Price of liquid air separation

In the distillation column of air separation, the air is usually pre separated in the lower column, and then distilled into oxygen rich liquid air and pure nitrogen, and then further distillation in the upper column to obtain oxygen and nitrogen products. As a condensing evaporator connecting the upper and lower columns, the pressure nitrogen of the lower column is used to heat the liquid oxygen of the upper column. When the liquid oxygen is evaporated, the gas nitrogen is condensed. The two-stage distillation column can make oxygen and nitrogen products obtain higher extraction rate and higher purity. The working principle of single-stage distillation column is similar to that of the lower column of two-stage distillation column. Oxygen enriched liquid air is at the bottom of the column, and pure nitrogen gas can be obtained at the top of the column. The single-stage distillation column can't separate the air perfectly, so it is seldom used in practice. However, because of its simple

The purified air enters the fractionator and exchanges heat with the returned polluted nitrogen, oxygen and nitrogen through the main heat exchanger. After cooling, a small part of it is liquefied, and the gas-liquid mixed air is throttled to the pressure of 0.55 MPa. After distillation, 99.999% pure nitrogen is obtained at the top of the lower column, and then it enters the main cooling column, and is condensed into liquid nitrogen by evaporation of liquid oxygen in the upper column. A part of liquid nitrogen is returned to the lower column as reflux liquid, and the remaining liquid nitrogen is throttled after cooling. Enter the sprayer at the top of the upper column. The bottom residue is liquid air containing 38% oxygen. After passing through the liquid air subcooler, it enters the middle of the upper column to participate in distillation. At the same time, the polluted liquid nitrogen flow is drawn out from the middle of the lower column and then enters the upper column as reflux l