Process and apparatus for the separation of a hydrogen-containing gaseous mixture

Claim 1

A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the volume of said at least a portion of the expanded purified hydrogen product amounts to about 45 to 75 percent by volume (N.T.P.) of the entering gaseous mixture.

Claim 10

An apparatus for separating a hydrogen product from a hydrogen containing gaseous mixture, comprising a scrubbing column, at least two reversible regenerators, the warm ends of which are in communication witH a source of hydrogen containing gas and the cold ends of which are in communication with the lower section of said scrubbing column, the regenerators being provided with heat exchange coils, the cold ends of which are in communication with the upper section of said scrubbing column, an expansion turbine having an inlet side and an outlet side; a first set of parallel heat exchangers for rewarming a purified hydrogen product before and after passage through said expansion turbine, one of said heat exchangers being connected to the upper section of said scrubbing column and the inlet side of said expansion turbine, and another of said first set of heat exchangers being connected to the outlet side of said expansion turbine, each of said first set of parallel heat exchangers having flow paths for passing crude hydrogen from the regenerators to the scrubbing column whereby said crude hydrogen is further cooled prior to entering said scrubbing column; a second set of parallel heat exchangers, one of said second set being in communication with said another heat exchanger of said first set for further rewarming of the rewarmed expanded purified hydrogen in heat exchange against crude hydrogen leaving the regenerator, whereby said crude hydrogen fraction is subjected to partial liquefaction; a phase separator in communication with said one of said second set of heat exchangers for collecting liquid condensed therein; expansion means for expanding said liquid, the high pressure side of which being connected to the phase separator; another of said second set of parallel heat exchangers being connected to the low pressure side of said expansion means, whereby expanded liquid is passed in heat exchange against crude hydrogen leaving the regenerator, both of said heat exchangers of said second set having flow paths for said crude hydrogen, and conduit means for effecting said connections an for passing resultant further rewarmed expanded purified hydrogen from said one heat exchanger of said second set to the cold ends of said heat exchange coils in the regenerator.