Apparatus and process for providing a production gas output from an air separation system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air separation processing results in delayed delivery of nitrogen, oxygen, or argon to downstream customers during the start-up phase due to moisture absorption by newly installed conduit equipment, leading to purity issues that violate end-user specifications, often requiring the venting of product gas for weeks.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a modular water redistribution device (WRD) in the conduit pathway to adsorb and desorb moisture from the product gas, ensuring it meets purity specifications by using adsorbent materials and optional heaters for regeneration, allowing the device to be reused across multiple installations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If product gas is conveyed through newly installed conduit equipment during start-up phase, then the conduit equipment can be used for gas transport, but moisture is adsorbed from the conduit surfaces into the product gas causing purity to fall below specifications
Solution Approach 1:
A water redistribution device (WRD) is introduced as an intermediary component between the air separation unit and the customer system. The WRD contains a bed of adsorbent material that temporarily captures moisture from the product gas during start-up phase, allowing the gas to meet purity specifications even when passing through newly installed wet conduits.
Solution Approach 2:
The WRD is positioned to treat product gas before it reaches the customer system during start-up phase. The adsorbent material in the WRD is prepared in advance to capture moisture that would otherwise be adsorbed from wet conduit surfaces into the product gas stream.
2Manufacturing precision
If product gas is vented to dry the conduit equipment, then moisture is removed from the conduits, but product gas is lost and delivery is delayed for many weeks
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of venting and losing the produced product gas, the WRD captures the moisture that would otherwise contaminate the gas. The harmful moisture adsorption phenomenon is converted into a manageable process where the WRD selectively removes water while allowing the product gas to proceed to the customer system, maintaining both purity and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The WRD selectively discards moisture from the product gas stream while recovering and delivering the dry product gas to the customer system. The adsorbent material in the WRD captures water molecules that are adsorbed from conduit surfaces, separating the harmful moisture component from the valuable product gas.
3Manufacturing precision
If a water redistribution device is installed to remove moisture from product gas, then product gas purity is maintained during start-up, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water redistribution function is segmented from the main conduit system and implemented as a separate, modular WRD unit. This segmentation allows the WRD to be installed independently and enables the adsorbent material to be regenerated in place without disrupting the entire gas transport system.
Solution Approach 2:
The WRD changes the moisture content parameter of the product gas by capturing water molecules on the adsorbent material. The device can be regenerated by changing temperature or pressure parameters to desorb the captured moisture, restoring the adsorbent material for continued use.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables immediate delivery of high-purity product gas to customers by minimizing venting during start-up, maintaining purity specifications, and providing operational flexibility through modular design and cost-effective reuse of the WRD.
Implementation Method 1
a water redistribution device (WRD) in the conduit pathway to adsorb and desorb moisture from the product gas
Implementation Method 2
optional heaters for regeneration
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and process for drying a product gas for feeding the gas to a downstream user so that product gas can be dried to remove water from the gas that may be absorbed or adsorbed during an initial start-up phase of the product gas production and/or delivery (e.g. from conduits that may have been exposed to water during installation) so the product gas can be passed downstream to the user instead of being vented. Some embodiments can be configured to utilize a removable, mobile water redistribution device that can be transported to a new site after an initial start-up phase of product gas delivery is completed and the product gas providing conduit arrangement has been dried via operation for an initial start-up period of time.