1

Project Report On


MANUFACTURING OF LIQUID NITROGEN



Submitted by

TAMBE NINAD RUPCHAND -U07CH152
KATARIWALA JAYMIN SANJAYKUMAR -U07CH123



B.Tech IV
Chemical Engineering

Year 2010-2011



Under the Guidance of

MR. V.N.LAD
Assistant Professor
Chemical Engineering Department
SVNIT













Chemical Engineering Department
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat



2

CERTIFICATE


This is to certify that the project report titled MANUFACTURING OF LIQUID
NITROGEN submitted by Mr. TAMBE NINAD RUPCHAND Roll No.
U07CH152 and Mr. KATARIWALA JAYMIN SANJAYKUMAR Roll No
U07CH123 is a record of bonafide work carried out by them, in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Technology (Chemical
Engineering).

Date: -


Examiner 1: ____________ Examiner 2: ____________












GUIDE
(Mr.V.N.Lad)
Assistant Professor
HOD
(Dr. M. Chakraborty)
Assistant Professor & Head
Chemical Engineering Department Chemical Engineering Department
3


ACKNOWLEDGMENT



I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to my guide Mr.V.N.Lad (Assistant
Professor, CHED, SVNIT, SURAT) for his valuable guidance and motivation and for his
extreme cooperation to complete my seminar work successfully.

I would like to express my sincere respect and profound gratitude to Dr. M.
Chakraborty (Assistant Professor & Head), of Chemical Engineering Department for
supporting me and providing the facilities for my seminar work.

I appreciate all my colleagues whose direct and indirect contribution helped me a
lot to accomplish this seminar work.

I would also like to thank all the teaching and non teaching staff for cooperating
with me and providing valuable advice which helped me in the completion of this seminar.

TAMBE NINAD RUPCHAND
KATARIWALA JAYMIN SANJAYKUMAR





















4

CONTENTS


Chapter Page
No

1. Introduction 6

2. Demand and Supply Of Product 7

3. Process Selection And Description (MSDS Of Chemicals Involved)

8
4. Material Balance and Energy Balance 16
5. Thermodynamics

20
6. References 22

5

LIST OF MAIN FIGURES

Figure
No
Title Pg
No
1 Sales of Liquid gases 7
2 Process flow diagram of Linde-Frankl process 10
3 Entropy(S) Vs Temperature (T) 20

4 Pressure Vs Temperature (T) 21


































6





Chapter 1: Introduction

Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced
industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colorless clear
liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of
1.4. Liquid nitrogen is often referred to by the abbreviation, LN
2
or "LIN"
Liquid nitrogen is a cryogenic liquid. At atmospheric pressure, it boils at 195.8
C. When insulated in proper containers such as Dewar flasks, it can be transported
without much evaporative loss.
At atmospheric pressure, liquid nitrogen boils at 77 K (196 C; 321 F) and is
a cryogenic fluid which can cause rapid freezing on contact with living tissue, which may
lead to frostbite. When appropriately insulated from ambient heat, liquid nitrogen can be
stored and transported, for example in vacuum flasks. Here, the very low temperature is
held constant at 77 K by slow boiling of the liquid, resulting in the evolution of nitrogen
gas. Depending on the size and design, the holding time of vacuum flasks ranges from a
few hours to a few weeks.
Uses:
Liquid nitrogen is a compact and readily transported source of nitrogen gas without
pressurization. Further, its ability to maintain temperatures far below the freezing point of
water makes it extremely useful in a wide range of applications, primarily as an open-
cycle refrigerant, including:
as a coolant for CCD cameras in astronomy
to store cells at low temperature for laboratory work
in cryogenics
as a source of very dry nitrogen gas
for the immersion freezing and transportation of food products
for the cryopreservation of blood, reproductive cells (sperm and egg), and
other biological samples and materials
as a method of freezing water pipes in order to work on them in situations where a
valve is not available to block water flow to the work area
in cryotherapy for removing unsightly or potentially malignant skin lesions such
as warts and actinic keratosis
in the process of promession, a way to dispose of the dead
for cooling a high-temperature superconductor to a temperature sufficient to
achieve superconductivity
For the cryonic preservation of humans and pets in the hope of future reanimation.
to preserve tissue samples from surgical excisions for future studies
to shrink-weld machinery parts together
7

