Liquid argon cooling capacity recovery nitrogen production equipment and working method thereof

Abstract

The present application discloses a liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment and its working method. The liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes a liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production device, the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production device is arranged in a cold box, the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production device includes a temperature control component, a production mechanism and a liquid argon cold recovery group, the temperature control component includes a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger has a raw material pipe, the production mechanism includes a distillation nitrogen tower, and the liquid argon cold recovery group includes a liquid argon evaporator and a first nitrogen reboiler. The present application recovers the cold of liquid argon for nitrogen production, that is, during operation, not only is liquid argon converted into argon gas to meet usage needs, but liquid argon is also used as a cold source for nitrogen heat exchange, wherein the liquid nitrogen is refluxed to the distillation nitrogen tower, so that the cold of liquid argon is indirectly utilized in the distillation operation. Compared with the existing technology, it effectively avoids the waste of liquid argon cold and greatly reduces the cost of nitrogen preparation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of liquid argon refrigeration recovery, and in particular to a liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen production device and a working method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Argon is often used in industrial production. For example, it is used to remove impurities from molten steel during steelmaking and as a protective gas during silicon rod pulling. In large-scale gas usage scenarios, in order to improve storage space utilization and reduce logistics burdens, it is usually circulated in the form of liquid argon.

[0003] In actual use, it is usually necessary to vaporize and heat the liquid argon with the help of an air-temperature vaporizer or a water-bath vaporizer to produce argon gas. An air-temperature vaporizer uses ambient air as a natural heat source, achieving heat exchange through its aluminum alloy finned tubes. After heat exchange, the air that absorbs the cold energy of the liquid argon is directly discharged into the atmosphere. A water-bath vaporizer, on the other hand, uses an external heat source to heat water. The liquid argon flows through a metal coil immersed in hot water while absorbing the water's heat to achieve vaporization. During this process, the external heat source continuously replenishes heat to maintain a stable water temperature, preventing large temperature fluctuations after the hot water absorbs the cold energy of the liquid argon. Clearly, in both air-temperature and water-bath vaporizers, the cold energy of the liquid argon is absorbed by heat media such as air or hot water, resulting in wasted liquid argon cooling and resource loss. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems and achieve at least one advantage of the present application, the present application provides a liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making equipment, wherein the liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making equipment includes a liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making device, wherein the liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making device is disposed in a cold box, and wherein the liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making device includes:

[0005] A temperature control assembly, the temperature control assembly including a heat exchanger having a feed pipe, wherein pre-treated air is introduced into the heat exchanger through one end of the feed pipe, the pre-treated air is heat-exchanged and cooled in the heat exchanger to produce moist liquid air, and the moist liquid air is discharged through another end of the feed pipe;

[0006] a production mechanism comprising a nitrogen distillation tower having an inlet, an outlet, and an exhaust port, wherein the outlet is formed at the bottom of the nitrogen distillation tower, and the exhaust port is formed at the top of the nitrogen distillation tower; the inlet is connected to the feed pipe via a pipeline, and wet liquid air discharged from the feed pipe is introduced into the nitrogen distillation tower through the inlet; the wet liquid air is distilled in the nitrogen distillation tower to produce liquid air and nitrogen; the outlet is used to discharge the liquid air, and the exhaust port is used to discharge the nitrogen; and a reflux port is formed at the top of the nitrogen distillation tower;

