Crude argon column unit and argon production system comprising the same

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of crude argon tower unit and including the argon production system of the crude argon tower unit, crude argon tower unit includes crude argon tower, and the crude argon mixed gas after separation is accommodated with tower top space, and is communicated with crude argon condenser, and crude argon tower is equipped with the gas extraction pipeline of the communication of tower top space with downstream equipment in tower top, and gas extraction pipeline extracts part crude argon mixed gas from tower top space, forms product gas.The crude argon tower and including the argon production system of the crude argon tower directly extract product gas from the tower top space of crude argon tower, ensure pure gas phase gas, to improve the accuracy of flow detection, make equipment operation safer and more reliable;And the way of directly extracting product gas from tower top space, simple structure, without additional separation equipment, saves the manufacturing cost of overall equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of chemical equipment, and in particular to a crude argon tower unit and an argon production system including the crude argon tower unit. Background Technology

[0002] In air separation equipment used in chemical production, the crude argon column is a common type of air separation device. Typically, a crude argon condenser is installed at the top of the crude argon column. The crude argon condenser condenses the separated crude argon mixture drawn from the column into a liquid, which then flows back to the top of the column as liquid feed. Simultaneously, a product is extracted from the crude argon condenser and sent to downstream equipment (such as a refining argon column). Generally, there are two forms of product extraction from the crude argon condenser: 1) liquid extraction; 2) gas extraction. The second form, gas extraction, is more widely used.

[0003] When using gas extracted from the crude argon condenser as the crude argon product flowing into downstream equipment, the flow rate of the crude argon product gas extracted from the condenser is a crucial parameter for operating the crude argon column. However, in actual operation, the phase state of the crude argon product is often difficult to determine. This is because adjustments to the operation of the crude argon condenser at its evaporation end (cold end) (e.g., bath liquid level, flash pressure, or liquid flow rate to the low-pressure column) cause pressure fluctuations at the condensation end (hot end), thus altering the feed flow rate into the crude argon column. In other words, at any operating point, the cooling demand of the crude argon condenser and the feed rate are constantly changing and difficult to maintain a consistent match. This results in the crude argon product extracted from the condenser being in a mixed phase state, and its gas flow rate often cannot be accurately displayed on the flow meter. For example, as... Figure 1 As shown, the crude argon mixture extracted from the top space 11 of the crude argon tower 1 enters the crude argon condenser 12 for condensation through the condensing gas pipeline. In existing technology, product gas is extracted from the outlet of the crude argon condenser and flows into the downstream refined argon tower 2 through the product gas pipeline 13 at the outlet of the crude argon condenser. Because the product gas extracted from the outlet of the crude argon condenser contains both gaseous phase and condensed liquid phase substances, rather than being extracted as a pure gas phase, the flow meter reading cannot accurately reflect the true flow rate. This affects the quality of the crude argon purity and the operational safety of the crude argon tower.

[0004] In existing technologies, some companies use a large-scale gas-liquid separator to separate the extracted mixed-phase material into a pure gas phase, which is then sent downstream; or they use a liquefaction unit to liquefy the mixed-phase material into a liquid before sending it downstream. While these two approaches can eliminate phase uncertainty, they require well-designed separators or liquefaction units and increase the overall manufacturing cost of the argon production system by adding extra equipment and piping. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, which is that it is impossible to accurately measure the flow rate of product gas extracted from the crude argon tower into the downstream equipment without adding additional equipment for the separation of mixed phase materials, and the safety and reliability are weak. The present invention provides a crude argon tower unit and an argon production system including the crude argon tower unit.

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0007] A crude argon tower unit includes a crude argon tower, the top space of which is used to contain a crude argon mixed gas obtained after feed separation, and the top space of the crude argon tower is connected to a crude argon condenser to condense part of the crude argon mixed gas and return it to the crude argon tower.

[0008] The crude argon tower is also equipped with a gas extraction pipeline at the top of the tower, which connects the top space of the tower with the downstream equipment. The gas extraction pipeline is configured to extract part of the crude argon mixture gas from the top space of the tower through the pressure difference between the top space of the tower and the downstream equipment, forming product gas.

[0009] In this solution, compared to existing technologies where the product gas drawn from the crude argon condenser flows into downstream equipment, resulting in inaccurate flow rate detection due to the inability to achieve a pure gas phase, this crude argon tower, while supplying the separated crude argon mixture to the crude argon condenser for condensation, directly draws the product gas flowing into downstream equipment from the top space of the tower. This product gas, separated in the crude argon tower but not condensed by the crude argon condenser, ensures that the detected product gas is a pure gas phase, thereby improving the accuracy of flow rate detection and making the equipment operation safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the method of directly drawing the product gas from the top space of the tower is structurally simple, requires no additional separation equipment, and saves on the overall equipment manufacturing cost.

