Efficient waste heat recovery in a cryogenic distillation air separation plant using heat pumps
The separation of the air in its components by cryogenic distillation has a high electric consumption due to the required air compression process. This work analyses the energy recovery of the heat dissipated at the intercooling stages of the main compressor by the integration of two types of heat pumps: an Absorption Heat Transformer (AHT) and a Vapour Compression Heat Pump (VCHP). The upgraded heat from the compressor is used in the regeneration of a Molecular Sieve used to eliminate some undesirable components before the distillation process. Real operation data from an air separation plant in Tarragona (Spain) is used to compare the two configurations using both types of heat pumps. The results show that the present consumption of thermal energy for the regeneration of the Molecular Sieve could be reduced up to 50%, when an AHT is coupled in series with the existing heating system and using first the waste heat at the desorber of the AHT and later at the evaporator of the AHT system with a Tcon=20°C. For the second configuration, the basic VCHP with a Teva=55°C and Tcon=120°C could reduce the thermal energy consumption almost up to 72% with a reduction of about 14% in the heat rejected to the ambient with respect to the current situation but with an additional expense in mechanical work for the heat pump of about 4%.
Absorption heat transformers and an industrial application
Absorption Heat Transformer (AHT) systems are devices with the unique capability of raising the temperature of low or moderately warm waste heat sources to more useful levels. The study includes an investigation to analyze the AHT systems using water-lithium bromide solutions with water as the refrigerant. First, a basic AHT system was described, the operating sequence was explained and thermodynamic system analysis was presented. Next, an application of the AHT system to an industrial company was analyzed. A computer code was prepared to determine the effect of different parameters on the AHT system performance and the results were presented in graphical form. Additionally, it was shown that how the basic AHT system could be modified to increase the COP and the heat transfer at the absorber, in other words, the hot process water produced. The system performance data were presented in a tabular form for different system modifications from the base system for comparison. It was proven that, by applying different modifications, the COP could be increased by 14.1%, the heat transfer at the absorber by 158.5% and the hot process water produced by 3.59% compared to the basic AHT system.
Optimization of Medical PSA Units for Oxygen Production
A dynamic model, a simulator, and an optimization procedure were developed for small oxygen pressure swing adsorption units with different equalization configurations, top-to-top equalization (TE), bottom-to-bottom equalization (BE), and cross equalization (CE), and three different commercial adsorbents, Oxysiv 5 and Oxysiv 7 from UOP and Sylobead MS S 624 from Grace Davison. These units' cycles have the peculiarity of having the pressure history dependent on the product flow rate, which makes them more difficult to simulate and optimize than the classic Skarstrom cycle. The units' performances (product recovery and power consumption) using each adsorbent and equalization type were compared for cycles with the same pressure ratio. The simulation results were shown to be in agreement with the experimental data obtained with Oxymat 3, an oxygen concentrator from Weinmann. The optimization procedure lead to an improvement of the unit's performance.