[0007] A liquid argon refrigeration recovery unit includes a liquid argon evaporator and a first nitrogen reboiler. The first nitrogen reboiler is installed in the liquid argon evaporator. The first nitrogen reboiler has a first nitrogen inlet and a first nitrogen outlet. The exhaust port is connected to the first nitrogen inlet via a pipeline. Nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port is divided into at least two streams, one of which is introduced into the first nitrogen reboiler through the first nitrogen inlet, and the other is discharged as a product. The liquid argon evaporator has an argon inlet and an argon outlet. The argon inlet is used to introduce liquid argon. Liquid argon in the liquid argon evaporator exchanges heat with nitrogen in the first nitrogen reboiler to produce liquid nitrogen and argon. Liquid nitrogen is discharged through the first nitrogen outlet, and argon is discharged through the argon outlet. The first nitrogen outlet is connected to the reflux port via a pipeline. Liquid nitrogen discharged from the first nitrogen outlet is introduced into the nitrogen rectifying tower through the reflux port. Wet liquid air in the nitrogen rectifying tower contacts the liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen rectifying tower for mass and heat transfer.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present application, the heat exchanger has a nitrogen pipe, which is connected to the exhaust port through a pipeline. A stream of nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port is introduced into the heat exchanger from one end of the nitrogen pipe. The nitrogen is heated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger and then discharged from the other end of the nitrogen pipe.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the production mechanism further includes an oxygen generator, the oxygen generator includes a liquid air evaporator and a second nitrogen reboiler, the second nitrogen reboiler is installed in the liquid air evaporator, the second nitrogen reboiler has a second nitrogen inlet and a second nitrogen outlet, the second nitrogen inlet is connected to the exhaust port through a pipeline, the nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port is divided into three streams, and the remaining nitrogen is introduced into the second nitrogen reboiler from the second nitrogen inlet, the temperature control component further includes a subcooler, the subcooler has a liquid air pipe, the outlet is connected to one end of the liquid air pipe through a pipeline, and the liquid air discharged from the outlet is discharged from the liquid air pipe. One end of the tube is introduced into the subcooler, and the liquid air is cooled by heat exchange in the subcooler to obtain cooled liquid air. The liquid air evaporator has a liquid air port, an oxygen outlet, and a contaminated nitrogen outlet. The other end of the liquid air tube is connected to the liquid air port via a pipeline. The cooled liquid air discharged from the liquid air tube is introduced into the liquid air evaporator from the liquid air port. The cooled liquid air in the liquid air evaporator exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler to obtain contaminated nitrogen and liquid oxygen. The oxygen outlet is used to discharge liquid oxygen, and the contaminated nitrogen outlet is used to discharge contaminated nitrogen. The nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler exchanges heat with the liquid air to obtain liquid nitrogen, and the second nitrogen outlet is used to discharge liquid nitrogen.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the second nitrogen outlet is connected to the reflux port through a pipeline, and the liquid nitrogen discharged from the second nitrogen outlet enters the nitrogen distillation tower from the reflux port.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present application, the subcooler has a first argon gas pipe, the argon outlet is connected to a port of the first argon gas pipe through a pipeline, the argon gas discharged from the argon outlet is introduced into the subcooler from a port of the first argon gas pipe, the argon gas is heat exchanged and heated in the subcooler to obtain initially heated argon gas, and the initially heated argon gas is discharged from another port of the first argon gas pipe.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present application, the heat exchanger further has a second argon gas pipe, one port of the second argon gas pipe is connected to the other port of the first argon gas pipe, the initially heated argon gas discharged from the first argon gas pipe is introduced into the heat exchanger through one port of the second argon gas pipe, the initially heated argon gas is heated and heated in the heat exchanger to obtain reheated argon gas, and the reheated argon gas is discharged from the other port of the second argon gas pipe.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present application, the subcooler has a liquid oxygen pipe, and the oxygen outlet is connected to one end of the liquid oxygen pipe through a pipeline. The liquid oxygen discharged from the oxygen outlet is introduced into the subcooler from one end of the liquid oxygen pipe. The liquid oxygen exchanges heat and cools down in the subcooler and is then discharged from the other end of the liquid oxygen pipe.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present application, the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes a tank group, the tank group includes a liquid oxygen tank, the other port of the liquid oxygen pipe is connected to the liquid oxygen tank through a pipeline, and the cooled liquid oxygen discharged from the liquid oxygen pipe is introduced into the liquid oxygen tank for storage in the liquid oxygen tank.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present application, the tank group further includes a liquid argon tank, the argon inlet is connected to the liquid argon tank through a pipeline, the liquid argon tank is used to store liquid argon, and the liquid argon is discharged from the liquid argon tank and introduced into the liquid argon evaporator through the argon inlet.

[0016] To solve the above technical problems and achieve at least one advantage of the present application, the present application provides a working method of a liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production device, comprising the following steps:

[0017] Pretreated air is introduced into the heat exchanger through one port of the feed pipe. The pretreated air is subjected to heat exchange and temperature reduction in the heat exchanger to produce wet liquid air. The wet liquid air is discharged from another port of the feed pipe and then enters the nitrogen distillation tower through the inlet. The wet liquid air is rectified in the nitrogen distillation tower to produce liquid air and nitrogen. The liquid air is discharged through the outlet, and the nitrogen is discharged through the exhaust port and is divided into at least two streams. One stream of nitrogen enters the first nitrogen reboiler through the first nitrogen inlet, and the other stream of nitrogen is discharged as product gas.

[0018] Liquid argon is introduced into the liquid argon evaporator through the argon inlet, and the liquid argon in the liquid argon evaporator exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the first nitrogen reboiler to produce liquid nitrogen and argon, wherein the argon is discharged from the argon outlet, and the liquid nitrogen is discharged from the first nitrogen outlet and introduced into the nitrogen distillation column through the reflux port, and the wet liquid air in the nitrogen distillation column contacts the liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen distillation column to transfer mass and heat.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this application include:

[0020] 1. The present application recovers the cooling energy of liquid argon for nitrogen production. That is, during the operation, not only is the liquid argon converted into argon gas to meet the usage demand, but the liquid argon is also used as a heat exchanger with nitrogen to obtain a cooling source for liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen is refluxed to the nitrogen distillation tower, thereby indirectly utilizing the cooling energy of the liquid argon in the distillation operation. Compared with the existing technology, the waste of liquid argon cooling energy is effectively avoided and the cost of nitrogen production is greatly reduced.