[0010] Preferably, the inlet of the crude argon condenser is connected to the middle position of the gas extraction pipeline via a condensation branch pipeline.

[0011] In this design, the crude argon tower shares the crude argon mixture extracted from the top space via a gas extraction pipeline. A portion of the crude argon mixture is then supplied to the crude argon condenser for condensation via a condensation branch pipeline, while the remaining crude argon mixture continues to flow into downstream equipment via the gas extraction pipeline as product gas. This pipeline connection method, which shares the gas extraction pipeline, helps reduce pipeline laying costs.

[0012] Preferably, along the flow direction of the gas from the top space of the tower to the downstream equipment, the gas extraction pipeline is further provided with a control valve on the pipeline after the connection between the condensate branch pipeline and the gas extraction pipeline, the control valve being used to regulate the flow rate of the product gas.

[0013] In this scheme, the flow rate of the product gas is adjusted by controlling the valve, thereby achieving the flow ratio regulation of the total crude argon mixture in the top space of the tower between the crude argon condenser and downstream equipment.

[0014] Preferably, the inlet of the crude argon condenser is connected to the top space of the tower via a condensing gas pipeline.

[0015] In this scheme, the crude argon tower uses gas extraction pipelines and condensation gas pipelines to flow the crude argon mixture in the tower top space into the downstream equipment and the crude argon condenser, respectively. That is, the gas extraction pipelines and condensation gas pipelines are parallel delivery pipelines. This pipeline connection method is another way to connect the tower top space with the downstream equipment and the crude argon condenser.

[0016] Preferably, a control valve is provided on the gas extraction pipeline, and the crude argon tower is configured to control the proportion of the product gas flowing into the downstream equipment through the control valve to the total crude argon mixture in the top space of the tower, and the proportion is set to not exceed 1 / 35.

[0017] In this scheme, the gas flow rate can be adjusted by a control valve. By adjusting the proportion of product gas to the total crude argon mixture, the quality of the product gas can be guaranteed. The preferred value for this proportion is 1 / 35.

[0018] Preferably, the outlet of the crude argon condenser is connected to an emergency vent pipe, and the crude argon tower is configured to open the emergency vent pipe to discharge the mixture in the crude argon condenser or keep the emergency vent pipe closed, depending on the impurity content in the crude argon mixture.

[0019] In this scheme, by connecting an emergency vent pipe to the outlet of the crude argon condenser, the non-condensable mixed gas inside the crude argon condenser (i.e., the impurities contain some non-condensable substances) can be discharged according to the impurity content in the crude argon mixed gas, thus avoiding the impact of non-condensable substances in the impurities on the safe operation of the equipment, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the crude argon tower unit's safe operation.

[0020] Preferably, the crude argon column further includes a control system, a first detection device, and a second detection device. The first detection device is used to detect the gas pressure in the top space of the column, and the second detection device is used to detect the liquid level of the cooling medium on the condensing side of the crude argon condenser. The control system is used to determine the nitrogen content in the impurities based on the detected gas pressure in the top space of the column and the liquid level of the cooling medium on the condensing side of the condenser, and to open or keep the emergency vent pipe closed based on the nitrogen content.

[0021] In this scheme, the crude argon tower uses a first detection device and a second detection device to detect the gas pressure in the top space of the tower and the liquid level on the condenser side of the crude argon condenser, respectively, to calculate the nitrogen content in the impurities. Since nitrogen has a lower condensation point than argon, meaning it is more difficult to condense, excessively high nitrogen content in the crude argon mixture may lead to nitrogen blockage (nitrogen blockage refers to the condenser at the top of the tower being "blocked" by non-condensable nitrogen due to excessively high nitrogen content). Therefore, by timely detecting and calculating the nitrogen content, and promptly venting the high-nitrogen mixture from the crude argon condenser through an emergency vent pipe when the nitrogen content is high, nitrogen blockage can be avoided, improving the reliability and safety of equipment operation.

[0022] Preferably, the crude argon tower further includes a third detection device for detecting the oxygen content in the impurities. The crude argon tower is configured to determine the detected oxygen content and, when the oxygen content is greater than a set indicator, open the emergency vent pipe and close the gas extraction pipeline leading to the downstream equipment, or keep the emergency vent pipe closed when the oxygen content is not greater than the set indicator.

