Oxygen, is the basic necessity for human being and other creatures in earth to survive.

Oxygen is the
most critical thing for human being to survive during Covid nineteen pandemic. Apart from medical
purpose, oxygen find its widespread usage in industrial applications like metal processing, welding,
etc. In this video, we will understand how oxygen is produced.

Atmospheric air is comprised of three major components namely, Nitrogen, seventy eight
percentage, oxygen, twenty point eight percentage, argon, zero point nine percentage. Other
components like carbon di oxide, water vapor, etc forms the remaining zero point three percentage.
All these components exist in gaseous mode and it is very difficult to separate these components in
gaseous mode. Conversely, if these components are liquified, then it is easy to separate them. To
liquify them, temperature of each component has to be brought below their boiling point. For
example, boiling point of water is hundred degree Celsius and water becomes vapor beyond
hundred degree Celsius. Likewise, if we can achieve the boiling point of oxygen which is minus one
eighty three degree Celsius, then we can liquify oxygen. Same for Nitrogen and Argon, whose boiling
points are minus one ninety six and minus one eighty six degree Celsius, respectively. Achieving this
level of low temperature is very difficult using refrigeration technology, which is widely used in air
conditioners and domestic refrigerators. So an another technology called Cryogenic technology is
used to achieve this level of low temperature, which is normally below minus one hundred degree
Celsius.

Now, we will look into the process of achieving low temperature, upto minus one ninety six degree
Celsius, to separate oxygen and other components from atmospheric air. First, air from the
atmosphere is suctioned, and filtered using filters, to remove dust particles and other hard
impurities. Then filtered air is compressed in a compressor, upto 5 bar pressure, to make the air flow
from start to end of the process. If the air is compressed, then temperature will increase due to
increase in kinetic energy of air molecules. So, the high pressure air, at high temperature is cooled in
the pre-cooling system, to around ten degree Celsius, using refrigerated water. During this cooling
process, air will capture additional moisture, as it is in direct contact with water. So at this stage,
high pressure, low temperature air is having impurities like, water, carbon di oxide and
hydrocarbons, which is not required for us.

Water, hydrocarbons and carbon di oxide are removed in the purification units, using molecular
sieves and activated alumina. If water and carbon di oxide are not removed, then they will form ice
in the lines, and results in blockage of the air path. If hydrocarbons are not removed, then it will
result in explosion, if it accumulates in liquid oxygen. Now, at this stage low temperature, high
pressure air is having only, oxygen, Nitrogen and argon. This high pressure air is, then expanded in a
expansion turbine and Joule Thompson valve. This adiabatic expansion results in, drastic drop in
temperature from, 10 degree Celsius to, minus one hundred and twenty degree Celsius. Then, this
expanded air is passed to, fractional distillation column, through heat exchangers. Repeated
circulation of this cold air, through expansion turbine, heat exchanger and fractional distillation
column, air temperature is further reduced to, minus one hundred and sixty five degree Celsius.

At this temperature, air inside the fractional distillation column will get liquified, and this liquified air
is having, 40 percentage content as oxygen. This liquid is called as, Rich Liquid, as oxygen is more in
content. This rich liquid is taken, and given as reflux at the middle of fractional distillation column.
This cold, rich liquid, will act as cooling medium for vapors, coming from the bottom of the column,
and this vapor will get condensed as, pure oxygen, and remaining nitrogen will escape to top. This is
because, Nitrogen is having lower boiling point, than oxygen. This process is similar to the
condensation process, happening at vessel having boiling water, when closed with a lid at the top.
Because of lid chillness, escaping water vapor will get condensed. Here in fractional distillation
column, cold reflux will act as the lid. To have proper contact of cold reflux and escaping vapor,
inside distillation column, perforated trays will be kept at regular intervals. Sometimes, instead of
trays packings are also used, to enhance proper heat exchange. By repeating this process for
longtime, there will be a formation of temperature gradient, from bottom of the distillation column,
to top of the distillation column. From minus one hundred and seventy degree Celsius, at bottom of
the column, to minus one hundred and ninety six degree Celsius, at the top of the distillation
column. Because of this temperature gradient, oxygen will be liquified at, minus one hundred and
eighty three degree Celsius area and collected. Argon will be liquified at, minus one hundred and
eighty six degree Celsius area and collected. Nitrogen will be liquified at the top column, where
temperature is at minus one hundred and ninety six degree Celsius and collected. Normally, height
of this distillation column will be around forty meters, depending on the production capacity of the
oxygen plant.

Oxygen produced, using this cryogenic technology will be having a purity of, ninety nine point five
percentage. The liquid oxygen produced can be taken as liquid product, and stored in insulated
cryogenic vessels. Later, it can be transported to the required location, using cryogenic tanker
lorries, and converted to gas using vaporizer coils. This gaseous oxygen can be, filled in cylinders, for
distribution to end users. Remember, the advantage of transportation in liquid mode is, one meter
cube of liquid oxygen, can be converted to gaseous oxygen of, seven hundred meter cube. Thanks
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