[0021] 2. The present application produces liquid oxygen while producing nitrogen. During the production process, the cooling capacity of liquid argon is indirectly used for oxygen production through multiple energy exchanges, thereby fully utilizing the cooling capacity of liquid argon and reducing the cost of nitrogen and oxygen production.

[0022] 3. This application produces high-purity nitrogen with a purity of 99.999%. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of the liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment described in the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 A partial structural diagram of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment described in this application is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 Another partial structural schematic diagram of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment described in this application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following description is intended to disclose the present application and enable those skilled in the art to implement the present application. The preferred embodiments described below are for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art may readily conceive of other obvious variations. The basic principles of the present application defined in the following description may be applied to other embodiments, variations, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0027] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of this application, the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting this application.

[0028] It is to be understood that the term "one" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more", that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the elements may be multiple, and the term "one" should not be understood as a limitation on the quantity.

[0029] refer to Figures 1 to 2 A liquid argon cold recovery and nitrogen production apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below. The liquid argon cold recovery and nitrogen production apparatus includes a liquid argon cold recovery and nitrogen production device, which is disposed within a cold box. The liquid argon cold recovery and nitrogen production device includes a temperature control assembly 10, which includes a heat exchanger 11. The heat exchanger 11 has a feed pipe 111. Pre-treated air is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 through one end of the feed pipe 111. The pre-treated air is heat-exchanged and cooled within the heat exchanger 11 to produce wet liquid air, which is then discharged through the other end of the feed pipe 111.

[0030] Preferably, the temperature of the pre-treated air introduced into the raw material pipe 111 is 10-12°C, and the temperature of the wet liquid air discharged from the raw material pipe 111 is -171--172°C.

[0031] The liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production apparatus includes a production mechanism 20, which includes a rectifying nitrogen tower 21. The rectifying nitrogen tower 21 has an inlet 2101, an outlet 2102, and an exhaust 2103. The outlet 2102 is formed at the bottom of the rectifying nitrogen tower 21, and the exhaust 2103 is formed at the top of the rectifying nitrogen tower 21. The inlet 2101 is connected to the feed pipe 111 of the heat exchanger 11 via a pipeline. Wet liquid air discharged from the feed pipe 111 is introduced into the rectifying nitrogen tower 21 through the inlet 2101. The wet liquid air is distilled within the rectifying nitrogen tower 21 to produce liquid air and nitrogen. The outlet 2102 is used to discharge the liquid air, and the exhaust 2103 is used to discharge the nitrogen.

[0032] Preferably, the temperature of the liquid air discharged from the outlet 2102 is -171 to -172°C, and the temperature of the nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port 2103 is -178 to -180°C.

[0033] The liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production apparatus also includes a liquid argon cold recovery unit 30, which includes a liquid argon evaporator 31 and a first nitrogen reboiler 32. The first nitrogen reboiler 32 is installed within the liquid argon evaporator 31. The first nitrogen reboiler 32 has a first nitrogen inlet 3201 and a first nitrogen outlet 3202. The exhaust port 2103 is connected to the first nitrogen inlet 3201 via a pipeline. The nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port 2103 is divided into at least two streams, one of which is introduced into the first nitrogen reboiler 32 from the first nitrogen inlet 3201, and the other is discharged as a product. The liquid argon evaporator 31 has an argon inlet 3101 and an argon outlet 3102. The argon inlet 3101 is used to introduce liquid argon. The liquid argon in the liquid argon evaporator 31 exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the first nitrogen reboiler 32 to obtain liquid nitrogen and argon, wherein the liquid nitrogen is discharged from the first nitrogen outlet 3202 of the first nitrogen reboiler 32, and the argon is discharged from the argon outlet 3102 of the liquid argon evaporator 31.

[0034] Preferably, the temperature of the liquid argon flowing through the argon inlet 3101 and the argon gas discharged from the argon outlet 3102 are both -180--183°C, and the temperature of the liquid nitrogen discharged from the first nitrogen outlet 3202 is -178--180°C.

[0035] A reflux port 2104 is formed at the top of the nitrogen rectifying tower 21. The first nitrogen outlet 3202 is connected to the reflux port 2104 via a pipeline. Liquid nitrogen discharged from the first nitrogen outlet 3202 is introduced into the nitrogen rectifying tower 21 through the reflux port 2104. The wet liquid air in the nitrogen rectifying tower 21 contacts the liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen rectifying tower 21 for mass and heat transfer, thereby establishing a continuous distillation operation.

[0036] The present application recycles the cold energy of liquid argon for nitrogen production. That is, during operation, liquid argon is not only converted into argon gas to meet usage needs, but also liquid argon is used as a cold source for nitrogen heat exchange, wherein the liquid nitrogen is refluxed to the nitrogen distillation tower 21, thereby indirectly utilizing the cold energy of liquid argon in the distillation operation. Compared with the existing technology, the waste of liquid argon cold energy is effectively avoided and the cost of nitrogen production is greatly reduced. In addition, the present application produces high-purity nitrogen with a purity of 99.999%.

