The heat exchanger in air separation equipment is one of the core components, whose core function is to regulate the temperature of gas or liquid through heat exchange, thereby ensuring the efficient and stable operation of air separation processes (such as low-temperature distillation separation of air). Here are its specific functions:
1. Cool the raw air entering the air separation equipment to a temperature close to the liquefaction temperature, creating conditions for subsequent low-temperature distillation.
2. Recycling cooling capacity to improve energy efficiency. In the air separation process, some gases need to be gasified for user use. The heat exchanger utilizes the cold released during these gasification processes to preheat the low-temperature liquid or cool the reflux gas that is about to enter the system, achieving the recycling of cold.
3. Separate impurities and protect equipment. During the cooling process, impurities such as moisture and carbon dioxide in the air may condense or freeze at low temperatures. Regular defrosting or regeneration is carried out through the structural design of the heat exchanger to prevent blockage of subsequent distillation towers or pipelines.
4. Adjust the gas temperature to meet the process requirements, and adjust the temperature of the gas or liquid according to the needs of different process stages.
5. Multi stream fluid heat exchange, optimizing the process. In complex air separation processes, heat exchangers may simultaneously process multiple streams of fluids (such as air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, etc.), achieving efficient heat transfer through multi-channel design, reducing equipment quantity and footprint.
6. Ensure the safe operation of the system by precisely controlling the temperature to avoid material stress and seal failure caused by local overheating or undercooling of the equipment.