[0023] In this scheme, if the oxygen content in the crude argon mixture is high, the oxygen component in the tower cannot be fully condensed and refluxed, which will affect the purity of the argon product and the safety of equipment operation. Therefore, the crude argon tower uses a third detection device to detect the oxygen content in the impurities. When the oxygen content is high, the high oxygen content mixture in the crude argon condenser can be discharged in time through the emergency vent pipe, which is beneficial to improving the purity of the argon product and the reliability of equipment operation safety.

[0024] Preferably, a flow meter is provided on the gas extraction pipeline, and the flow meter is used to detect the flow rate of the product gas.

[0025] In this solution, a flow meter can accurately detect the product gas flow rate on the gas extraction pipeline.

[0026] Preferably, the crude argon condenser is a bath condenser.

[0027] In this scheme, a bath condenser is used as the crude argon condenser. Due to its significant advantage in specific surface area per unit volume, it has the advantages of compact structure and low requirements for temperature difference between the evaporation and condensation ends. In the field of air separation technology, bath condensers are safer and more reliable than other types of condensers.

[0028] An argon production system includes a crude argon tower unit as described above and downstream equipment, the downstream equipment including a refined argon tower.

[0029] In this scheme, the argon production system adopts the aforementioned crude argon tower unit. By directly extracting the product gas flowing to downstream equipment from its top space, and utilizing the separated gas that is not condensed after separation in the crude argon tower and before entering the crude argon condenser, the gas is ensured to be in a pure gas phase, thereby improving the accuracy of flow detection and making the equipment operation safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the method of directly extracting the product gas from the top space of the tower is structurally simple, requiring no additional separation equipment and saving on overall equipment manufacturing costs. Simultaneously, by connecting an emergency vent pipe to the outlet of the crude argon condenser, the mixture within the crude argon condenser can be discharged according to the impurity content in the crude argon gas, avoiding the impact of non-condensable substances in the impurities on the safe operation of the equipment, thus improving the reliability and stability of the crude argon tower's operation.

[0030] The significant advantages of this invention are as follows: The crude argon tower unit and the argon production system including it directly extract the product gas flowing downstream from the top space of the crude argon tower. By utilizing the separated gas that is not condensed after separation in the crude argon tower and before entering the crude argon condenser, the gas is ensured to be in a pure gas phase, thereby improving the accuracy of flow detection and making the equipment operation safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the method of directly extracting the product gas from the top space of the tower is structurally simple, requiring no additional separation equipment and saving on overall equipment manufacturing costs. Simultaneously, by connecting an emergency vent pipe to the outlet of the crude argon condenser, the mixture within the crude argon condenser can be discharged according to the impurity content in the crude argon gas, avoiding the impact of non-condensable substances in the impurities on the safe operation of the equipment, thus improving the reliability and stability of the crude argon tower's operation. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the piping structure of an argon production system in the prior art.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pipeline structure of the crude argon tower unit and the argon production system including the crude argon tower unit of this utility model.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the pipeline structure for another embodiment of the connecting pipeline between the crude argon tower and the crude argon condenser of this utility model.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0035] Crude Argon Tower 1

[0036] Tower top space 11

[0037] Crude argon condenser 12

[0038] Product gas pipeline 13 at the outlet of the crude argon condenser

[0039] Feed 14 to the crude argon tower

[0040] Gas extraction pipeline 15

[0041] Condensate branch line 16

[0042] Control valve 17

[0043] Condensate gas pipeline 18

[0044] Emergency vent pipe 19

[0045] Argon Tower 2 Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will be described more clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings, using a preferred embodiment.

[0047] This embodiment provides a crude argon tower unit, which includes a crude argon tower 1 and pipelines and external equipment connected to the crude argon tower 1. The crude argon tower 1 is a distillation device used in chemical production to separate oxygen-argon mixed gas and extract crude argon.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown, the crude argon tower 1 includes a tower body and a crude argon condenser 12 located at the top. The material to be separated generated by the upstream equipment (i.e., the feed 14 of the crude argon tower) enters from the bottom of the tower. The material undergoes coarse separation within the tower body, removing most of the oxygen. The separated crude argon mixture fills the top space 11 of the tower. The inlet of the crude argon condenser 12 is connected to the top space 11. Part of the crude argon mixture is drawn into the crude argon condenser 12 for condensation. The condensed mixture then flows back to the upper part of the crude argon tower 1.