as a coolant for vacuum pump traps and in controlled-evaporation processes in
chemistry.
as a coolant to increase the sensitivity of infrared homing seeker heads of missiles such
as the Strela 3
as a coolant to temporarily shrink mechanical components during machine assembly
and allow improved interference fits
as a coolant for computers
in food preparation, such as for making ultra-smooth ice cream.

Like dry ice, the main use of liquid nitrogen is as a refrigerant. Among other things, it is
used in the cryopreservation of blood, reproductive cells (sperm and egg), and other
biological samples and materials. It is used medically in cryotherapy to remove cysts and
warts on the skin. It is used in cold traps for certain laboratory equipment and to cool X-
ray detectors. It has also been used to cool central processing units and other devices in
computers which are overclocked, and which produce more heat than during normal
operation
Liquid nitrogen production is an energy-intensive process. Currently practical
refrigeration plants producing a few tons/day of liquid nitrogen operate at about 50%
of Carnot efficiency

CHAPTER 2: DEMAND SUPPLY DATA FOR LIQUID NITROGEN
COMMERCIAL ANALYSIS
Beside liquid nitrogen ,whose application are described below ,industrial gases include-
oxygen argon, acetylene ,hydrogen ,helium and others such as carbon monoxide,nitrous
oxide and other noble gases. The global market share is given as below:-

Figure 1: sales of Liquid gases
Sales
liquid oxygen
ln2
argon
carbon dioxide
acetylene
hydrogen
helium
other
8



CHAPTER 3:PROCESS SELECTION AND DESCRIPTION
AIR SEPERATION TECHNOLOGY
Though there are differences in process details displaying desired product mix and other
factors, all air separation plants make use one of the following two types of process
technology:
Cryogenic plants: The air separation technique used in cryogenic plants produce gas and
Liquid products (liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen etc.) using very low temperature
distillation
which separates air components and produce desired product purities.

Non-cryogenic plants: The air separation technique used in non cryogenic plants produce
gaseous products with near-ambient temperature separation processes. They use
differences in properties like molecular structure, size and mass to produce oxygen or
nitrogen.
As our area of interest is liquification ,this can be done by Low temp. rectification of
liquid air.
This process mainly comprises of two steps. One is the liquefaction & then the separation
of liquid air into oxygen & nitrogen. Since the process mainly requires low temp.,
refrigeration is necessary. Different cycles are in use to have required refrigerating effect
1. Heylandt liquid nitrogen process
2. Claude process
3. Linde frankl process
4. Membrane separation technology
Out of the above processes the Claude process and lindey frankl process are really
important processes for the manufacture of liquid nitrogen.
Briefly giving an overview of these two processes
CLAUDE PROCESS:
This process is characterized by the double expansion engine. After passing through the
preliminary heat exchanger, at 60 atm pressure, part of the air traverses the liquefier from
top to bottom & is admitted to the base of the dephlagmetar after expanded to 4 atm.The
reset is expanded like wise to 4 atm,in the first stage of the expansion engine, after which
it is again separated into two portions. One is added to the partially liquid air behind the
valve; the other is warmed by passing up the upper part of the liquefier, & is then
expanded to 1 atm.
In the second stage of the engine, the expanded air there upon mixes with the cold
nitrogen vapor emerging from the top of the column & returns through the lower part of
the liquefier & through the preliminary heat exchanger. The oxygen in this air is wasted.
9

The refrigerant between the tubes of the dephlagmator is liquid nitrogen from the column,
part of which is withdrawn through tube.


