Energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device and treatment method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device and a treatment method thereof.The device comprises a feed gas filtering and compressing system, a feed gas decarbonization system and a feed gas deoxidation drying system which are connected through pipelines, and the front of the feed gas filtering and compressing system is connected to a feed gas cabinet; the raw material gas filtering and compressing system comprises a raw material argon compressor, and the raw material gas decarburization system comprises a heat regenerator, a decarburization electric heater, a decarburization reaction furnace, an argon preheater, a decarburization water cooler, a decarburization precooling unit and a decarburization purifier. The feed gas deoxidizing and drying system comprises a deoxidizing reaction furnace, a regenerated gas heater, a waste heat power generation device, a water supply heater, a deoxidizing water cooler, a dry argon preheater, a deoxidizing precooling unit, a deoxidizing system purifier and a dry argon preheater. Through heat energy utilization analysis, a raw material argon pretreatment process route is modified, and power consumption and water consumption of an argon recovery device are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of new energy and energy conservation technology, and relates to an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device and its processing method. Background Technology

[0002] Argon recovery units utilize recovered argon gas from single-crystal furnace seals as feedstock. Through decarbonization and deoxygenation pretreatment and cryogenic distillation, the argon gas is recycled, with the main energy consumption being water and electricity. To reduce the production cost of the argon recovery unit, it is necessary to optimize the process design to minimize its water and electricity consumption.

[0003] Current argon recovery units can be categorized into hydrogen-based and hydrogen-free processes. For hydrogen-based argon recovery units, the pretreatment includes decarbonization and deoxygenation systems. Although the process is mature and reliable, waste heat utilization is insufficient, and there is still significant room for energy and water conservation in argon recovery units.

[0004] In recent years, with the development of the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries, competition has become increasingly fierce, and the energy consumption requirements for argon recovery units have become increasingly stringent. How to reduce material consumption and lower operating costs for argon recovery units is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed.

[0005] Therefore, an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device and its treatment method are designed to overcome the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies and provide an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device and its processing method. This invention filters and removes dust from the collected raw argon gas, then pressurizes it. The gas then passes through a decarbonization system and a deoxygenation system to remove impurities such as CO, O2, CO2, and H2O, ensuring it meets the conditions for continuous and stable low-temperature distillation. Furthermore, through thermal energy utilization analysis, the raw argon gas pretreatment process route is modified to reduce the power and water consumption of the argon recovery device.

[0007] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device, comprising a raw gas filtration and compression system, a raw gas decarbonization system, and a raw gas deoxygenation and drying system, which are connected to each other by pipelines. The raw gas filtration and compression system is connected to a raw gas tank at the front and to the raw gas decarbonization system and the raw gas deoxygenation and drying system at the rear in sequence. The raw gas filtration and compression system includes a raw argon compressor. The raw gas decarbonization system includes a regenerator, a decarbonization electric heater, a decarbonization reactor, an argon preheater, a decarbonization water cooler, a decarbonization precooling unit, and a decarbonization purifier. The raw gas deoxygenation and drying system includes a deoxygenation reactor, a regenerated gas heater, a waste heat power generation device, a water supply heater, a deoxygenation water cooler, a drying argon preheater, a deoxygenation precooling unit, a deoxygenation system purifier, and a drying argon preheater.

[0008] Preferably, the raw material argon compressor is connected to a regenerator. One side of the regenerator is connected to the decarbonization reactor, and the gas can enter the decarbonization reactor directly through a decarbonization electric heater. The other side is connected to an argon preheater. The argon preheater is connected in sequence to a decarbonization water cooler, a decarbonization precooling unit, and a decarbonization purifier. The decarbonization purifier is also connected to the argon preheater.

