an introduction

.Atmospheric air consists of 20.95% oxygen, 78.08% nitrogen and some other gases

Air separation plants separate the air into its primary components, mostly oxygen and
.nitrogen

.The air separation plants are classified into cryogenic and non-cryogenic plants

The cryogenic air separation technology is based on the fact that the different constituent
gases of the air have different boiling points, and by manipulating the direct environment in
the conditions of temperature and pressure, the air can be separated into its components
and there are different processes in the cryogenic air separation plant, which are essential
including cleaning, air pressure and air purification. The cooling and distillation are all
.designed to have good separation efficiency but are energy intensive

Description of the process

filtration / 1

.Atmospheric air enters before pressure we do dust cleaning

compression / 2

Fresh air is compressed to approximately 6 bar and sent to be purified

purification / 3

The air in the process generally passes through the inlet of a molecular sieve that removes
the remaining water vapor, as well as carbon dioxide, which would freeze the components
of the refrigeration equipment and reduce the efficiency of thermal initiatives. Molecular
sieves are often designed to remove any gaseous hydrocarbons from the air, as this can be a
.problem in the subsequent air distillation process that can lead to explosions

cooling / 4

The cryogenic separation process requires very high integration of heat exchangers and
separation columns to obtain good efficiency and the refrigeration equipment must be kept
inside an insulated vessel (usually called a "cold box"). Cooling the gases requires a large
.amount of energy to make the refrigeration cycle work

The air is sent to the cooler box, where it cools down to -173 c °. At this point the air turns
.into a liquid, and is sent to the distillation column

distillation /5

The chiller air is introduced into the lower part of the high pressure column and when it rises
through the column through the structured packing it cools and is enriched in nitrogen,
while the raw oxygen condenses and is collected at the bottom of the column is enrich in
oxygen this liquid is refluxed to the low pressure column for further separation into pure
.oxygen

In the top part of the column will the extraction of the apart of the nitrogen gas and in the
low pressure column the nitrogen gas in the nitrogen form the hight pressure column is
.refluxed at the top low pressure column which acts as wash for the rising oxygen

In the middle part, near where the liquid air is refluxed the raw oxygen extracted and further
.purified by nitrogen and oxygen

The liquid oxygen(LOX) finally reaches the bottom of the low pressure column and it is
drawn off while the gaseous oxygen (GON) is drawn off above the condenser (bottom low
.pressure column)

- :Oxygen

It is 20.94% by volume in atmospheric air and has a boiling point of - 183 ° C

- :It has many uses in the refinery, most notably

It is used to increase the temperature in processes that require heat such as furnace and / 1
sulfur treatment, and oxygen is used to excite the air in catalytic cracking regenerators,
which increases the capacity of the units, and it is also used in the regeneration of catalysts.
.Reducing emissions by enriching oxygen is done by mixing pure oxygen with combustion air
.

Oxygen enrichment is a well-established technology in the field of refining and it is used

successfully to treat sulfur and also reduces pollution such as reducing nitrogen emissions,
and when adding pure oxygen to combustion air has a great impact on combustion such as
increasing combustion efficiency, decreasing emissions, improving heat stability, increasing
.productivity, and improving operation

Increasing the concentration of oxygen in the combustion air also leads to a decrease in / 2
fuel use. This energy saving is due to the fact that nitrogen in the air is not necessary for the
combustion process and energy is lost when inert nitrogen is heated during combustion and
is emptied into the atmosphere, when the oxygen concentration increases from 21%. Up to
40%, energy savings can be achieved at 60% assuming that the temperature is constant, and
the temperature can increase by 200-300 ° C when the oxygen content increases by 4% to
5% without any increase in fuel and there is less production of smoke while reducing
.pollution and reducing oxides. Nitrogen

Oxygen is used as a raw material in many oxidation processes / 3

Such as the production of gases in the process of molecular oxidation and can be used as a
.medium for the production of chemicals and fuels

Nitrogen

Atmospheric air is made up of 78% nitrogen gas and oxygen is only vital and necessary for
humans to breathe and survive. Nitrogen gas behaves somewhat like a buffer or insulator in
.the atmosphere

Nitrogen in itself is inert and stable, but too much nitrogen reduces the oxygen content in
the atmosphere and nitrogen is odorless and colorless so it can kill without warning so it is
.known as a silent killer

And if the Earth was free of nitrogen but filled with oxygen only, the fires would get out of
control and erode the steel structures quickly, so nitrogen is an effective diluent or insulating
gas that we cannot live without, but too much of it will deprive us of oxygen that could lead
.to suffocation and even death within seconds

- :Uses of nitrogen

.Nitrogen is used to increase safety in the oil and gas industry

Working in the oil and gas industry and dealing with pipelines, reservoirs, and other aspects
of the industry can be extremely risky. Nitrogen gas plays an essential role in protecting the
.many onshore and offshore oil and gas job sites through a number of different applications

Cover nitrogen / 1
Nitrogen capping is a process that involves the use of nitrogen in storage containers or
tanks that contain hazardous chemicals that could explode if they come into contact with
oxygen. This process creates a protective layer of nitrogen around the material, replacing
any moist air with dry nitrogen. This extends the life of the chemical or product, as well as
.reduces any explosive or safety hazard associated with it

Nitrogen disinfection

Nitrogen disinfection is the process of using nitrogen gas to "flush" oxygen from tanks,
containers, or facilities. This is often used in the oil and gas industry to disinfect lines or drill
lines to reduce oxygen levels within the pipeline. This process also reduces the risk of a tube
.burst, which can be catastrophic

Nitrogen is an essential element in the oil and gas industry used for disinfection, mulching,
.pressure maintenance, and many other applications