Method of producing gaseous oxygen and a cryogenic plant in which said method can be performed

摘要

In a pumped liquid oxygen plant the liquid oxygen is vaporized and warmed against part of the feed air which is compressed in compressor (15) and divided into a first sub-stream (20) at 56.4 bars A and a second sub-stream (16) at 42 bars A. The first sub-stream (20) is cooled against the evaporating oxygen in the heat exchanger (17). It is then expanded at valve (21) and the largely (on a molar basis) liquid product is fed to the high pressure column (10) through pipe (22). The second sub-stream is cooled in heat exchanger (17) and is then expanded in generator loaded expander (18). The cold gas in then used to cool the first sub-stream in heat exchanger (17) and is recycled to the compressor (15).