[0009] Preferably, the argon preheater is connected to the deoxygenation reactor in the raw gas deoxygenation and drying system to perform the deoxygenation reaction. The deoxygenation reactor is connected to the regeneration gas heater. The regeneration gas heater is connected to the waste heat power generation device or the water supply heater and then to the deoxygenation water cooler. The deoxygenation water cooler is connected in sequence to the drying argon preheater, the deoxygenation precooling unit, and the deoxygenation system purifier. The deoxygenation system purifier is connected to the drying argon preheater. After being preheated by the drying argon, the gas enters the argon recovery cold box for low-temperature distillation separation to obtain the product argon.

[0010] Preferably, the regenerated gas heater is provided with two units, namely a first regenerated gas heater and a second regenerated gas heater, which respectively heat the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen-enriched gas, so that the temperature of the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen-enriched gas reaches above 200°C.

[0011] A pretreatment method for an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device, the method comprising the following steps: 1) Compression of raw material argon gas; 2) Decarburization of raw material argon; 3) Deoxygenation of raw material argon gas.

[0012] Preferably, the specific method for argon compression in step 1) is as follows: Step 1: After dust removal and filtration, the raw material argon gas is pressurized by the raw material argon gas compressor and output as high-temperature argon gas; Step 2: Under low load conditions, reduce the load by compressing or start the reflux valve; during reflux, the high-temperature compressed argon gas enters the cooler for cooling and then flows back to the inlet.

[0013] Preferably, the specific method for argon decarburization in step 2) is as follows: Step 1: After compression, the high-temperature raw material argon gas is heated by the high-temperature argon gas in the decarbonization furnace through the regenerator to get as close as possible to or reach the decarbonization reaction temperature. Step 2: After heating, the high-temperature argon gas is heated by the decarbonization electric heater until the decarbonization reaction temperature condition is met; if the temperature of the high-temperature argon gas before entering the decarbonization electric heater meets the decarbonization reaction temperature condition, the argon gas can be bypassed, and the decarbonization electric heater is only used for the start-up heating of the device. Step 3: High-temperature argon gas enters the decarbonization reactor. Carbon monoxide in the raw material argon gas reacts with oxygen in the argon gas under high-temperature catalyst conditions to convert it into carbon dioxide. Step 4: After the reaction, the high-temperature argon gas is cooled down by the raw material argon gas through a regenerator; Step 5: The raw material argon gas, after being cooled by the regenerator, enters the decarburized argon gas preheater for further cooling; Step 6: After cooling, the raw material argon gas enters the decarburization water cooler and is cooled to 40°C by circulating water. Step 7: The raw material argon gas enters the decarbonization precooling unit, is cooled to 8~10℃, and any free water that may be present is separated; Step 8: The raw material argon gas enters the decarbonization purifier, where CO2 and moisture and other impurities in the argon gas are removed by adsorption. Step 9: After decarbonization and purification, the argon gas enters the argon gas preheater after decarbonization and is heated to meet the temperature conditions for hydrogenation and deoxygenation reaction.

