气的冷却剂的方法
EP18759398.3A EP3682178A1 (fr) 2017-09-15 2018-07-25 Procédé d'utilisation de purge de refroidisseurs intermédiaires de compresseurs à plusieurs étages comme agent de refroidissement pour le traitement d'air

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US201762559166P 2017-09-15 2017-09-15
US62/559,166 2017-09-15

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US12050055B2 (en) * 2019-10-01 2024-07-30 Conocophillips Company Lean gas LNG heavies removal process using NGL
CN116857902A (zh) * 2023-06-28 2023-10-10 河北工业大学 梯级增压与中间冷却耦合的混合气体冷凝回收系统

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0524435A2 (fr) * 1991-06-21 1993-01-27 Praxair Technology, Inc. Suralimentation avec radiateur de vaporisation
EP1561928A2 (fr) * 2004-01-28 2005-08-10 General Electric Company Moteur à turbine à gaz
FR2878294A1 (fr) * 2004-11-24 2006-05-26 Air Liquide Compresseur et appareil de separation d'un melange gazeux comprenant un tel compresseur
FR2946099A1 (fr) * 2009-05-26 2010-12-03 Air Liquide Procede de compression d'air humide.

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0524435A2 (fr) * 1991-06-21 1993-01-27 Praxair Technology, Inc. Suralimentation avec radiateur de vaporisation
EP1561928A2 (fr) * 2004-01-28 2005-08-10 General Electric Company Moteur à turbine à gaz
FR2878294A1 (fr) * 2004-11-24 2006-05-26 Air Liquide Compresseur et appareil de separation d'un melange gazeux comprenant un tel compresseur
FR2946099A1 (fr) * 2009-05-26 2010-12-03 Air Liquide Procede de compression d'air humide.

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