Apparatus for the low-temperature separation of a gas mixture, in particular air

1. Apparatus for producing a product by low-temperature separation of a gas mixture, having a direct contact cooler ( 3 ) for cooling the feed mixture, having a purification apparatus ( 4 ) in communication with the direct contact cooler for purifying the cooled feed mixture, and having a low-temperature part (7), which includes a main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) in communication with the purification apparatus for cooling the purified feed mixture to approximately its dewpoint temperature and a distillation column ( 9 a ) in communication with the main heat exchanger for low-temperature separation of the purified and cooled feed mixture, wherein the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ) and the low-temperature part ( 7 ) are spatially arranged on one horizontal straight line ( 101 ).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a feed gas compressor ( 2 ), connected upstream of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), for compressing the feed mixture, the feed gas compressor ( 2 ), the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ) and the low-temperature part ( 7 ) being spatially arranged on one horizontal straight line ( 101 ).

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a feed gas compressor ( 2 ), connected upstream of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), for compressing the feed mixture, the drive shaft ( 11 ) of the feed gas compressor ( 2 ) running substantially perpendicular to the horizontal straight line ( 101 ) on which the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ) and the low-temperature part ( 7 ) are spatially arranged.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a feed gas compressor ( 2 ), connected upstream of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), for compressing the feed mixture, the drive shaft of the feed gas compressor ( 2 ) running substantially parallel to the horizontal straight line ( 101 ) on which the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ) and the low-temperature part ( 7 ) are spatially arranged.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the extent of the smallest rectangle ( 102 ; 103 ) which encloses the base areas of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ) and the low-temperature part ( 7 ) in the direction of a connecting straight line ( 101 ) between direct contact cooler ( 3 ) and low-temperature part ( 7 ) to the extent in the direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than 1.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the low-temperature part ( 7 ) includes a heat exchanger box ( 8 ), which contains at least one main heat exchanger, a rectification box ( 9 ), which contains at least one distillation column, a transition section ( 10 ), which is arranged between the heat exchanger box ( 8 ) and rectification box ( 9 ), and a turbine casing ( 16 ), which contains an expansion machine, the turbine casing ( 16 ) being connected to the transition section ( 10 ).

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a feed mixture line ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ) for introducing feed mixture into the main heat exchanger and a product line ( 105 , 106 ) for extracting the product stream from the main heat exchanger, wherein the feed mixture line ( 54 ) and the product line ( 104 , 105 ) run substantially parallel to a main orientation axis ( 101 ) and are arranged on opposite sides of the main heat exchanger.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising a collection line ( 107 , 108 ) into which the product line ( 104 , 105 ) opens out at its end remote from the main heat exchanger, the collection line ( 107 , 108 ) running substantially perpendicular to the main orientation axis ( 101 ).

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the collection line ( 107 , 108 ) is arranged on a pipe bridge ( 109 ) or on the ground.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the collection line is connected to a product line of one or more further low-temperature separation apparatuses.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the collection line is connected to a storage tank for product.

12. Apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is designed exclusively as a recuperative heat exchanger.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a coolant circuit ( 61 ) for delivering coolant for the direct contact cooler, the coolant circuit having an evaporative cooler ( 15 ) for cooling coolant in direct heat exchange with a gas stream from the low-temperature part, wherein the ratio of the distance between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and direct contact cooler ( 3 ) to the distance ( 104 ) between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is at least 0.5.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the ratio of the distance between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and direct contact cooler ( 3 ) to the distance ( 104 ) between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is at least 2.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the distance ( 104 ) between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is at most 20 m.

16. Apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the distance between evaporative cooler and direct contact cooler ( 3 ) is at least 10 m.

17. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is for producing a product by low-temperature separation of air.

18. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the ratio of the extent of the smallest rectangle ( 102 ; 103 ) which encloses the base areas of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ), the low-temperature part ( 7 ) and the feed gas compressor ( 2 ), in the direction of a connecting straight line ( 101 ) between direct contact cooler ( 3 ) and low-temperature part ( 7 ) to the extent in the direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than 1.

19. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the ratio of the extent of the smallest rectangle ( 102 ; 103 ) which encloses the base areas of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ), the low-temperature part ( 7 ) and the feed gas compressor ( 2 ), in the direction of a connecting straight line ( 101 ) between direct contact cooler ( 3 ) and low-temperature part ( 7 ) to the extent in the direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than 1.

20. Apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the ratio of the extent of the smallest rectangle ( 102 ; 103 ) which encloses the base areas of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ), the low-temperature part ( 7 ) and the feed gas compressor ( 2 ), in the direction of a connecting straight line ( 101 ) between direct contact cooler ( 3 ) and low-temperature part ( 7 ) to the extent in the direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than 1.

21. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the extent of the smallest rectangle ( 102 ; 103 ) which encloses the base areas of the direct contact cooler ( 3 ), the purification apparatus ( 4 ) and the low-temperature part ( 7 ) in the direction of a connecting straight line ( 101 ) between direct contact cooler ( 3 ) and low-temperature part ( 7 ) to the extent in the direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than 1.8.

22. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a coolant circuit ( 61 ) for delivering coolant for the direct contact cooler, the coolant circuit having an evaporative cooler ( 15 ) for cooling coolant in direct heat exchange with a gas stream from the low-temperature part, wherein the ratio of the distance between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and direct contact cooler ( 3 ) to the distance ( 104 ) between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is at least 1.0.

23. Apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the ratio of the distance between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and direct contact cooler ( 3 ) to the distance ( 104 ) between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is at least 4.

24. Apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the distance ( 104 ) between evaporative cooler ( 15 ) and main heat exchanger ( 8 a ) is at most 10 m.

25. Apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the distance between evaporative cooler and direct contact cooler ( 3 ) is at least 25 m.

26. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a feed gas throughput of 50 000 m 3 /h (s.t.p.) or more.

27. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a feed gas throughput of 300 000 m 3 /h (s.t.p.) or more.