[0014] Preferably, the specific method for argon deoxygenation in step 3) is as follows: Step 1: After preheating, high-temperature argon gas is mixed with high-temperature circulating nitrogen-hydrogen-argon mixture, and then enters the deoxygenation reactor. Under catalytic conditions, oxygen and hydrogen react to convert into water. Step 2: After the deoxygenation reaction, argon gas enters the first regeneration gas heater and the second regeneration gas heater to heat the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen gas respectively, so that the temperature of the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen gas reaches above 200℃. This is the first cooling of argon gas after the deoxygenation reaction. Step 3: After the initial cooling and deoxygenation reaction, the argon temperature is ≥150℃, which can be used for waste heat utilization: ORC waste heat power generation device or water heater can be configured to supply hot water. Step 4: After utilizing the residual heat of the argon gas, it enters the deoxygenated water cooler to reduce the temperature of the argon gas to below 40°C; Step 5: The cooled argon gas enters the dry argon gas preheater, where its temperature drops from ~40℃ to 30℃, and free water is automatically separated from the pipeline; this is the fourth cooling of the argon gas after the deoxygenation reaction. Step 6: After the fourth cooling, argon gas enters the deoxygenation precooling unit, where its temperature drops from ~30℃ to 2~5℃ and free water is automatically separated; Step 7: The argon gas from the deoxygenation precooling unit enters the deoxygenation system purifier to remove moisture and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other impurities from the argon gas; Step 8: After purification and dehydration, the argon gas enters the dry argon gas preheater, raising its temperature from ~10℃ to 20℃. When its outlet temperature exceeds 20℃, the temperature can be adjusted by bypassing through the bypass valve. At the same time, the adsorption collinearity time can be extended to reduce the peak temperature of the argon gas at the adsorber outlet. After the dry argon gas is preheated, it enters the argon recovery cold box for low-temperature distillation separation to obtain the product argon gas.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device and its treatment method designed in this invention adopt innovative processes to reduce the operating power and water consumption of the argon recovery device. The application of this method not only reduces the power and water consumption of the argon recovery device's pretreatment system, but also ensures that the high-temperature argon gas after heating the regenerated gas in the purification system after the deoxygenation system reactor has a relatively high temperature, allowing the waste heat of the argon gas to be utilized for ORC power generation, hot water supply, or winter heating. At the same time, the increased temperature of the deoxygenation reactor reduces the excess hydrogen content in the argon gas, which is beneficial to reducing the circulation volume of nitrogen-hydrogen-argon mixed gas and reducing the power and water consumption of the circulating compressor. In addition, the deoxygenation system is equipped with a dry argon gas regenerator and the deoxygenation precooler is designed to supply gas at a lower temperature (2~5℃), which reduces the heat load of the deoxygenation precooler and the load of the deoxygenation purifier, reduces the cooling power consumption of the deoxygenation precooler and the regeneration gas consumption of the deoxygenation purifier, thereby reducing the air compressor exhaust volume and reducing the investment and operating power consumption of the nitrogen production equipment. At the same time, the reduction in the circulating water volume reduces the size and evaporation of the water cooling tower, reducing power and water consumption while lowering equipment costs.

[0016] The higher the exhaust temperature of the argon compressor, the more and higher the grade of usable heat energy, which is more conducive to waste heat power generation or other uses. Simultaneously, as the exhaust temperature of the argon compressor increases, the temperature of the argon gas after the deoxidizer also increases, which can raise the temperature of the regeneration gas and reduce the regeneration gas flow rate in the purifier, further reducing the air compressor's exhaust volume, thus further reducing electricity and water consumption. Furthermore, as the oxygen content in the argon gas increases, the temperature of the argon gas after the deoxidizer also increases, resulting in more and higher grade of usable heat energy.

[0017] Compared to current hydrogen-based argon recovery devices, this method reduces both electricity and water consumption while providing electricity or hot water, offering significant practical value and economic benefits. It is particularly advantageous for water-scarce regions, such as Saudi Arabia, and areas with high electricity prices. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the pretreatment method for argon recovery equipment in conventional hydrogen-containing processes. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the process flow of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "lateral", and "vertical" is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and is only for the convenience of describing this invention, and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0021] The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 2 As shown, an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device includes a raw gas filtration and compression system, a raw gas decarbonization system, and a raw gas deoxygenation and drying system, which are connected to each other via pipelines. The device is characterized in that the raw gas filtration and compression system is connected to a raw gas tank at the front and sequentially connected to the raw gas decarbonization system and the raw gas deoxygenation and drying system at the rear. The raw gas filtration and compression system includes a raw argon compressor ARC2201, and the raw gas decarbonization system includes a regenerator E2201, a decarbonization electric heater EH2201, and a decarbonization reaction... The system includes furnace V2201, argon preheater E2203, decarbonization water cooler E2202, decarbonization precooling unit UF2201, and decarbonization purifier PPU2201. The raw material gas deoxygenation and drying system includes deoxygenation reactor V2211, regenerated gas heater, waste heat power generation unit ORC2211, water supply heater E2214, deoxygenation water cooler E2212, deoxygenation precooling unit UF2211, deoxygenation system purifier PPU2211, and deoxygenation argon preheater E2214.