[0049] The crude argon tower 1 is also equipped with a gas extraction pipeline 15 at the top, connecting the top space 11 to downstream equipment. The gas extraction pipeline 15 is configured to extract a portion of the crude argon mixture from the top space 11 using the pressure difference between the top space 11 and the downstream equipment, forming product gas. Specifically, the portion of the crude argon mixture flowing into the downstream equipment is called product gas, while the portion flowing into the crude argon condenser 12 is called process mixture gas. A flow meter (not shown in the figure) or other flow control device is installed on the gas extraction pipeline 15 to detect the flow rate of the product gas. In this embodiment, the downstream equipment includes a refined argon tower 2, which is connected to the gas extraction pipeline 15. The refined argon tower 2 is used to further purify the product gas output from the refined argon tower 2, removing residual nitrogen from the crude argon product gas to obtain high-purity liquid argon product, thus achieving the final purification of argon gas. In other embodiments, the downstream equipment can also be other functional equipment depending on the application requirements.

[0050] It should be noted that how the crude argon condenser 12 condenses the crude argon mixture through the temperature difference between the externally input cooling liquid (i.e., cooling medium) and the crude argon mixture, as well as how the crude argon tower 1 separates its feed and the specific structure of the fine argon tower 2, are existing technologies and will not be elaborated here. In other embodiments, the location of the crude argon condenser 12 is not limited to the top of the crude argon tower 1; it can be located in the top space inside the tower body, or at the top outside the tower body, or at other locations.

[0051] Compared to existing technologies where the product gas drawn from the crude argon condenser 12 flows into downstream equipment, resulting in inaccurate flow rate detection due to the inability to achieve a pure gas phase, this crude argon tower 1, while supplying the separated crude argon mixture to the crude argon condenser 12 for condensation, directly draws out the product gas flowing into downstream equipment at the top space 11. This product gas is the gas separated in the crude argon tower 1 but not condensed by the crude argon condenser 12, thus ensuring that the detected product gas is a pure gas phase. This improves the accuracy of flow rate detection and makes the equipment operation safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the method of directly drawing out the product gas from the top space 11 is structurally simple, requires no additional separation equipment, and saves on the overall equipment manufacturing cost.

[0052] In this embodiment, the inlet of the crude argon condenser 12 is connected to the middle position of the gas extraction pipeline 15 via the condensation branch pipeline 16. That is, when the crude argon mixture flows along the gas extraction pipeline 15 to the connection point between the condensation branch pipeline 16 and the gas extraction pipeline 15, the gas flow splits into two branches. One branch sends a portion of the crude argon mixture as a process gas into the crude argon condenser 12 for condensation via the condensation branch pipeline 16. The other branch sends the remaining portion of the crude argon mixture as a product gas to downstream equipment via the pipeline after the connection point of the gas extraction pipeline 15. This crude argon tower 1 shares the crude argon mixture extracted from the top space 11 through the gas extraction pipeline 15. This pipeline connection method, which shares the gas extraction pipeline 15, helps reduce pipeline laying costs.

[0053] In this embodiment, along the gas flow direction from the top space 11 to the argon refiner 2, a control valve 17 is installed on the gas extraction pipeline 15 after the connection between the condensation branch pipeline 16 and the gas extraction pipeline 15. The control valve 17 is a flow regulating valve or other flow control device used to regulate the flow rate of the product gas. In this embodiment, the gas extraction pipeline 15 connected to the top space 11 has only two branches, which are connected to the crude argon condenser 12 and the argon refiner 2, respectively. The crude argon mixed gas in the top space 11 is only distributed between these two branches. Therefore, when the control valve 17 regulates the flow rate of the product gas flowing to the argon refiner 2, it also regulates the flow rate of the process mixed gas flowing to the crude argon condenser 12, thereby achieving the flow rate ratio regulation of the total crude argon mixed gas in the top space 11 between the crude argon condenser 12 and the argon refiner 2.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, in other embodiments, the inlet of the crude argon condenser 12 can also be connected to the top space 11 of the tower via a separate condensing gas pipeline 18. The crude argon tower 1 uses a gas extraction pipeline 15 and a condensing gas pipeline 18 to respectively flow the crude argon mixture in the top space 11 into the downstream equipment and the crude argon condenser 12. That is, the gas extraction pipeline 15 and the condensing gas pipeline 18 are parallel delivery pipelines. This pipeline connection method is another way to connect the top space 11 with the downstream equipment and the crude argon condenser 12. In this connection method, a control valve 17 can be installed on the gas extraction pipeline 15 to regulate the flow rate of the product gas flowing to the refined argon tower 2. Alternatively, control valves 17 can be installed on both the gas extraction pipeline 15 and the condensing gas pipeline 18 to achieve flow rate ratio adjustment of the crude argon mixture in the top space 11 between the crude argon condenser 12 and the refined argon tower 2.

