U.S. patent application number 13/700827 was filed with the patent office on 2013-06-06 for method and apparatus for producing liquid carbon dioxide.
This patent application is currently assigned to L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude. The applicant listed for this patent is Alain Briglia, Alain Guillard. Invention is credited to Alain Briglia, Alain Guillard.
Application Number | 20130139542 13/700827 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43365276 |
Filed Date | 2013-06-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130139542 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Briglia; Alain ; et
al. |
June 6, 2013 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE
Abstract
The invention relates to an apparatus for producing carbon
dioxide-rich liquid, which includes a separation unit including a
column for physically washing with a solvent and means for cooling
a fluid of the separation unit, and a unit for compressing and
liquefying a carbon dioxide-rich gas derived from the separation
unit, including means for cooling the gas upstream and/or
downstream from the compression operation, a single refrigerating
cycle using carbon dioxide as the refrigerant, which is suitable
for providing frigories to the means for cooling the fluid of the
separation unit and to the means for cooling the gas upstream
and/or downstream from the compression operation, and means for
sending a portion of the liquid from the liquefaction unit to the
refrigerating cycle.
Inventors: |
Briglia; Alain; (Houston,
TX) ; Guillard; Alain; (Houston, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Briglia; Alain
Guillard; Alain |
Houston
Houston |
TX
TX |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour
l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Paris
FR
|
Family ID: |
43365276 |
Appl. No.: |
13/700827 |
Filed: |
May 6, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
May 6, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR2011/051030 |
371 Date: |
February 4, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/606 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25J 2230/30 20130101;
Y02C 10/06 20130101; B01D 2252/2021 20130101; B01D 2256/22
20130101; B01D 53/1475 20130101; Y02C 10/04 20130101; F25J 1/0095
20130101; F25J 1/0204 20130101; F25J 1/0238 20130101; F25J 2205/50
20130101; F25J 1/0202 20130101; B01D 2257/504 20130101; F25J 1/0027
20130101; Y02C 20/40 20200801; F25J 2205/40 20130101; B01D 53/62
20130101; F25J 2210/70 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/606 |
International
Class: |
F25J 1/00 20060101
F25J001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 1, 2010 |
FR |
10 54244 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A method for producing a carbon dioxide-rich liquid as end
product, comprising; i) separating a feed gas comprising carbon
dioxide by physical washing with a solvent at a temperature below
0.degree. C., ii) cooling the solvent required for the physical
washing of step i), iii) producing a carbon dioxide-rich gas by
separation according to step i), said gas is compressed and
liquefied, iv) cooling the carbon dioxide-rich gas upstream and/or
downstream of the compression operation of step iii) and, v)
supplying the refrigeration for the cooling operation of step iv)
and for a cooling operation required in step I) with a single
refrigeration cycle, using carbon dioxide as refrigerant, at least
part of the carbon dioxide used as refrigerant issuing from the
liquefaction operation of step iii).
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising cooling the solvent
upstream of the washing operation with said refrigeration
cycle.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the solvent is methanol.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich gas is
liquefied after the compression operation of step iii).
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich gas is
cooled upstream of the compression operation of step iii) by means
of the refrigeration cycle.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the carbon dioxide-rich gas is
cooled downstream of the compression operation of step iii) by
means of the refrigeration cycle.
17. An apparatus for producing a carbon dioxide-rich liquid as end
product, comprising i) a separation unit comprising a column for
physical washing with a solvent and means for cooling a fluid of
the separation unit, ii) a unit for compressing and liquefying a
carbon dioxide-rich gas derived from the separation unit, the
compression and liquefaction unit comprising means for cooling the
carbon dioxide-rich gas upstream and/or downstream of the
compression operation, iii) a single refrigeration cycle using
carbon dioxide as refrigerant, being suitable for supplying
refrigeration to the means for cooling the fluid of the separation
unit and to the means for cooling the carbon dioxide-rich gas
upstream and/or downstream of the compression operation and iv)
means for sending part of the carbon dioxide-rich liquid from the
separation and liquefaction unit to the refrigeration cycle.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the refrigeration cycle is
suitable for supplying refrigeration upstream of the compression of
the carbon dioxide-rich gas.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 the compression of the carbon
dioxide-rich gas.
20. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising a means for cooling the
solvent upstream of the washing operation by means of the
refrigeration cycle.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus
for producing a carbon dioxide-rich liquid. It applies in
particular to gas separation and purification processes based on
the principle of physical absorption, which require operation at
temperatures below 0.degree. C., such as the Rectisol.RTM. or the
Selexol.RTM. process, in which the carbon dioxide must be produced
either in liquid form, or in compressed form for purposes such as
sequestration, EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery), or any other
application dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
[0002] In a gas separation and purification unit based on the
physical absorption principle which requires operation at
temperatures below 0.degree. C., like the Rectisol.RTM. or the
Selexol.RTM. process, it is necessary to supply large refrigeration
loads for the process to operate efficiently, The refrigeration
duty is commonly supplied by refrigerating units operating on
fluids external to the process, such as ammonia or propylene, for
example.
