Argon separation

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF OBTAINING HIGH PURITY ARGON FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING ARGON, OXYGEN AND NITROGEN WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING COMPRESSED GASEOUS MIXTURE AND A QUANTITY OF HYDROGEN IN EXCESS OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNT REQUIRED FOR THE REACTION OF THE HYDROGEN WITH THE OXYGEN OF THE GASEOUS MIXTURE TO FORM WATER. PASSING THE COMPRESSED GASEOUS MIXTURE AND HYDROGEN OVER A CATALYST TO PROMOTE A CATALYTIC REACTION BETWEEN THE OXYGEN AND THE HYDROGEN AND PROVIDE A REACTION PRODUCT INCLUDING WATER, ARGON, NITROGEN AND HYDROGEN, REMOVING WATER FROM THE REACTION PRODUCT, COOLING THE WATER-FREE REACTION PRODUCT BY HEAT INTERCHANGE WITH COLD FLUIDS FROM ENSUING SEPARATION AND FRACTIONATING STEPS, SEPARATING THE COOL REACTION PRODUCT UNDER PRESSURE BY PARTIAL CONDENSATION PRODUCING A FIRST LIQUID HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AND A FIRST GBASEUS LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION, THE FIRST HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION COMPRISING ARGON AND NITROGEN AND THE FIRST LOW POINT FRACTION CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOTAL HYDROGEN CONTENT OF THE REACTION PRODUCT, PASSING THE FIRST HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE WHEREIN THE FIRST HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION IS SEPARATED UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE TO PRODUCE SECOND LIQUID HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AND SECOND GASEOUS LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION, THE SECOND HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE ARGON AND THE SECOND LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOTAL NITROGEN CONTENT OF THE REACTION PRODUCT, THE PARTIAL CONDENSATION OF THE COOL REACTION PRODUCT BEING CARRIED OUT BY HEAT INTERCHANGE BETWEEN COOL REACTION PRODUCT AND A FIRST RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL WITH CONCOMITANT VAPORIZATION OF LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE FIRST VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL, ESTABLISHING HEAT INTERCHANGE BETWEEN SECOND GASEOUS LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION AND A SECOND RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE LIQUID SECOND LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION WITH CONCOMITANT VAPORIZATION OF LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE SECOND VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL, UTILIZING LIQUID SECOND LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION AS REFLUX FOR THE FRACTIONATING ZONE, COMPRESSING FIRST VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL AND SECOND VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE COMPRESSED GASEOUS MATERIAL, PASSING COMPRESSED GASEOUS MATERIAL IN HEAT INTERCHANGE WITH SECOND LIQUID HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION TO VAPORIZE SECOND HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AND LIQUEFY GASEOUS MATERIAL, DERIVING THE FIRST RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL AND THE SECOND RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL FROM THE LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MATERIAL, AND UTILIZING VAPORIZED SECOND HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AS REFLUX FOR THE FRACTIONATING ZONE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF OBTAINING HIGH PURITY ARGON FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING ARGON, OXYGEN AND NITROGEN WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING COMPRESSED GASEOUS MIXTURE AND A QUANTITY OF HYDROGEN IN EXCESS OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNT REQUIRED FOR THE REACTION OF THE HYDROGEN WITH THE OXYGEN OF THE GASEOUS MIXTURE TO FORM WATER. PASSING THE COMPRESSED GASEOUS MIXTURE AND HYDROGEN OVER A CATALYST TO PROMOTE A CATALYTIC REACTION BETWEEN THE OXYGEN AND THE HYDROGEN AND PROVIDE A REACTION PRODUCT INCLUDING WATER, ARGON, NITROGEN AND HYDROGEN, REMOVING WATER FROM THE REACTION PRODUCT, COOLING THE WATER-FREE REACTION PRODUCT BY HEAT INTERCHANGE WITH COLD FLUIDS FROM ENSUING SEPARATION AND FRACTIONATING STEPS, SEPARATING THE COOL REACTION PRODUCT UNDER PRESSURE BY PARTIAL CONDENSATION PRODUCING A FIRST LIQUID HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AND A FIRST GBASEUS LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION, THE FIRST HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION COMPRISING ARGON AND NITROGEN AND THE FIRST LOW POINT FRACTION CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOTAL HYDROGEN CONTENT OF THE REACTION PRODUCT, PASSING THE FIRST HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE WHEREIN THE FIRST HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION IS SEPARATED UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE TO PRODUCE SECOND LIQUID HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AND SECOND GASEOUS LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION, THE SECOND HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE ARGON AND THE SECOND LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOTAL NITROGEN CONTENT OF THE REACTION PRODUCT, THE PARTIAL CONDENSATION OF THE COOL REACTION PRODUCT BEING CARRIED OUT BY HEAT INTERCHANGE BETWEEN COOL REACTION PRODUCT AND A FIRST RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL WITH CONCOMITANT VAPORIZATION OF LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE FIRST VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL, ESTABLISHING HEAT INTERCHANGE BETWEEN SECOND GASEOUS LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION AND A SECOND RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE LIQUID SECOND LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION WITH CONCOMITANT VAPORIZATION OF LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE SECOND VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL, UTILIZING LIQUID SECOND LOW BOILING POINT FRACTION AS REFLUX FOR THE FRACTIONATING ZONE, COMPRESSING FIRST VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL AND SECOND VAPORIZED LIQUID MATERIAL TO PROVIDE COMPRESSED GASEOUS MATERIAL, PASSING COMPRESSED GASEOUS MATERIAL IN HEAT INTERCHANGE WITH SECOND LIQUID HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION TO VAPORIZE SECOND HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AND LIQUEFY GASEOUS MATERIAL, DERIVING THE FIRST RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL AND THE SECOND RELATIVELY COLD LIQUID MATERIAL FROM THE LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MATERIAL, AND UTILIZING VAPORIZED SECOND HIGH BOILING POINT FRACTION AS REFLUX FOR THE FRACTIONATING ZONE.