System and method for flexible recovery of argon from a cryogenic air separation unit

1. A method of producing one or more oxygen products, one or more nitrogen products, and an argon product in an air separation unit, the method comprising the steps of:

producing a stream of compressed and purified air in a main air compression system;

splitting the stream of compressed and purified air into at least a first part of the compressed and purified air stream and a second part of the compressed and purified air stream;

further compressing the first part of the compressed and purified air stream in a booster compressor arrangement to produce a boosted pressure air stream;

cooling the boosted pressure air stream and partially cooling the second part of the compressed and purified air stream in a main heat exchange system;

expanding the partially cooled second part of the stream of compressed and purified air stream in a turboexpander arrangement to form an exhaust stream;

rectifying the boosted pressure air stream, the exhaust stream, and the second part of the compressed and purified air stream in a distillation column system to produce the one or more oxygen products, the one or more nitrogen products, and the argon product;

wherein the distillation column system comprises a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column linked in a heat transfer relationship via a condenser reboiler and an argon column arrangement operatively coupled with the lower pressure column, the distillation column system configured to receive a first portion of the boosted pressure air stream in the higher pressure column, a second portion of the boosted pressure air stream in the lower pressure column, and the exhaust stream in the higher pressure column or in the lower pressure column;

extracting a clean shelf nitrogen stream from the distillation column system and a dirty shelf nitrogen stream from the higher pressure column and directing the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream to a nitrogen subcooler system;

subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream in the nitrogen subcooler system to produce a first nitrogen reflux stream and a second nitrogen reflux stream;

directing the first nitrogen reflux stream to an uppermost location of the lower pressure column; and

directing the second nitrogen reflux stream to a first location of the lower pressure column at or near the uppermost location or to a second location of the lower pressure column below the uppermost location;

wherein the nitrogen subcooler system comprises: (i) a plurality of heat exchanger cores collectively having a plurality of discrete passages configured to cool the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream via indirect heat exchange with one or more nitrogen streams from the lower pressure column; and (ii) one or more valves configured to regulate flow of the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream through the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores;

opening and/or closing the one or more valves in the nitrogen subcooler system to switch the flow of the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream through the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores, wherein at least one of the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores switches between subcooling the dirty shelf nitrogen stream and subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream; and

wherein the recovery of the argon product from the distillation column system is adjusted when the at least one of the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores switches between subcooling the dirty shelf nitrogen stream and subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream, wherein:

the air separation unit operates in a first operating mode wherein a molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system divided by a sum of the molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system and a molar flow rate of the clean shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system is greater than about 0.40 and the argon recovery within the air separation unit is less than a predetermined recovery level; and

the air separation unit operates in a second operating mode wherein the molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system divided by the sum of the molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system and the molar flow rate of the clean shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system is less than about 0.40 and the argon recovery within the air separation unit is higher than the predetermined recovery level; and

wherein the step of opening and/or closing the one or more valves in the nitrogen subcooler system to switch the flow of the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream through the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores cause the air separation unit to switch between the first operating mode and the second operating mode;

wherein a power consumption of the air separation unit is lower in the first operating mode than in the second operating mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distillation column system is further configured to produce a liquid nitrogen product stream comprised of a portion of the clean shelf nitrogen stream.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:

diverting a portion of a nitrogen overhead from the higher pressure column to the main heat exchanger system; and

warming the diverted portion of the nitrogen overhead in the main heat exchange system to form a gaseous nitrogen product stream;

wherein the recovery of the one or more oxygen products, the one or more nitrogen products, and the argon product from the distillation column system is adjusted when the at least one of the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores switches between subcooling the dirty shelf nitrogen stream and subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream and a flow of the diverted portion of the nitrogen overhead to the main heat exchanger system is varied; and

wherein the one or more nitrogen products further comprise the gaseous nitrogen product stream and the liquid nitrogen product stream.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

pumping an oxygen-rich liquid from the lower pressure column to produce a pumped liquid oxygen stream;

warming at least part of the pumped liquid oxygen stream in the main heat exchange system to produce an oxygen-rich gaseous product stream; and

taking a portion of the pumped liquid oxygen stream to produce a liquid oxygen product stream;

wherein the one or more oxygen products further comprise the oxygen-rich gaseous product stream and the liquid oxygen product stream.

5. A method of producing one or more oxygen products, one or more nitrogen products, and an argon product in an air separation unit, the method comprising the steps of:

producing a stream of compressed and purified air in a main air compression system;

cooling the compressed and purified air stream in a main heat exchanger system;

rectifying the cooled, compressed and purified air stream in a distillation column system to produce the one or more oxygen products, the one or more nitrogen products, and the argon product;

wherein the distillation column system comprises a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column linked in a heat transfer relationship via a condenser reboiler and an argon column arrangement operatively coupled with the lower pressure column,

extracting a clean shelf nitrogen stream from the distillation column system and a dirty shelf nitrogen stream from the higher pressure column and directing the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream to a nitrogen subcooler system;

subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream in the nitrogen subcooler system to produce a first nitrogen reflux stream and a second nitrogen reflux stream;

directing the first nitrogen reflux stream to an uppermost location of the lower pressure column; and

directing the second nitrogen reflux stream to a first location of the lower pressure column at or near the uppermost location or to a second location of the lower pressure column below the uppermost location;

wherein the nitrogen subcooler system comprises: (i) a plurality of heat exchanger cores collectively having a plurality of discrete passages configured to cool the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream via indirect heat exchange with one or more nitrogen streams from the lower pressure column; and (ii) one or more valves configured to regulate flow of the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream through the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores;

opening and/or closing the one or more valves in the nitrogen subcooler system to switch the flow of the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream through the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores, wherein at least one of the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores switches between subcooling the dirty shelf nitrogen stream and subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream; and

wherein the recovery of the argon product from the distillation column system is adjusted when the at least one of the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores switches between subcooling the dirty shelf nitrogen stream and subcooling the clean shelf nitrogen stream, wherein:

the air separation unit operates in a first operating mode wherein a molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system divided by a sum of the molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system and a molar flow rate of the clean shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system is greater than about 0.40 and the argon recovery within the air separation unit is less than a predetermined recovery level; and

the air separation unit operates in a second operating mode wherein the molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system divided by the sum of the molar flow rate of the dirty shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system and the molar flow rate of the clean shelf nitrogen in the nitrogen subcooler system is less than about 0.40 and the argon recovery within the air separation unit is higher than the predetermined recovery level; and

wherein the step of opening and/or closing the one or more valves in the nitrogen subcooler system to switch the flow of the clean shelf nitrogen stream and the dirty shelf nitrogen stream through the plurality of discrete passages in the plurality of heat exchange cores cause the air separation unit to switch between the first operating mode and the second operating mode;

wherein a power consumption of the air separation unit is lower in the first operating mode than in the second operating mode.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:

splitting the stream of compressed and purified air into at least a first part of the compressed and purified air stream and a second part of the compressed and purified air stream;

cooling the first part of the compressed and purified air stream in a main heat exchanger;

partially cooling the second part of the compressed and purified air stream in the main heat exchanger;

expanding the partially cooled second part of the compressed and purified air stream in a turboexpander arrangement to form an exhaust stream; and

rectifying the cooled first part of the compressed and purified air stream and the exhaust stream in the distillation column system to produce the one or more oxygen products, the one or more nitrogen products, and the argon product;

wherein the distillation column system is further configured to receive the exhaust stream in the higher pressure column or in the lower pressure column.