[0022] The raw material argon compressor ARC2201 is connected to the regenerator E2201. One side of the regenerator E2201 is connected to the decarbonization reactor V2201, and the gas can enter the decarbonization reactor V2201 through the decarbonization electric heater EH2201 or directly. The other side is connected to the argon preheater E2203. The argon preheater E2203 is connected in sequence to the decarbonization water cooler E2202, the decarbonization precooling unit UF2201, and the decarbonization purifier PPU2201. The decarbonization purifier PPU2201 is also connected to the argon preheater E2203.

[0023] The argon preheater E2203 is connected to the deoxygenation reactor V2211 in the raw gas deoxygenation and drying system to carry out the deoxygenation reaction. The deoxygenation reactor V2211 is connected to the regeneration gas heater. The regeneration gas heater is connected to the waste heat power generation device ORC2211 or the water supply heater E2214, and then connected to the deoxygenation water cooler E2212. The deoxygenation water cooler E2212 is connected in sequence to the drying argon preheater E2214, the deoxygenation precooling unit UF2211, and the deoxygenation system purifier PPU2211. The deoxygenation system purifier PPU2211 is connected to the drying argon preheater E2214. After being preheated by drying argon, the gas enters the argon recovery cold box for low-temperature distillation separation to obtain product argon.

[0024] The regenerated gas heater is provided in two units, namely the first regenerated gas heater E2211A and the second regenerated gas heater E2211B, which respectively heat the oxygen-enriched gas and the nitrogen-enriched gas to a temperature of over 200°C.

[0025] A pretreatment method for an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device, the method comprising the following steps: 1) Compression of raw material argon gas; 2) Decarburization of raw material argon; 3) Deoxygenation of raw material argon gas.

[0026] The specific method for argon compression in step 1) is as follows: Step 1: After dust removal and filtration, the raw material argon gas enters the raw material argon gas compressor ARC2201 for pressurization, and high-temperature argon gas is output; Step 2: Under low load conditions, reduce the load by compressing or start the reflux valve; during reflux, the high-temperature compressed argon gas enters the cooler for cooling and then flows back to the inlet.

[0027] The specific method for argon decarburization in step 2) is as follows: Step 1: After compression, the high-temperature raw material argon gas is heated by the high-temperature argon gas in the decarburization furnace through the regenerator E2201 to reach the decarburization reaction temperature as close as possible to or reach the temperature conditions. Step 2: After heating, the high-temperature argon gas is heated by the decarbonization electric heater EH2201 until the decarbonization reaction temperature condition is met; if the temperature of the high-temperature argon gas before entering the decarbonization electric heater meets the decarbonization reaction temperature condition, the argon gas can be bypassed, and the decarbonization electric heater EH2201 is only used for the start-up heating of the device. Step 3: High-temperature argon gas enters the decarbonization reactor V2201. Carbon monoxide in the raw material argon gas reacts with oxygen in the argon gas under high-temperature catalyst conditions to convert it into carbon dioxide. Step 4: After the reaction, the high-temperature argon gas is cooled down by the raw material argon gas through the regenerator E2201; Step 5: The raw material argon gas, cooled by the regenerator E2201, enters the decarburized argon gas preheater E2203 for further cooling; Step 6: After cooling, the raw material argon gas enters the decarburization water cooler E2202 and is cooled to 40°C by circulating water; Step 7: The raw material argon gas enters the decarbonization precooling unit UF2201, is cooled to 8~10℃, and any free water that may be present is separated; Step 8: The raw material argon gas enters the decarbonization purifier PPU2201, where CO2 and moisture and other impurities in the argon gas are removed by adsorption. Step 9: After decarbonization and purification, the argon gas enters the decarbonized argon gas preheater E2203 to raise its temperature, so that it meets the temperature conditions for the hydrogenation and deoxygenation reaction.

