| 摘要 |
The present invention relates to a process for the liquefaction of a nitrogen stream produced by separating air components using the combination of cryogenic distillation with improved refrigeration. Very cold liquid natural gas (LNG) is employed as refrigerant, with the LNG concurrently being revaporized for transportation. The requisite circulating liquid is produced by compressing the nitrogen feed streams in a multi-stage compressor, wherein the interstage cooling is provided by heat exchange against the part of the recirculating nitrogen stream yielding a high pressure nitrogen stream. The resulting nitrogen, having a pressure greater than that of the LNG refrigerant, is then used as the circulating fluid to transfer refrigeration from the LNG to other low pressure nitrogen feed streams prior to their cold compression. Also, high pressure nitrogen is used as circulating fluid to transfer refrigeration to precool feed air to cryogenic temperatures prior to its compression in an air separation unit. A portion of the high pressure nitrogen is condensed against vaporizing LNG, followed by reducing the pressure of the condensed, high pressure nitrogen stream, producing a two phase nitrogen stream, which is phase separated into a liquid nitrogen product. |