LINDE-FRANKL PROCESS:
This is the most important process for the commercial production of liquid nitrogen in this
process at first air is filtered & compressed to 6.8 atm in turbo compressor. During the
compression cooling is done to maintain the temp to 35 -40
0
C.
After compression the ,stream is passed through reciprocating compressor to increase the
pressure to about 200atm.Here the air temp is maintained at 4-8
0
C by intermediate cooling
between stages using cold water obtained by heat exchanger. Then the air goes through
high pressure heat exchanger where the temp of air is brought down to about-120 -140
0
C.
Now the air undergoes expansion to about 6.5 atm in the expansion engine .The
temperature of air is brought down to -170 to-174
0
Cby joule Thompson effect. Now the
air will be in liquid.This saturation liquid is fed to Linde rectification column. This column
may be single, double or compound depending on requirement. the liquid product coming
out will have a purity of about 99.4 -99.99%.This liquid is partially vaporized in
condenser, to liquefy the nitrogen vapor &the rest may be taken as liquid product or it
may be obtained in gaseous state if it is used for cooling of incoming air, the other
products that obtained are pure nitrogen of purity above 98% & waste nitrogen product of
purity of about 92-96%.These cold streams are utilized for cooling air, this process is most
economical for tonnage nitrogen plants &most widely used in the world




10



Figure2: flow diagram of Linde-Frankl process
Process Variables
1. Initial temperature: The initial or the entrance temp for air is an independent variable.
Although it varies from 10 to 50
0
C depending on the weather conditions and the type of
after cooler, for most cases, it is assumed as 27-30
0
C.
2. Initial pressure: This is an important variable; it is independent in the case of liquid
oxygen process. The lowest allowable value of pressure is controlled by the saturation
temp. Of air or nitrogen, this must be higher than the boiling point of oxygen at column
pressure. In a double column, the air pressure must be such that the nitrogen will condense
at the temp of boiling point of oxygen in order to produce reflux. This will be in the 4-
6.5atm range, depending on the pressure in the lower pressure column, and on the
necessary temperature difference in the condenser boiler.
3. Temperature approaches: An analysis of the process shows that it is necessary to
establish the minimum temp approaches for heat exchangers. For the exchange of sensible
heat, the minimum approach has to be 3-5
0
C
4. Intake temperature to expander: this variable has the flexibility of being at almost any
value between the room temp and one close to that of air liquefaction, without appreciable
effect on the efficiency of expander. It is so chosen that the exhaust is saturated vapor.
5. Purity of product gases: this is fixed at some value less than 100%,with due regard to
certain limitation that may set a definite upper limit with a single column.
11

6. Heat leak: this is one of the most difficult variables to be selected since it depends on
factors which cannot readily be evaluated in advance. For e.g. the size of the plant is of at
most importance. Although the leak on an hourly basis increases when expressed the basis
increases as plant size increases when expressed the basis of a unit of air treated or oxygen
produced, it decreases and in large plants, is almost negligible.
7. Energy requirement: once the various quantities, temp, pressure are established the
work done by the compressors and expanders, and hence the energy requirements can be
easily calculated.
8. Sizes of equipment units: The thermodynamic analysis plays an important role in this
variable, since it deals with the driving forces in the heat exchangers and in distillation
columns.
The type of column chosen also plays a big role in the operation of the unit. There
are 3 types of columns that can be used for rectification namely simple, double and
compound. Simple consists of only an exhausting column and liquid feed to it consists
only the reflux. It has an adv of simplicity and economy of distribution and construction.
The compound column has both exhausting and enriching sections, but it must be
provided with a source of refrigeration at a very low temp, i.e. below the B.P.of nitrogen
at the operating pressure of the column.

The double column has two rectification columns operated at two different pressures, so
chosen that the nitrogen at high pressure column condenses at a temperature above the
boiling point of oxygen of low pressure column. Usually the pressure in the high pressure
column is 6-7 atm and in the other is 1.5-2 atm. This has the adv of high yield without
auxiliary refrigeration, but it is expensive and complicated to manufacture. But on the
tonnage scale, double column is preferred of high yield and high purity.