[0028] The specific method for argon deoxygenation in step 3) is as follows: Step 1: After preheating, high-temperature argon gas is mixed with high-temperature circulating nitrogen-hydrogen-argon mixture, and then enters the deoxygenation reactor V2211, where oxygen and hydrogen react under catalytic conditions to produce water. Step 2: After the deoxygenation reaction, argon gas enters the first regeneration gas heater E2211A and the second regeneration gas heater E2211B to heat the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen gas respectively, so that the temperature of the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen gas reaches above 200℃. This is the first cooling of argon gas after the deoxygenation reaction. Step 3: After the initial cooling and deoxygenation reaction, the argon temperature is ≥150℃, which can be used for waste heat utilization: ORC waste heat power generation device ORC2211 or water heater E2214 can be configured to supply hot water. Step 4: After utilizing the residual heat of the argon gas, it enters the deoxygenated water cooler E2212 to reduce the temperature of the argon gas to below 40°C; Step 5: The cooled argon gas enters the dry argon gas preheater E2214, where its temperature drops from ~40℃ to 30℃, and free water is automatically separated from the pipeline; this is the fourth cooling of the argon gas after the deoxygenation reaction. Step 6: After the fourth cooling, argon gas enters the deoxygenation precooling unit UF2211, where the temperature drops from ~30℃ to 2~5℃ and free water is automatically separated. Step 7: Argon gas from the deoxygenation precooling unit UF2211 enters the deoxygenation system purifier PPU2211 to remove moisture and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other impurities from the argon gas. Step 8: After purification and dehydration, the argon gas enters the dry argon gas preheater E2214, raising its temperature from ~10℃ to 20℃. When its outlet temperature exceeds 20℃, the temperature can be adjusted by bypassing through the bypass valve. At the same time, the adsorption collinearity time can be extended to reduce the peak temperature of the argon gas at the adsorber outlet. After the dry argon gas is preheated, it enters the argon recovery cold box for low-temperature distillation separation to obtain the product argon gas.

[0029] Compared with traditional argon recovery devices for hydrogen-containing processes, the device designed in this invention adds a post-decarbonization argon reheater between the decarbonization argon reheater and the water cooler in the decarbonization system. This ensures that the post-decarbonization argon, after reheating and mixing with high-temperature circulating nitrogen-hydrogen-argon gas, meets the reaction temperature requirements of the deoxidizer furnace, eliminating the need for an electric heater and reheater for the deoxidizer argon gas. Furthermore, a regeneration gas heater is installed in the deoxidation system, utilizing the high-temperature argon gas after the deoxidizer furnace to heat the regenerated nitrogen and regenerated oxygen-enriched gas. The rationally designed heating and cold-blowing pipeline system further eliminates the need for a separate deoxidizer. The carbon purifier / deoxygenator and air purifier are equipped with electric heaters. Since the total regeneration gas flow rate is less than the argon flow rate, the regeneration gas reaches a high temperature after being heated by the high-temperature argon gas after the deoxygenation furnace. Considering the utilization of this waste heat, an ORC waste heat power generation device can be connected in parallel (the waste heat reaches a certain scale when the argon flow rate is large), or a cooler can be used to provide hot water or steam for heating. Simultaneously, a dry argon gas reheating plate-fin heat exchanger is installed before the deoxygenation system precooling unit, using water-cooled deoxygenated argon gas for heat exchange with purified and dried argon gas. This heat exchanger reduces the heat load on the deoxygenation system precooling unit and lowers refrigeration power consumption.