[0003] In the context of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by
precombustion processes, the separated carbon dioxide must be
produced either in liquid form for road, river or maritime
transport, or in compressed form for pipeline transport. These
processes also use a compressor operating with the fluid to be
liquefied (carbon dioxide) to provide the heat balance required for
producing carbon dioxide in liquid or compressed form.
[0004] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus of the prior art. A gas separation
and purification unit of the Rectisol.RTM. type 10 separates a gas
to be treated containing carbon dioxide 1 to produce a purified gas
2 and a carbon dioxide-rich gas. The separation unit 10 is cooled
by means of an external refrigerating unit 11 using a refrigerant
3, 3', The carbon dioxide is liquefied in a liquefier 12 to produce
liquid carbon dioxide 5.
[0005] According to an object of the invention, a method is
provided for producing a carbon dioxide-rich liquid as end product,
in which:
[0006] i) a feed gas comprising carbon dioxide is separated by
physical washing with a solvent at a temperature below 0.degree.
C.
[0007] ii) the solvent required for the physical washing of step i)
is cooled
[0008] iii) a carbon dioxide-rich gas is produced by separation
according to step i), the said gas is compressed and liquefied
[0009] iv) the carbon dioxide-rich gas is cooled upstream and/or
downstream of the compression operation of step iii) and
[0010] v) a single refrigeration cycle, using carbon dioxide as
refrigerant, supplies the refrigeration for the cooling operation
of step iv) and for a cooling operation required in step i), at
least part of the carbon dioxide used as refrigerant issuing from
the liquefaction operation of step iii).
[0011] According to other optional aspects: [0012] the same
refrigeration cycle serves to cool the carbon dioxide-rich gas
upstream and/or downstream of the compression operation; [0013] the
same refrigeration cycle serves to cool the solvent upstream of the
washing operation; [0014] the solvent is methanol; [0015] the
carbon dioxide-rich gas is liquefied after the compression
operation of step iii).
[0016] According to a further object of the invention, an apparatus
is provided for producing a carbon dioxide-rich liquid as end
product, comprising
[0017] i) a separation unit comprising a column for physical
washing with a solvent and means for cooling a fluid of the
separation unit,
[0018] ii) a unit for compressing and liquefying a carbon
dioxide-rich gas derived from the separation unit in order to
produce liquid carbon dioxide as end product, the compression and
liquefaction unit comprising means for cooling the gas upstream
and/or downstream of the compression operation,
[0019] iii) a single refrigeration cycle using carbon dioxide as
refrigerant, being suitable for supplying refrigeration to the
means for cooling the fluid of the separation unit and to the means
for cooling the carbon dioxide-rich gas upstream and/or downstream
of the compression operation and
[0020] iv) means for sending part of the liquid carbon dioxide from
the separation and liquefaction unit to the refrigeration
cycle.
[0021] Optionally, the apparatus comprises means for cooling the
solvent upstream of the washing operation by means of the
refrigeration cycle.
[0022] The invention consists in using a single refrigeration cycle
supplying the refrigeration for cooling required for the gas
separation and purification unit, for example of the Rectisol.RTM.
type, in particular for cooling the washing solvent, and for
cooling a stream of carbon dioxide-rich gas issuing from the gas
separation and purification unit.
[0023] Such a method serves to reduce the investment by combining
the functions. The invention is described in greater detail with
reference to FIG. 2.
[0024] A unit for separating and purifying gas by physical washing
with a solvent at a temperature below 0.degree. C. of the
Rectisol.RTM. type 10 separates a gas to be treated 1 containing
carbon dioxide to produce a purified gas 2 and a carbon
dioxide-rich gas 4. The separation unit 10 is cooled by means of a
cycle using a refrigerant 103, 103 issuing from a unit 12 for
treating the carbon dioxide-rich gas 4. The carbon dioxide
treatment unit 12 is a compression unit C followed by a
liquefaction unit L producing carbon dioxide in liquid form 5. The
carbon dioxide-rich gas compressed by the compression unit C is
liquefied by the unit L to produce the end product 5. A portion 103
of the liquid formed can cod the compressed stream downstream
and/or upstream of the compression unit C by means of the heat
exchangers E1, E2.
[0025] In particular, the refrigerant 103 sent to the unit 10 can
serve to cod a stream of solvent used in a washing step of the
method.
[0026] The same fluid can serve to cod the carbon dioxide upstream
and/or downstream of the compression operation in the unit 12.
[0027] The fluid is carbon dioxide and issues from the gas 4
treated in the unit 12.
* * * * *