Separation of gaseous mixtures

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF NORMALLY GASEOUS COMPONENTS BY LOW TEMPERATURE LIQUEFACTION AND FRACTIONATION IN WHICH A FIRST COMPONENT BOILS AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE THAN A SECOND COMPONENT, COMPRISING MEANS FOR COMPRESSING A MIXTURE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND COMPONENTS TO A FIRST PRESSURE, MEANS FOR EXPANDING COMPRESSED MIXTURE TO COOL IT, FRACTIONATING MEANS FOR SEPARATING FROM EXPANDED MIXTURE PORTIONS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND COMPONENTS AND FOR WITHDRAWING SEPARATED PORTIONS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND COMPONENTS AS SEPARATION PRODUCTS WITH AT LEAST WITHDRAWN FIRST COMPONENT IN LIQUID PHASE, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING DURING THE SEPARTION FIRST COMPONENT IN VAPOR PHASE, MEANS FOR COMPRESSING FIRST COMPONENT THUS WITHDRAWN IN VAPOR PHASE TO SUBSTANTIALLY SAID FIRST PRESSURE, MEANS FOR ADMIXING SAID THUS COMPRESSED VAPOR PHASE FIRST COMPONENT TO SAID MIXTURE OF FIRST AND SECOND COMPONENTS BEFORE SAID MIXTURE IS EXPANDED, MEANS FOR EXPANDING THUS COMPRESSED VAPOR PHASE FIRST COMPONENT TO COOL IT, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING TO THE FRACTIONATING MEANS THUS EXPANDED FIRST COMPONENT IN ADMIXTURE WITH EXPANDED MIXTURE.