ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Proposal and energy/exergy analysis of a novel cryogenic air separation configuration for the production of neon and argon

Mehran Saedi, Mehdi Mehrpooya, Mostafa Delpisheh, and Andrew Zaitsev

School of Chemical Engineering, University College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

E-mail: mehrpoya@ut.ac.ir

Received: 18 April 2022  Accepted: 16 June 2022

Abstract:

Cryogenic air separation has efficaciously been implemented to provision oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, and other valuable products for a wide range of applications. Herein, the present study investigates neon and argon recovery from a novel four-column air separation unit. The system is appraised through thermodynamic and sensitivity analyses. The system produces a crude neon product with a small fraction (approximately 0.08), as well as argon and oxygen with a purity of 0.93 and 0.995, respectively. The energy analysis indicated an overall specific energy consumption of 0.057 kWh/kg. The exergy analysis revealed that the air coolers had the highest exergy destruction at a share of 59%, while the columns had the least at 4%. Also, the pumps, expanders, and valves, respectively, had the highest exergy efficiencies. The sensitivity analysis signposted that the temperature and pressure of the inlet to the low-pressure column in tandem with the reflux ratio of argon and neon column have the highest influence on system performance. Feeding on 100 kg/s of air, the system produces 82.87 kg/s of nitrogen, 16.81 kg/s of oxygen, 0.018 kg/s of neon, and 0.302 kg/s of argon.

Keywords: Cryogenic air separation; Neon; Argon; Exergy analysis; Sensitivity analysis

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-022-02396-6

Chemical Papers 76 (11) 7075–7093 (2022)