US3596471A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for recovering a mixture of krypton and xenon from air with argon stripper
Assignee: Messer Griesheim GmbH
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Filing: 1969-03-12
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Granted: 1971-08-03
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Expires: 1989-03-12
Abstract
Abstract Oxygen-rich liquid from the bottom of the low-pressure column of a two-column air separation plant is partially vaporized, hydrocarbons are removed from the residual liquid, and the liquid is then stripped of oxygen by contact with gaseous argon. The stripped liquid is vaporized, the vapor is compressed, residual hydrocarbons in the vapor are burned, and the combustion products are removed from the vapor. Thereafter, the vapor is expanded into a rectifying column from the bottom of which a mixture of krypton and xenon is recovered. Desirably, the gaseous effluent from this rectifying column is further expanded into another rectifying column from the bottom of which argon is recovered.
Inventors
- 👤 Martin Streich
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 20:12
CPC Classifications
C; C01; C01B; C01B23/00; F; F25; F25J; F25J3/00; F25J3/02; F25J3/04; F25J3/04406; F25J3/04412; F25J3/04642; F25J3/04648; F25J3/04654; F25J3/04666; F25J3/04672; F25J3/04721; F25J3/04733; F25J3/04739; F25J3/04745; F25J2200/00; F25J2200/34; F25J2200/50; F25J2205/00; F25J2205/02; F25J2205/82; F25J2230/00; F25J2230/58; F25J2245/00; F25J2245/50; F25J2245/58; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S62/00; Y10S62/923; Y10S62/924; Y10S62/925
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
73 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said rectification of air is effected in stages in a high-pressure rectification zone and a low-pressure rectification zone, said oxygen-rich liquid is drawn from said low-pressure zone, oxygen vapor containing argon is passed from said low-pressure zone to an auxiliary rectification zone, and said argon-rich gaseous stream is drawn from the top of said auxiliary zone for contact with said residue of the partially vaporized remaining liquid.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said argon-rich gaseous stream after contacting said residue of the partially vaporized remaining liquid is returned to said auxiliary zone to separate stripped oxygen therefrom.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said stripped liquid is first partially vaporized, and the resulting vapor is added to said argon-rich gaseous stream.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the gaseous effluent from the top of said rectification zone from which said mixture of krypton and xenon is recovered is added to said argon-rich gaseous stream.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the gaseous effluent from the top of said rectification zone from which said mixture of krypton and xenon is recovered is expanded into a second rectification zone from the bottom of which liquid argon is recovered.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said compressed vapor, after effecting combustion of said residual hydrocarbons therein, is reacted with hydrogen to convert oxygen herein to water.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
144 words
In the process for separating oxygen and nitrogen by the liquefaction and rectification of air in stages in a high-pressure rectification zone and a low-pressure rectification zone, the improvement of recovering a mixture of krypton and xenon which comprises withdrawing oxygen-rich liquid from the bottom of said low-pressure zone, effecting multiple step partial vaporization of said liquid to decrease its oxygen content and thereby increase its small contents of krypton, xenon and hydrocarbons, absorbing hydrocarbons from the remaining liquid, passing oxygen vapor containing argon from said low-pressure zone to an auxiliary rectification zone, drawing an argon-rich gaseous stream from the top of said auxiliary zone, stripping oxygen from said remaining liquid by contact with said argon-rich stream, returning said argon-rich stream after contact with said remaining liquid to said auxiliary rectification zone, and recovering said mixture of krypton and xenon from the stripped liquid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said stripped liquid is first partially vaporized, the resulting vapor is added to said argon-rich stReam, the remaining stripped liquid is fractionated to yield said mixture of krypton and xenon as a liquid fraction and a gaseous fraction, and said gaseous fraction is added to said argon-rich stream.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said stripped liquid is vaporized, the resulting vapor is treated to eliminate residual hydrocarbons and oxygen therefrom by combustion, the products of combustion are removed from said vapor, thereafter said vapor is fractionated to yield said mixture of krypton and xenon as a liquid fraction and a gaseous fraction, and said gaseous fraction is further fractionated to yield argon as a liquid fraction.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-08-02 | 1975-02-01 | 1975-08-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-08-02 | 1979-02-01 | 1979-08-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-08-02 | 1983-02-01 | 1983-08-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |