Gas separation plant and use of such a plant for producing a gas

[0002] The present invention relates to non-cryogenic gas separation plants, of the type comprising, in series, a unit for compressing a gas mixture to be separated, at least one device for separating possible liquid particles present in the gas mixture and at least one module for separating gases in the gas mixture.

[0003] An example of a plant of this type, employing a membrane separation module, is described in document EP-A-0,588,705 in the name of the Applicant.

[0004] It is known that the components of non-cryogenic separation modules which are fed with a gas mixture at temperatures above ambient temperature, whether adsorbent or permeation-membrane modules, are very sensitive to traces of impurities carried in the separated gas mixture, in particular in their liquid form. In order to prevent droplets of liquid reaching the modules, provision is made, as described for example in the abovementioned document, for there to be a complete system for treating the gas mixture to be separated, comprising, in practice, a series of dedicated filters and, in the case of membranes, heating at least downstream of the line supplying the separation module with the gas mixture. However, the existence of such a sophisticated system for treating the gas mixture does not make it possible to completely avoid accidental contamination of the separation modules with liquid, for example in the event of a puncture of an oil/air exchanger associated with the compressor, of anticipated saturation of a filter, or of a fault or maladjustment of the heating device, thereby generally resulting in having to rapidly replace the separation modules, with the corresponding direct and indirect costs.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a plant of the aforementioned type which makes it possible, with simple, effective and inexpensive means, to avoid the abovementioned drawbacks.

[0006] To do this, according to one characteristic of the invention, the plant includes a liquid-particle separation device provided with a liquid detector.

[0007] According to other more particular characteristics of the invention:

[0008] the liquid detector delivers an output signal that can be used to actuate an alarm system and/or a central control unit of the plant, on site and/or remotely;

[0009] the liquid detector is of the optronic type;

[0010] the liquid-particle separation device includes a purge and the liquid detector is connected to the purge;

[0011] the filtration device provided with a liquid detector is a thin coalescence filter placed immediately upstream of the membrane module;

[0012] the separation module is of the adsorption type;

[0013] the separation module is of the permeation type.

[0014] The subject of the present invention is also the use of such a gas separation plant for producing at least one gas present in a gas mixture.

[0015] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the following description of one embodiment, given by way of illustration but implying no limitation, in relation to the appended drawing in which:

[0016] the single FIGURE shows schematically a gas separation plant, of the permeation-membrane type, according to the invention.

[0017] The FIGURE shows a line for separating a gas mixture introduced at 1 into the inlet of a compression unit 2. The compressed gas mixture then passes in succession through a station 3 for separating any oil present in the compressed mixture, through a cooling station 4, into a water separation station 5, into a coalescer prefilter 6 before reaching a battery of parallel membrane modules 7a, 7b, etc., emerging in a production line 8 going to at least one user station (not shown). As described in the abovementioned document, at least the downstream part of the production line, including the membrane modules 7 and their feed manifold 18, is enclosed in at least one thermostatted enclosure 9 heated by integrated heating means 10 which are controlled, together with the compression unit and the valves of the plant, by a central control and monitoring unit 17.

[0018] Placed just upstream of the battery of membrane modules 7 in the embodiment of the invention shown is a filter 11 advantageously provided with a purge outlet 12 to which the fluid circuit of a liquid detector 13 is connected, this detector detecting any appearance of liquid droplets accumulating in the filter 11 and thus allowing action to be taken before these liquid droplets accumulate in the separation modules 7 and disturb their operation. As a variant, the liquid detector 13 may be placed near the lowest point of the manifold feeding the separation module or modules 7.

[0019] Advantageously, as shown in the single FIGURE, the liquid droplet detector 13 is of the optronic type with a detection dome 14 with internal signal reflection, the refractive index of which dome is modified by the appearance of a film of liquid on the external wall of the dome, as sold for example by Honeywell under the name Series LLN. This detector 13 delivers an output signal 15 making it possible to actuate, immediately or with a delay and confirmation of the wet state, at least one on-site alarm device 16, and typically an alarm responder device in the plant's telesurveillance centre, and looping back to the central control unit 17 and to the telesurveillance centre, in order to allow the compression unit 2 to be instantly cut off and the user station to be switched to a reserve source of production gas (not shown).

[0020] A preferred application of the above plant is in the production of a gas or a mixture of this gas with traces of other gases, from a gas mixture to be separated, typically for the production of impure nitrogen from a gas mixture consisting of atmospheric air or of process recovery gas. In this case, the downstream filtration device 11 associated with the liquid detector 13 will typically be a 0.01 μm grade coalescence filter placed entirely downstream of the filtration system.

[0021] Although the present invention has been described in relation to a particular embodiment and a particular use, it is not limited thereby but is capable of modifications and of variants that might occur to those skilled in the art within the context defined by the claims hereinbelow. In particular, it also relates to plants for gas separation by adsorption over adsorbent particulate materials in the form of thick layers or thin layers, especially of the pressure-swing type, called PSA, for purifying air or producing oxygen or hydrogen. The liquid-particle separation devices may also be of the dynamic type, such as cyclones or those with a variation in the cross section of the gas feed pipe.