[0055] In actual operation, some operational adjustments at the evaporation end (cold end) of the crude argon condenser 12 (e.g., bath liquid level, flash pressure, or liquid flow rate to the low-pressure tower) often cause pressure fluctuations at its condensation end (hot end), thereby altering the feed flow rate into the crude argon tower 1. Therefore, based on the operational adjustments at the evaporation end of the crude argon condenser 12, the proportion of product gas flowing into the downstream equipment relative to the total crude argon mixture in the tower top space 11 can be controlled via control valve 17 to ensure the quality of the product gas. This proportion is typically set to no more than 1 / 35, which is a preferred value. It should be noted that the specific operational adjustments at the evaporation end of the crude argon condenser 12, and how to control the proportion of product gas flowing into the downstream equipment relative to the total crude argon mixture in the tower top space 11 based on these adjustments, are existing technologies and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0056] The outlet of the crude argon condenser 12 is connected to an emergency vent pipe 19. The emergency vent pipe 19 is configured to open or close according to the impurity content in the crude argon mixture to discharge the mixture within the crude argon condenser 12. Impurities refer to substances in the crude argon mixture that can adversely affect argon purification or equipment safety; for example, impurities include nitrogen and oxygen. Because nitrogen has a lower condensation point than argon, it is more difficult to condense. If the nitrogen content in the crude argon mixture is too high, nitrogen blockage may occur (nitrogen blockage refers to the condenser at the top of the column being "blocked" by non-condensable nitrogen due to excessive nitrogen content). Therefore, if a large amount of nitrogen enters the crude argon condenser 12 but cannot be condensed in time, it will pose a safety risk to the equipment and must be discharged promptly through the emergency vent pipe 19. For example, if the separation effect in the crude argon column 1 is poor, the oxygen content in the crude argon mixture in the top space 11 may be too high. This will prevent the oxygen component in the column from being fully condensed and refluxed, thus affecting the purity of the argon product and the safe operation of the equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to remove it in a timely manner. Of course, impurities are not limited to nitrogen and oxygen; they can also be other substances that are detrimental to argon production or equipment operation.

[0057] In practical applications of crude argon towers, the light nitrogen components at the top of the tower typically originate from the feed at the bottom. If the argon content in the feed 14 of the crude argon tower is controlled to be low, the nitrogen content will also be low; for example, controlling the argon content to <15%, or more robustly, <10%. However, if operation results in excessive nitrogen, the normal operation of the crude argon condenser will be affected. Symptoms include increased pressure at the top of the tower and a rise in the liquid level at the evaporation end of the crude argon tower. To resolve this issue, it is necessary to open the emergency vent pipe 19, adjust the operation of the low-pressure tower upstream of the crude argon tower, or reduce the gas flow rate into the crude argon tower. In this embodiment, the crude argon tower 1 is equipped with two detection devices (not shown in the figure) at the top of the tower to address the possibility of high nitrogen content in the impurities. These are a first detection device and a second detection device. The first detection device is a gas pressure detection device used to detect the gas pressure in the top space 11 of the tower. The second detection device detects the liquid level of the cooling medium on the condensing side of the crude argon condenser 12. The control system determines the nitrogen content in the impurities based on the detected gas pressure in the top space 11 and the liquid level of the cooling medium on the condensing side of the condenser. When the nitrogen content is lower than the set target, the emergency vent pipe 19 can remain closed. When the nitrogen content is higher than the set target, the control system opens the emergency vent pipe 19 to promptly discharge the high-nitrogen mixture in the crude argon condenser 12, thus preventing nitrogen blockage and improving the reliability of equipment operation.

[0058] In this embodiment, to address the possibility of high oxygen content in the impurities, the crude argon tower 1 also includes a third detection device (not shown in the figure). This third detection device is located at the top of the tower and monitors the oxygen content in the impurities in real time. If the oxygen content exceeds a set threshold (e.g., oxygen content > 1.5 PPM), the emergency vent pipe 19 is opened to release the non-condensable mixture in the crude argon condenser, and the gas extraction pipe 15 leading to the refined argon tower 2 is closed, preventing the gas from the top of the tower from reaching the downstream refined argon tower 2. Simultaneously, the top gas extraction rate is reduced, thus increasing the crude argon tower reflux ratio. The operation is adjusted until the oxygen content is within acceptable limits. If the oxygen content is not greater than the set threshold, the emergency vent pipe 19 remains closed. Furthermore, if the oxygen content is extremely low, the amount of product gas extracted from the top of the tower can be increased to increase the argon yield of the system.