[0030] The argon outlet temperature of the precooling unit in the deoxygenation system is adjusted from the conventional 8-10℃ to 2-5℃, reducing the amount of water adsorbed by the deoxygenation system purifier. This reduction in adsorbent usage decreases the amount of regenerated nitrogen required. Reduced regenerated nitrogen usage decreases the air compressor's exhaust volume, load, and power consumption. The argon reheater before the precooling unit in the deoxygenation system uses a plate-fin heat exchanger to ensure minimal pressure loss. Example

[0031] In the decarbonization system, a decarbonized argon reheater E2203 was added between the decarbonization argon reheater E2201 and the water cooler E2202. This ensures that the decarbonized argon, after reheating and mixing with high-temperature circulating nitrogen-hydrogen-argon gas, meets the reaction temperature requirements of the deoxidation reactor V2211. This eliminates the need for the deoxidation argon electric heater EH2211 and the reheater E2211 (see...). Figure 1 Meanwhile, because the waste heat of the deoxygenation system is used to heat the regeneration gas, the electric heater EH2201 in the decarbonization system purifier PPU2201 and the electric heater in the air purifier are eliminated, saving electricity for the purifier.

[0032] In the deoxidation system, a first regeneration gas heater E2211A and a second regeneration gas heater E2211B are provided. The high-temperature argon gas after the deoxidation reaction furnace V2211 is used to heat the regenerated nitrogen and the regenerated oxygen-rich gas. By reasonably designing the heating and cold blow pipeline systems, the purifier PPU2201 of the decarbonization system / the purifier PPU2211 of the deoxidation system and the electric heaters (electric heater EH2202 and electric heater EH2212) supporting the air purifier can be cancelled. At the same time, because the total flow rate of the regeneration gas is less than the flow rate of the argon gas, the temperature of the high-temperature argon gas after the deoxidation reaction furnace V2211 is relatively high after heating the regeneration gas. Considering the utilization of the waste heat of this gas, an ORC waste heat power generation device ORC2211 can be set up in parallel for waste heat power generation (when the argon gas flow rate is large, the waste heat reaches a certain scale), or a water supply heater E2213 can be provided to supply hot water or steam for heating, etc. After the waste heat is utilized, the heat load of the dewater cooler E2212 is reduced, the amount of circulating cooling water used by the dewater cooler E2212 is reduced, and the evaporation amount and the makeup water amount of the corresponding cooling water system are reduced. At the same time, a dry argon reheater E2214 is set before the pre-cooling unit UF2211 of the deoxidation system, and the water-cooled post-deoxidation argon gas is used to exchange heat with the purified dry argon gas. The setting of this heat exchanger E2214 reduces the heat load of the pre-cooling unit UF2211 of the deoxidation system and reduces the refrigeration power consumption.

[0033] In the deoxidation system, the argon gas temperature at the outlet of the pre-cooling unit UF2211 of the deoxidation system is adjusted, and its temperature is set at 2 - 5°C, which reduces the water adsorption amount of the purifier PPU2212 in the deoxidation system, thereby reducing the amount of adsorbent used, resulting in a reduction in the required regenerated nitrogen gas volume, reducing the air compressor gas supply volume, and reducing the power consumption of the air compressor. At the same time, the amount of regeneration gas is reduced, and the waste heat available in the deoxidation system increases, which can increase the waste heat power generation amount of the ORC waste heat power generation device ORC2211 or the amount of hot water provided by the water supply heater E2213.

[0034] This invention researches and adds an argon pre-heater E2203 after the decarbonization to increase its temperature to meet the reaction temperature requirement of the deoxidation furnace, cancels the deoxidation electric heater EH2211 in the conventional device, and at the same time uses the high-temperature argon gas at the outlet of the deoxidation reaction furnace V2211 to heat the regenerated gas of the purifier, cancels the electric heaters supporting the decarbonization system purifier / deoxidation system purifier / air purifier, achieving the purpose of energy conservation. At the same time, the utilization of the argon pre-heater E2203 after the decarbonization results in a decrease in the argon gas temperature entering the dewater cooler E2202, reducing the amount of cooling water used by the dewater cooler E2202 and reducing the evaporation amount of the water cooling tower, achieving the purpose of water conservation (the water conservation effect in the cold blow stage of the purifier is slightly reduced).