[0037] Preferably, the heat exchanger 11 has a nitrogen pipe 112, which is connected to the exhaust port 2103 through a pipeline. One stream of nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port 2103 is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 from one end of the nitrogen pipe 112. The nitrogen is heated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger 11 and then discharged from the other end of the nitrogen pipe 112 as product gas for subsequent use. In this process, the nitrogen flowing through the nitrogen pipe 112 serves as a cold source for the pretreated air flowing through the raw material pipe 111, without the need for additional energy, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

[0038] Preferably, the temperature of the nitrogen discharged from the nitrogen pipe 112 after heat exchange and temperature increase is 10-12°C.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The production mechanism 20 further includes an oxygen generator 22, which includes a liquid air evaporator 221 and a second nitrogen reboiler 222. The second nitrogen reboiler 222 is installed within the liquid air evaporator 221. The second nitrogen reboiler 222 has a second nitrogen inlet 22201 and a second nitrogen outlet 22202. The second nitrogen inlet 22201 is connected to the exhaust port 2103 via a pipeline. The nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port 2103 is divided into three streams, and the remaining nitrogen stream is introduced into the second nitrogen reboiler 222 through the second nitrogen inlet 22201. The temperature control assembly 10 also includes a subcooler 12, which has a liquid air pipe 121. The outlet 2102 is connected to a port of the liquid air pipe 121 through a pipeline. The liquid air discharged from the outlet 2102 is introduced into the subcooler 12 from one end of the liquid air pipe 121. The liquid air is heat-exchanged and cooled in the subcooler 12 to obtain cooled liquid air. The liquid air evaporator 221 has a liquid air port 22101, an oxygen outlet 22102, and a contaminated nitrogen outlet 22103. Another port of the liquid air pipe 121 is connected to the liquid air port 22101 via a pipeline. Cooled liquid air discharged from the liquid air pipe 121 is introduced into the liquid air evaporator 221 through the liquid air port 22101. The cooled liquid air in the liquid air evaporator 221 exchanges heat with nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler 222 to produce contaminated nitrogen and liquid oxygen. The oxygen outlet 22102 is used to discharge liquid oxygen, and the contaminated nitrogen port 22103 is used to discharge contaminated nitrogen. The nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler 222 exchanges heat with liquid air to produce liquid nitrogen, and the second nitrogen outlet 22202 is used to discharge the liquid nitrogen.

[0040] In this way, the present application produces liquid oxygen while producing nitrogen, and during the production process, the coldness of liquid argon is indirectly used for oxygen production through multiple energy exchanges, so as to fully utilize the coldness of liquid argon and reduce the cost of nitrogen and oxygen production.

[0041] Preferably, the temperature of the cooled liquid air discharged from the liquid air pipe 121 is -174 to -178°C, the temperature of the liquid oxygen discharged from the oxygen outlet 22102 is -179 to -181°C, the temperature of the contaminated nitrogen discharged from the contaminated nitrogen outlet 22103 is -188 to -190°C, and the temperature of the liquid nitrogen discharged from the second nitrogen outlet 22202 is -178 to -180°C.

[0042] refer to Figure 1 Preferably, the pipeline connected to the second nitrogen inlet 22201, the pipeline connected to the first nitrogen inlet 3201, and the pipeline connected to the nitrogen pipe 112 are integrated into a main pipeline, which is then connected to the exhaust port 2103, so that the same exhaust port 2103 simultaneously supplies nitrogen to the first nitrogen inlet 3201, the second nitrogen inlet 22201, and the nitrogen pipe 112, thereby ensuring a simple pipeline layout.

[0043] It is worth mentioning that the second nitrogen outlet 22202 is connected to the reflux port 2104 through a pipeline. The liquid nitrogen discharged from the second nitrogen outlet 22202 enters the nitrogen distillation tower 21 from the reflux port 2104, so as to cooperate with the liquid nitrogen discharged from the first nitrogen outlet 3202 to provide sufficient liquid nitrogen for the nitrogen distillation tower 21 to perform the distillation operation, thereby ensuring that the distillation operation can be carried out stably.

[0044] Preferably, the pipeline connected to the first nitrogen outlet 3202 and the pipeline connected to the second nitrogen outlet 22202 are combined into a main pipeline, which is then connected to the reflux port 2104 , so that liquid nitrogen is introduced into the nitrogen rectification tower 21 through the same reflux port 2104 , thereby improving the simplicity of pipeline layout.

[0045] Furthermore, the subcooler 12 has a first argon gas pipe 122. The argon outlet 3102 is connected to a port of the first argon gas pipe 122 via a pipeline. Argon gas discharged from the argon outlet 3102 is introduced into the subcooler 12 through the port of the first argon gas pipe 122. The argon gas is heated and heated in the subcooler 12 to obtain initially heated argon gas, which serves as a cooling source for the subcooler 12 to perform heat exchange operations. In this case, no additional energy is required, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly. The initially heated argon gas is discharged from the other port of the first argon gas pipe 122.