Selection of Process
Prior to the selection of the process it should be emphasized that there are so many
adjustable variables involved, it is very difficult to put all on a comparable basis. Usually
on the smallest scale, the most important economic factors are capital and labor charges.
Thermodynamic efficiency and hence power charges for compression are of less
consequence.
Charges for material such as compressor oil, chemicals for air purification are small in
relation to the other costs. The labor charges also decreases when the scale increases and
in this cases the capital costs and power costs dominate. When the plant produce a liquid
product, as in this case the power requirement to provide necessary refrigeration is
considerably increased and thermodynamic efficiency is of much importance.
12

The essential requirement on a general scale is a cheap and simple plant, easy to operate
for which a thermodynamic efficiency is not needed. But if the liquid is produced on a
large scale, the thermodynamic efficiency becomes important.
As the purpose of this project is to design large scale oxygen product plant the only
process that seems economical is the LINDE FRANKL PROCESS.
As the most important adv here is the high purity of liquid nitrogen (99.5) %, although the
work of liquefaction of air is about 3.5kwh/gallon which is relatively higher than other
process. Also the outgoing streams from the rectification column are used effectively in
supplying the required refrigeration for cooling the incoming air.
In view of all the above cited advantages the process. For this project is linde-frankl.

Material Data Safety Sheet
1. Chemical Product
Product Name: Nitrogen, refrigerated liquid
Trade Names: Liquid Nitrogen
Chemical Name: Nitrogen
Synonyms: Nitrogen (cryogenic liquid)
Chemical Family: Cryogenic liquid
2. Hazards Identification
Extremely cold liquid and gas under pressure.
Can cause rapid suffocation.
Can cause severe frostbite.
May cause dizziness and drowsiness.

Self-contained breathing apparatus and protective clothing may be required by rescue
workers.
Under ambient conditions, this is a colorless, odorless, cryogenic liquid.
OSHA REGULATORY STATUS: This material is considered hazardous by the OSHA
Hazard
Communications Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).
POTENTIAL HEALTH
EFFECTS:
Effects of a Single (Acute) Overexposure
Inhalation. Asphyxiant. Effects are due to lack of oxygen. Moderate concentrations may
cause headache, drowsiness, dizziness, excitation, excess salivation, vomiting, and
unconsciousness. Lack of oxygen can kill.
Skin Contact. No harm expected from vapor. Cold gas or liquid may cause severe
frostbite.
Swallowing. An unlikely route of exposure, but severe frostbite of the lips and mouth may
13

result from contact with the liquid.
Eye Contact. No harm expected from vapor. Cold gas or liquid may cause severe frostbite.
Effects of Repeated (Chronic) Overexposure. No harm expected.
Other Effects of Overexposure. Asphyxiant. Lack of oxygen can kill.

Medical Conditions Aggravated by Overexposure. The toxicology and the physical and
chemical properties of nitrogen suggest that overexposure is unlikely to aggravate existing
medical conditions.

3. Composition
COMPONENT CAS NUMBER CONCENTRATION
Nitrogen 7727-37-9 >99%

4. First Aid Measures
INHALATION: Remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If
breathing is difficult, qualified personnel may give oxygen. Call a physician.
SKIN CONTACT: For exposure to liquid, immediately warm frostbite area with warm
water not to exceed 105F (41C). In case of massive exposure, remove clothing while
showering with warm water. Call a physician.
SWALLOWING: An unlikely route of exposure. This product is a gas at normal
temperature and pressure.
EYE CONTACT: Immediately flush eyes thoroughly with warm water for at least 15
minutes. Hold the eyelids open and away from the eyeballs to ensure that all surfaces are
flushed thoroughly. See a physician, preferably an ophthalmologist, immediately.