[0035] This invention utilizes the high-temperature argon gas heat from the outlet of the deoxygenation reactor V2211 to install regeneration heaters E2211A and E2211B in the purifier, saving electricity for the purification system. Similarly, an ORC waste heat power generation device ORC2211 or a water supply heater E2214 is installed in the deoxygenation system. The utilization of waste heat reduces the heat load on the deoxygenation water cooler E2212, decreases the consumption of circulating cooling water, and reduces the evaporation of the water cooling tower, thus achieving water conservation.

[0036] This invention also incorporates a dry argon gas preheater E2214 into the deoxygenation system, which reduces the heat load of the deoxygenation precooling unit and lowers its refrigeration power consumption.

[0037] The design features of this invention are as follows: 1) Energy saving: Waste heat is fully utilized, saving electricity for the decarbonization system purifier / deoxygenation system purifier / air purifier; reducing the electricity consumption of the deoxygenation system precooling unit; 2) Water saving: Reduced water consumption in decarbonization system coolers / deoxygenation system coolers and deoxygenation precooling units / air compressors, thereby reducing water cooling tower evaporation and reducing makeup water for the circulating water system; 3) Waste heat utilization: ORC waste heat is used for power generation, hot water supply, or heating.

[0038] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this invention should still be covered by the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. An energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device, comprising a raw gas filtration and compression system, a raw gas decarbonization system, and a raw gas deoxygenation and drying system, which are connected to each other via pipelines, characterized in that: The raw gas filtration and compression system is connected to the raw gas tank at the front and to the raw gas decarbonization system and the raw gas deoxygenation and drying system at the rear in sequence. The raw gas filtration and compression system includes a raw argon compressor. The raw gas decarbonization system includes a regenerator, a decarbonization electric heater, a decarbonization reactor, an argon preheater, a decarbonization water cooler, a decarbonization precooling unit, and a decarbonization purifier. The raw gas deoxygenation and drying system includes a deoxygenation reactor, a regenerated gas heater, a waste heat power generation device, a water supply heater, a deoxygenation water cooler, a drying argon preheater, a deoxygenation precooling unit, a deoxygenation system purifier, and a drying argon preheater.

2. The energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The raw material argon compressor is connected to a regenerator. One side of the regenerator is connected to the decarbonization reactor, and the gas can enter the decarbonization reactor directly through a decarbonization electric heater. The other side is connected to an argon preheater. The argon preheater is connected in sequence to a decarbonization water cooler, a decarbonization precooling unit, and a decarbonization purifier. The decarbonization purifier is also connected to the argon preheater.

3. The energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The argon preheater is connected to the deoxygenation reactor in the raw gas deoxygenation and drying system to carry out the deoxygenation reaction. The deoxygenation reactor is connected to the regeneration gas heater. The regeneration gas heater is connected to the waste heat power generation device or the water supply heater and then to the deoxygenation water cooler. After the deoxygenation water cooler, the drying argon preheater, the deoxygenation precooling unit, and the deoxygenation system purifier are connected in sequence. The deoxygenation system purifier is connected to the drying argon preheater. After being preheated by the drying argon, the gas enters the argon recovery cold box for low-temperature distillation separation to obtain the product argon.

4. The energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The regenerated gas heater is provided in two units, namely the first regenerated gas heater and the second regenerated gas heater, which respectively heat the oxygen-enriched gas and the nitrogen-enriched gas to a temperature of over 200°C.

5. A pretreatment method for an energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: 1) Compression of raw material argon gas; 2) Decarburization of raw material argon; 3) Deoxygenation of raw material argon gas.

