Abstract: With the rapid growth in demand for industrial gas in steel and chemical industries, there has been significant emphasis placed on the development of China’s large-scale air separation technology. Currently, the maximum capacity of a single unit has been able to attain 120 000 Nm³/h (oxygen), and the specific power consumption of 0.38 kWh/m³. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art for large-scale cryogenic air separation systems being deployed in China. A brief introduction to the history and establishment of the large-scale cryogenic air separation industry is presented. Taking the present mainstream large-scale air separation unit operating at 60 000 Nm³/h (oxygen) as an example, the technological parameters and features of the involved key equipment, including a molecular sieve adsorber, air compressor unit, plate-fin heat exchanger, turbo-expander and distillation column are described in detail. The developing 80 000–120 000 Nm³/h air separation processes and equipment are also introduced. A summary of the existing problems and future developments of these systems in China are discussed.

Key words: Air separation, Cryogenic, Large-scale equipment, Technological development

Please provide your name, email address and a comment

Your Name: Affili: E-Mail Address:

Comment (Please comment in English):


Verification Code(click to change a pic):