Air separation
Air separation
(OP)
Any Smart comments!
Given that it takes 10 distillation trays to purify crude (or 40% purity)
oxygen into 95% oxygen at an air separation unit serving a chemical
complex. The customer (owner of chemical complex), however, requires
99.9999% purity oxygen to feed a new oxidizer reactor in a pilot R&D
facility.
A new purification column is considered for purifying a side-stream of the
crude oxygen, to meet the oxygen purity demand in pilot facility. How many
trays should be designed into the new purification column ? Assume that
the mass transfer efficiency per tray is constant (i.e. does not change
with composition and there is no pinch) and that tray gas-liquid flows will
be perfect.
Given that it takes 10 distillation trays to purify crude (or 40% purity)
oxygen into 95% oxygen at an air separation unit serving a chemical
complex. The customer (owner of chemical complex), however, requires
99.9999% purity oxygen to feed a new oxidizer reactor in a pilot R&D
facility.
A new purification column is considered for purifying a side-stream of the
crude oxygen, to meet the oxygen purity demand in pilot facility. How many
trays should be designed into the new purification column ? Assume that
the mass transfer efficiency per tray is constant (i.e. does not change
with composition and there is no pinch) and that tray gas-liquid flows will
be perfect.





RE: Air separation
The math for the impurities is:
(0.6)*(0.78)^54 = 8.94*10^-7
Which gives a purity of:
1-8.94*10^-7 = 0.9999991
RE: Air separation
In addition 99.999% oxygen means 1 ppm impurity. In air 50-100 ppm of hydrocarbons is normal. So it means that hydrocarbons accumulates in liquids in bottom when thermosyphon heat exchanger evaporates gas from liquids.
I am not sure of your process flow diagram. But you must change a lot and estimate cost & persuade customers.
Regards ;