[0046] Preferably, the temperature of the initially heated argon gas discharged from the first argon gas pipe 122 is -173--175°C.

[0047] The heat exchanger 11 also has a second argon gas pipe 113. One end of the second argon gas pipe 113 is connected to the other end of the first argon gas pipe 122. The initially heated argon gas discharged from the first argon gas pipe 122 is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 through one end of the second argon gas pipe 113. The initially heated argon gas is heated and heated within the heat exchanger 11 to produce reheated argon gas, which serves as a cold source for the heat exchange operation of the heat exchanger 11. This eliminates the need for additional energy, thus saving energy and protecting the environment. The reheated argon gas is discharged through the other end of the second argon gas pipe 113 and is subsequently used as product gas.

[0048] Preferably, the temperature of the reheated argon gas discharged from the second argon gas pipe 113 is 10-12°C.

[0049] Furthermore, the subcooler 12 has a liquid oxygen pipe 123, and the oxygen outlet 22102 is connected to one end of the liquid oxygen pipe 123 through a pipeline. The liquid oxygen discharged from the oxygen outlet 22102 is introduced into the subcooler 12 from one end of the liquid oxygen pipe 123. The liquid oxygen is heat exchanged and cooled in the subcooler 12 and then discharged from the other end of the liquid oxygen pipe 123 as a product for subsequent use.

[0050] Preferably, the temperature of the cooled liquid oxygen discharged from the liquid oxygen pipe 123 is -182 to -184°C.

[0051] refer to Figure 1 The liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes a tank group 40, and the tank group 40 includes a liquid oxygen tank 41. The other end of the liquid oxygen pipe 123 is connected to the liquid oxygen tank 41 through a pipeline. The cooled liquid oxygen discharged from the liquid oxygen pipe 123 is introduced into the liquid oxygen tank 41 to be stored in the liquid oxygen tank 41.

[0052] The tank assembly 40 further includes a liquid argon tank 42 . The argon inlet 3101 is connected to the liquid argon tank 42 via a pipeline. The liquid argon tank 42 is used to store liquid argon. Liquid argon is discharged from the liquid argon tank 42 and introduced into the liquid argon evaporator 31 through the argon inlet 3101 .

[0053] Furthermore, the subcooler 12 further includes a first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124. The contaminated nitrogen port 22103 is connected to one end of the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124 via a pipeline. Contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the contaminated nitrogen port 22103 is introduced into the subcooler 12 through one end of the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124. The contaminated nitrogen gas is heated by heat exchange in the subcooler 12 to generate initially heated contaminated nitrogen gas, which serves as a cold source for the heat exchange operation of the subcooler 12. The initially heated contaminated nitrogen gas is discharged from the other end of the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124.

[0054] Preferably, the temperature of the initially heated contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124 is -173--175°C.

[0055] The heat exchanger 11 also has a second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114. The other end of the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124 is connected to one end of the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114 via a pipeline. Contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124 is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 through one end of the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114. The contaminated nitrogen gas is heated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger 11 to generate reheated contaminated nitrogen gas, which serves as a cold source for the heat exchange operation of the heat exchanger 11. The reheated contaminated nitrogen gas is discharged from the other end of the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114.

[0056] Preferably, the temperature of the reheated contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114 is 10-12°C.

[0057] refer to Figure 1 The liquid argon cooling capacity recovery nitrogen production equipment includes a pretreatment mechanism 50, and the pretreatment mechanism 50 includes a purification system 51. Precooled air is introduced into the purification system 51. The purification system 51 is used to remove water and carbon dioxide from the precooled air to obtain pretreated air. The purification system 51 is connected to the raw material pipe 111 through a pipeline to supply pretreated air to the raw material pipe 111.

[0058] Preferably, the purification system 51 includes an adsorption purifier 511 and a gas-liquid separator 512. Pre-cooled air is introduced into the gas-liquid separator 512, which is used to separate the pre-cooled air into gas and liquid to produce pre-dehydrated air. The gas-liquid separator 512 is connected to the adsorption purifier 511 via a pipeline. The pre-dehydrated air is discharged from the gas-liquid separator 512 and introduced into the adsorption purifier 511. The adsorption purifier 511 is used to adsorb water and carbon dioxide from the pre-dehydrated air to produce pre-treated air. The adsorption purifier 511 is connected to the feed pipe 111 via a pipeline to supply pre-treated air to the feed pipe 111.

[0059] Preferably, the temperature of the pre-cooled air introduced into the gas-liquid separator 512 is 8-10°C.

[0060] It is worth mentioning that the other port of the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114 is connected to the adsorption purifier 511 through a pipeline. The contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114 is introduced into the adsorption purifier 511 to serve as the regeneration gas of the adsorption purifier 511, so as to realize the recycling of resources without the need to introduce additional regeneration gas, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

[0061] Specifically, the adsorption purifier 511 includes two adsorption towers, which are used to adsorb water and carbon dioxide from the initially dehydrated air to produce pretreated air. Both adsorption towers have an adsorption state and a regeneration state, wherein one adsorption tower is in the adsorption state while the other is in the regeneration state. The gas-liquid separator 512 is connected to the bottoms of the two adsorption towers via pipelines, and the feed pipe 111 and the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114 are both connected to the tops of the two adsorption towers via pipelines. The initially dehydrated air discharged from the gas-liquid separator 512 is introduced into the adsorption towers in the adsorption state. The adsorption towers in the adsorption state adsorb water and carbon dioxide from the initially dehydrated air to produce pretreated air. The pretreated air is discharged from the adsorption towers in the adsorption state and introduced into the feed pipe 111. The contaminated nitrogen discharged from the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114 is introduced into the adsorption towers in the regeneration state to displace the adsorbed water and carbon dioxide. The water and carbon dioxide are discharged from the bottoms of the regenerated adsorption towers, and the adsorption capacity of the regenerated adsorption towers is restored after regeneration.

[0062] The pre-treatment mechanism 50 includes a pre-cooling system 52, which is used to cool the compressed air to obtain pre-cooled air. The pre-cooling system 52 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 512 through a pipeline to supply pre-cooled air thereto.

[0063] Preferably, the pre-cooling system 52 is implemented to include but not limited to a heat exchanger.

[0064] The pre-treatment mechanism 50 further includes an air compressor 53 , into which the clean air is introduced. The air compressor 53 is used to compress the clean air to obtain compressed air. The air compressor 53 is connected to the pre-cooling system 52 through a pipeline to supply compressed air thereto.

[0065] Preferably, the temperature of the compressed air discharged from the air compressor 53 is 38-42°C.

[0066] The pre-treatment mechanism 50 further includes a filter 54 , into which air is passed. The filter 54 is used to remove impurities from the air to obtain clean air. The filter 54 is connected to the air compressor 53 through a pipeline to supply clean air thereto.

[0067] This application also proposes a working method of a liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production device, comprising the following steps:

[0068] Pretreated air is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 through one port of the feed pipe 111. The pretreated air is heat exchanged and cooled in the heat exchanger 11 to produce moist liquid air. The moist liquid air is discharged from the other port of the feed pipe 111 and then enters the nitrogen distillation tower 21 through the inlet 2101. The moist liquid air is rectified in the nitrogen distillation tower 21 to produce liquid air and nitrogen. The liquid air is discharged through the outlet 2102, and the nitrogen is discharged through the exhaust port 2103 and is divided into at least two streams. One stream of nitrogen enters the first nitrogen reboiler 32 through the first nitrogen inlet 3201, and the other stream of nitrogen is discharged as product gas.

[0069] Liquid argon is introduced into the liquid argon evaporator 31 through the argon inlet 3101. The liquid argon in the liquid argon evaporator 31 exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the first nitrogen reboiler 32 to produce liquid nitrogen and argon. The argon is discharged through the argon outlet 3102 of the liquid argon evaporator 31, and the liquid nitrogen is discharged through the first nitrogen outlet 3202 of the first nitrogen reboiler 32 and introduced into the nitrogen distillation tower 21 through the reflux port 2104. The wet liquid air in the nitrogen distillation tower 21 contacts the liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen distillation tower 21 for mass and heat transfer, thereby establishing a continuous distillation operation.

[0070] Preferably, the working method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: a stream of nitrogen is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 from one port of the nitrogen pipe 112 and discharged from the other port of the nitrogen pipe 112 after heat exchange and temperature increase, so as to serve as a cold source for the heat exchanger 11 to perform heat exchange operations.

[0071] Furthermore, the working method of the liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment comprises the following steps:

[0072] The nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port 2103 is divided into three streams. The remaining stream of nitrogen is introduced into the second nitrogen reboiler 222 through the second nitrogen inlet 22201. The liquid air discharged from the outlet 2102 is introduced into the subcooler 12 through one end of the liquid air pipe 121. The liquid air is heat-exchanged and cooled in the subcooler 12 to obtain cooled liquid air. The cooled liquid air is then introduced into the liquid air evaporator 221 through the liquid air port 22101. The cooled liquid air in the liquid air evaporator 221 exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler 222 to obtain contaminated nitrogen and liquid oxygen. The liquid oxygen is discharged through the oxygen outlet 22102, and the contaminated nitrogen is discharged through the contaminated nitrogen outlet 22103. Simultaneously, the nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler 222 exchanges heat with the liquid air to obtain liquid nitrogen, which is then discharged through the second nitrogen outlet 22202.

[0073] Preferably, the operating method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the liquid nitrogen discharged from the second nitrogen outlet 22202 enters the nitrogen distillation tower 21 through the reflux port 2104 to cooperate with the liquid nitrogen discharged from the first nitrogen outlet 3202 to provide sufficient liquid nitrogen for the nitrogen distillation tower 21 to perform the distillation operation, thereby ensuring that the distillation operation can be carried out stably.