6. The pretreatment method for the energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The specific method for argon compression in step 1) is as follows: Step 1: After dust removal and filtration, the raw material argon gas is pressurized by the raw material argon gas compressor and output as high-temperature argon gas; Step 2: Under low load conditions, reduce the load by compressing or start the reflux valve; during reflux, the high-temperature compressed argon gas enters the cooler for cooling and then flows back to the inlet.

7. The pretreatment method for the energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The specific method for argon decarburization in step 2) is as follows: Step 1: After compression, the high-temperature raw material argon gas is heated by the high-temperature argon gas in the decarbonization furnace through the regenerator to get as close as possible to or reach the decarbonization reaction temperature. Step 2: After heating, the high-temperature argon gas is heated by the decarbonization electric heater until the decarbonization reaction temperature condition is met; if the temperature of the high-temperature argon gas before entering the decarbonization electric heater meets the decarbonization reaction temperature condition, the argon gas can be bypassed, and the decarbonization electric heater is only used for the start-up heating of the device. Step 3: High-temperature argon gas enters the decarbonization reactor. Carbon monoxide in the raw material argon gas reacts with oxygen in the argon gas under high-temperature catalyst conditions to convert it into carbon dioxide. Step 4: After the reaction, the high-temperature argon gas is cooled down by the raw material argon gas through a regenerator; Step 5: The raw material argon gas, after being cooled by the regenerator, enters the decarburized argon gas preheater for further cooling; Step 6: After cooling, the raw material argon gas enters the decarburization water cooler and is cooled to 40°C by circulating water. Step 7: The raw material argon gas enters the decarbonization precooling unit, is cooled to 8~10℃, and any free water that may be present is separated; Step 8: The raw material argon gas enters the decarbonization purifier, where CO2 and moisture and other impurities in the argon gas are removed by adsorption. Step 9: After decarbonization and purification, the argon gas enters the argon gas preheater after decarbonization and is heated to meet the temperature conditions for hydrogenation and deoxygenation reaction.

8. The pretreatment method for the energy-saving and water-saving argon recovery device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The specific method for argon deoxygenation in step 3) is as follows: Step 1: After preheating, high-temperature argon gas is mixed with high-temperature circulating nitrogen-hydrogen-argon mixture, and then enters the deoxygenation reactor. Under catalytic conditions, oxygen and hydrogen react to convert into water. Step 2: After the deoxygenation reaction, argon gas enters the first regeneration gas heater and the second regeneration gas heater to heat the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen gas respectively, so that the temperature of the oxygen-enriched gas and nitrogen gas reaches above 200℃. This is the first cooling of argon gas after the deoxygenation reaction. Step 3: After the initial cooling and deoxygenation reaction, the argon temperature is ≥150℃, which can be used for waste heat utilization: ORC waste heat power generation device or water heater can be configured to supply hot water. Step 4: After utilizing the residual heat of the argon gas, it enters the deoxygenated water cooler to reduce the temperature of the argon gas to below 40°C; Step 5: The cooled argon gas enters the dry argon gas preheater, where its temperature drops from ~40℃ to 30℃, and free water is automatically separated from the pipeline; this is the fourth cooling of the argon gas after the deoxygenation reaction. Step 6: After the fourth cooling, argon gas enters the deoxygenation precooling unit, where its temperature drops from ~30℃ to 2~5℃ and free water is automatically separated; Step 7: The argon gas from the deoxygenation precooling unit enters the deoxygenation system purifier to remove moisture and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other impurities from the argon gas; Step 8: After purification and dehydration, the argon gas enters the dry argon gas preheater, raising its temperature from ~10℃ to 20℃. When its outlet temperature exceeds 20℃, the temperature can be adjusted by bypassing through the bypass valve. At the same time, the adsorption collinearity time can be extended to reduce the peak temperature of the argon gas at the adsorber outlet. After the dry argon gas is preheated, it enters the argon recovery cold box for low-temperature distillation separation to obtain the product argon gas.

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