[0059] In this embodiment, the crude argon condenser 12 is a bath condenser. Using a bath condenser as the crude argon condenser offers advantages due to its large specific surface area per unit volume, resulting in a compact structure and lower requirements for temperature difference between the evaporation and condensation ends. In the field of air separation technology, bath condensers are safer and more reliable compared to other types of condensers.

[0060] This embodiment also provides an argon production system, which includes a crude argon tower unit as described above and downstream equipment. The downstream equipment includes a refined argon tower 2, which further purifies the product gas output from the crude argon tower 1, removing residual nitrogen from the crude argon product gas to obtain high-purity liquid argon product, thus achieving final purification of argon gas. This argon production system uses the aforementioned crude argon tower 1, directly extracting the product gas flowing to the downstream equipment from its top space. Utilizing the separated gas from the crude argon tower 1 that is not condensed before entering the crude argon condenser 12, the system ensures the gas is in a pure gas phase, thereby improving the accuracy of flow detection and making the equipment operation safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the method of directly extracting the product gas from the top space of the tower is simple in structure, requiring no additional separation equipment, thus saving on the overall equipment manufacturing cost. Simultaneously, by connecting an emergency vent pipe 19 to the outlet of the crude argon condenser 12, the mixture within the crude argon condenser 12 can be discharged according to the impurity content in the crude argon gas, avoiding the impact of non-condensable substances in the impurities on the safe operation of the equipment, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the crude argon tower 1's operation.

[0061] While specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this utility model, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A crude argon tower unit, comprising a crude argon tower, the top space of which is used to contain a crude argon mixture gas obtained after feed separation, and the top space of the crude argon tower is connected to a crude argon condenser to condense a portion of the crude argon mixture gas and return it to the crude argon tower; characterized in that, The crude argon tower is also equipped with a gas extraction pipeline at the top of the tower, which connects the top space of the tower with the downstream equipment. The gas extraction pipeline is configured to extract part of the crude argon mixture gas from the top space of the tower through the pressure difference between the top space of the tower and the downstream equipment, forming product gas.

2. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the crude argon condenser is connected to the middle position of the gas extraction pipeline via a condensation branch pipeline.

3. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Along the flow direction of gas from the top space of the tower to the downstream equipment, the gas extraction pipeline is further equipped with a control valve on the pipeline after the connection between the condensate branch pipeline and the gas extraction pipeline. The control valve is used to regulate the flow rate of the product gas.

4. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the crude argon condenser is connected to the top space of the tower via a condensing gas pipeline.

5. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas extraction pipeline is equipped with a control valve, and the crude argon tower is configured to control the proportion of the product gas flowing into the downstream equipment through the control valve to the total crude argon mixture in the top space of the tower, and the proportion is set to not exceed 1 / 35.

6. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outlet of the crude argon condenser is connected to an emergency vent pipe. The crude argon tower is configured to either open the emergency vent pipe to discharge the mixture in the crude argon condenser or keep the emergency vent pipe closed, depending on the impurity content in the crude argon mixture.

7. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The crude argon column also includes a control system, a first detection device, and a second detection device. The first detection device is used to detect the gas pressure in the top space of the column, and the second detection device is used to detect the liquid level of the cooling medium on the condensing side of the crude argon condenser. The control system is used to determine the nitrogen content in the impurities based on the detected gas pressure in the top space of the column and the liquid level of the cooling medium on the condensing side of the condenser, and to open or keep the emergency vent pipe closed based on the nitrogen content.

8. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The crude argon tower also includes a third detection device, which is used to detect the oxygen content in the impurities. The crude argon tower is configured to determine the detected oxygen content and, when the oxygen content is greater than a set target, open the emergency vent pipe and close the gas extraction pipeline leading to the downstream equipment, or keep the emergency vent pipe closed when the oxygen content is not greater than the set target.

9. The crude argon tower unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A flow meter is installed on the gas extraction pipeline, and the flow meter is used to detect the flow rate of the product gas.

10. An argon production system, characterized in that, The argon production system includes a crude argon tower unit and downstream equipment as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the downstream equipment includes a refined argon tower.

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