[0074] Furthermore, the working method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the argon gas discharged from the argon outlet 3102 is introduced into the subcooler 12 from one port of the first argon pipe 122, the argon gas is heat exchanged and heated in the subcooler 12 to obtain initially heated argon gas, which serves as a cold source for the subcooler 12 to perform heat exchange operations, and the initially heated argon gas is discharged from another port of the first argon pipe 122.

[0075] Furthermore, the working method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the initially heated argon gas discharged from the first argon gas pipe 122 is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 through one port of the second argon gas pipe 113, the initially heated argon gas is heat-exchanged and heated in the heat exchanger 11 to obtain reheated argon gas, which serves as a cold source for the heat exchange operation of the heat exchanger 11, and the reheated argon gas is discharged from another port of the second argon gas pipe 113.

[0076] Furthermore, the working method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the liquid oxygen discharged from the oxygen outlet 22102 is introduced into the subcooler 12 from one end of the liquid oxygen pipe 123, and the liquid oxygen is discharged from the other end of the liquid oxygen pipe 123 after heat exchange and cooling in the subcooler 12 to be used as a product for subsequent use.

[0077] Furthermore, the operating method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the liquid oxygen discharged from the liquid oxygen pipe 123 is introduced into the liquid oxygen tank 41 to be stored in the liquid oxygen tank 41.

[0078] Furthermore, the working method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: liquid argon is discharged from the liquid argon tank 42 and introduced into the liquid argon evaporator 31 through the argon inlet 3101 .

[0079] Furthermore, the operating method of the liquid argon cooling capacity recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the contaminated nitrogen port 22103 is introduced into the subcooler 12 from one port of the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124, the contaminated nitrogen gas is heat-exchanged and heated in the subcooler 12 to obtain initially heated contaminated nitrogen gas, which serves as a cold source for the subcooler 12 to perform a heat exchange operation, and the initially heated contaminated nitrogen gas is discharged from the other port of the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124.

[0080] Furthermore, the operating method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes the following steps: the contaminated nitrogen gas discharged from the first contaminated nitrogen pipe 124 is introduced into the heat exchanger 11 through one port of the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114, the contaminated nitrogen gas is heated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger 11 to obtain reheated contaminated nitrogen gas, which serves as a cold source for the heat exchange operation of the heat exchanger 11, and the reheated contaminated nitrogen gas is discharged from the other port of the second contaminated nitrogen pipe 114.

[0081] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are intended only as examples and do not limit the present application. The advantages of the present application have been fully and effectively realized. The functional and structural principles of the present application have been demonstrated and illustrated in the embodiments. Any variations or modifications may be made to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the principles described.

Claims

1. Liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment, characterized in that: The liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making equipment includes a liquid argon refrigeration recovery nitrogen making device, which is arranged in a cold box and includes: A temperature control assembly, the temperature control assembly including a heat exchanger having a feed pipe, wherein pre-treated air is introduced into the heat exchanger through one end of the feed pipe, the pre-treated air is heat-exchanged and cooled in the heat exchanger to produce moist liquid air, and the moist liquid air is discharged through another end of the feed pipe; a production mechanism comprising a nitrogen distillation tower having an inlet, an outlet, and an exhaust port, wherein the outlet is formed at the bottom of the nitrogen distillation tower, and the exhaust port is formed at the top of the nitrogen distillation tower; the inlet is connected to the feed pipe via a pipeline, and wet liquid air discharged from the feed pipe is introduced into the nitrogen distillation tower through the inlet; the wet liquid air is distilled in the nitrogen distillation tower to produce liquid air and nitrogen; the outlet is used to discharge the liquid air, and the exhaust port is used to discharge the nitrogen; and a reflux port is formed at the top of the nitrogen distillation tower; A liquid argon refrigeration recovery unit includes a liquid argon evaporator and a first nitrogen reboiler. The first nitrogen reboiler is installed in the liquid argon evaporator. The first nitrogen reboiler has a first nitrogen inlet and a first nitrogen outlet. The exhaust port is connected to the first nitrogen inlet via a pipeline. Nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port is divided into at least two streams, one of which is introduced into the first nitrogen reboiler through the first nitrogen inlet, and the other is discharged as a product. The liquid argon evaporator has an argon inlet and an argon outlet. The argon inlet is used to introduce liquid argon. Liquid argon in the liquid argon evaporator exchanges heat with nitrogen in the first nitrogen reboiler to produce liquid nitrogen and argon. Liquid nitrogen is discharged through the first nitrogen outlet, and argon is discharged through the argon outlet. The first nitrogen outlet is connected to the reflux port via a pipeline. Liquid nitrogen discharged from the first nitrogen outlet is introduced into the nitrogen rectifying tower through the reflux port. Wet liquid air in the nitrogen rectifying tower contacts the liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen rectifying tower for mass and heat transfer.

2. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchanger has a nitrogen pipe, which is connected to the exhaust port through a pipeline. One stream of nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port is introduced into the heat exchanger from one end of the nitrogen pipe. The nitrogen is heated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger and then discharged from the other end of the nitrogen pipe.

3. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The production mechanism also includes an oxygen generator, which includes a liquid air evaporator and a second nitrogen reboiler. The second nitrogen reboiler is installed in the liquid air evaporator. The second nitrogen reboiler has a second nitrogen inlet and a second nitrogen outlet. The second nitrogen inlet is connected to the exhaust port through a pipeline. The nitrogen discharged from the exhaust port is divided into three streams, and the remaining nitrogen stream is introduced into the second nitrogen reboiler from the second nitrogen inlet. The temperature control component also includes a subcooler. The subcooler has a liquid air pipe. The outlet is connected to a port of the liquid air pipe through a pipeline. The liquid air discharged from the outlet is discharged from one end of the liquid air pipe. The liquid air is introduced into the subcooler, and the liquid air is cooled by heat exchange in the subcooler to obtain cooled liquid air. The liquid air evaporator has a liquid air port, an oxygen outlet, and a contaminated nitrogen outlet. The other end of the liquid air pipe is connected to the liquid air port through a pipeline. The cooled liquid air discharged from the liquid air pipe is introduced into the liquid air evaporator from the liquid air port. The cooled liquid air in the liquid air evaporator exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler to obtain contaminated nitrogen and liquid oxygen. The oxygen outlet is used to discharge liquid oxygen, and the contaminated nitrogen outlet is used to discharge contaminated nitrogen. The nitrogen in the second nitrogen reboiler exchanges heat with the liquid air to obtain liquid nitrogen, and the second nitrogen outlet is used to discharge liquid nitrogen.

4. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second nitrogen outlet is connected to the reflux port through a pipeline, and the liquid nitrogen discharged from the second nitrogen outlet enters the nitrogen rectification tower through the reflux port.

5. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The subcooler has a first argon pipe, and the argon outlet is connected to a port of the first argon pipe through a pipeline. The argon discharged from the argon outlet is introduced into the subcooler from a port of the first argon pipe. The argon is heat-exchanged and heated in the subcooler to obtain initially heated argon, and the initially heated argon is discharged from the other port of the first argon pipe.

6. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The heat exchanger also has a second argon gas pipe, one port of which is connected to the other port of the first argon gas pipe. The initially heated argon gas discharged from the first argon gas pipe is introduced into the heat exchanger through one port of the second argon gas pipe. The initially heated argon gas is heated and heated in the heat exchanger to obtain reheated argon gas, which is then discharged from the other port of the second argon gas pipe.

7. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The subcooler has a liquid oxygen pipe, and the oxygen outlet is connected to one end of the liquid oxygen pipe through a pipeline. The liquid oxygen discharged from the oxygen outlet is introduced into the subcooler from one end of the liquid oxygen pipe. The liquid oxygen is heat exchanged and cooled in the subcooler and then discharged from the other end of the liquid oxygen pipe.

8. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment includes a tank group, which includes a liquid oxygen tank. The other end of the liquid oxygen pipe is connected to the liquid oxygen tank through a pipeline, and the cooled liquid oxygen discharged from the liquid oxygen pipe is introduced into the liquid oxygen tank for storage in the liquid oxygen tank.

9. The liquid argon cooling recovery nitrogen production equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The tank group further includes a liquid argon tank, the argon inlet is connected to the liquid argon tank through a pipeline, the liquid argon tank is used to store liquid argon, and the liquid argon is discharged from the liquid argon tank and introduced into the liquid argon evaporator through the argon inlet.

10. The operating method of the liquid argon cold recovery nitrogen production equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The steps include: Pretreated air is introduced into the heat exchanger through one port of the feed pipe. The pretreated air is subjected to heat exchange and temperature reduction in the heat exchanger to produce wet liquid air. The wet liquid air is discharged from another port of the feed pipe and then enters the nitrogen distillation tower through the inlet. The wet liquid air is rectified in the nitrogen distillation tower to produce liquid air and nitrogen. The liquid air is discharged through the outlet, and the nitrogen is discharged through the exhaust port and is divided into at least two streams. One stream of nitrogen enters the first nitrogen reboiler through the first nitrogen inlet, and the other stream of nitrogen is discharged as product gas. Liquid argon is introduced into the liquid argon evaporator through the argon inlet, and the liquid argon in the liquid argon evaporator exchanges heat with the nitrogen in the first nitrogen reboiler to produce liquid nitrogen and argon, wherein the argon is discharged from the argon outlet, and the liquid nitrogen is discharged from the first nitrogen outlet and introduced into the nitrogen distillation column through the reflux port, and the wet liquid air in the nitrogen distillation column contacts the liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen distillation column to transfer mass and heat.

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