5. Fire Fighting Measures
FLAMMABLE PROPERTIES: Nitrogen cannot catch fire.
SUITABLE EXTINGUISHING MEDIA: Nitrogen cannot catch fire. Use media
appropriate for surrounding fire
PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION: Not applicable.
Specific Physical and Chemical Hazards. Heat of fire can build pressure in cylinder and
cause it to rupture. No part of cylinder should be subjected to a temperature higher than
125F (52C). Liquid nitrogen containers are equipped with pressure relief devices.
Venting vapors may obscure visibility. Liquid causes severe frostbite, a burn-like injury

6. Accidental Release Measures
Personal Precautions. Asphyxiant. Lack of oxygen can kill. Evacuate all personnel from
danger area. Use self-contained breathing apparatus and protective clothing where needed.
Liquid causes severe frostbite, a burn-like injury. (See section 2.) Shut off flow if you can
do so without risk. Avoid contact with spilled liquid and allow it to evaporate. Ventilate
area of leak or move container to a well-ventilated area. Test for sufficient oxygen,
especially in confined spaces, before allowing reentry.
Environmental Precautions. Prevent waste from contaminating the surrounding
environment. Keep personnel away. Discard any product, residue, disposable container, or
liner in an environmentally acceptable manner, in full compliance with federal, state, and
local regulations. If necessary, call your local supplier for assistance.
14

7. Handling and Storage
PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN HANDLING: Do not get liquid in eyes, on skin, or
on clothing. Never allow any unprotected part of your body to touch uninsulated pipes or
vessels containing cryogenic fluids. Flesh will stick to the extremely cold metal and will tear
when you try to pull free. For liquid withdrawal, wear face shield and cryogenic gloves (see
section 8).
Use a suitable hand truck to move containers. Always handle and store cryogenic containers
in an upright position. Do not drop or tip containers, or roll them on their sides. Open valve
slowly. Close container valve after each use; keep closed even when empty. If valve is hard
to open, discontinue use and contact your supplier. For other precautions in using nitrogen,
see section 16.
PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN STORAGE: Store and use with adequate
ventilation.
Store only where temperatures will not exceed 125F (52C). Do not store in a confined
space.
Cryogenic containers are equipped with a pressure relief device and a pressure controlling
valve. Under normal conditions, these containers will periodically vent product. Use
adequate pressure relief devices in systems and piping to prevent pressure buildup;
entrapped liquid can generate extremely high pressures when vaporized by warming

8. Exposure Controls/Personal Protection


COMPONENT OSHA PEL ACGIH TLV-TWA (2007)
Nitrogen Not Established. Simple asphyxiant

ENGINEERING CONTROLS:
Local Exhaust. Use a local exhaust system, if necessary, to prevent oxygen deficiency.
Mechanical (General). General exhaust ventilation may be acceptable if it can maintain an
adequate supply of air.
Special. None
Other. None


PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT:
Skin Protection. Wear loose-fitting, cryogenic gloves, metatarsal shoes for container
handling,
and protective clothing where needed. Cuffless trousers should be worn outside the shoes.
Select in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 and 1910.133. Regardless of protective
equipment, never touch live electrical parts.
Eye/Face Protection. Safety glasses and a full face shield are recommended. Select in
accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.133.
Respiratory Protection. Use air-supplied respirators where local or general exhaust
ventilation is inadequate. Air-supplied respirators must be used in confined spaces or in an
oxygen- deficient atmosphere. Respiratory protection must conform to OSHA rules as
specified in 29 CFR 1910.134. Select in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134 and ANSI
Z88.2.
15


9. Physical and Chemical Properties
APPEARANCE: Colorless liquid
ODOR: Odorless
ODOR THRESHOLD: Not applicable
PHYSICAL STATE Cryogenic liquid
pH: Not applicable.
MELTING POINT at 1 atm: -346F (-210C)
BOILING POINT at 1 atm: -320.44F (-195.80C
FLASH POINT (test method): Not applicable
EXPANSION RATIO for liquid at boiling 1 to 696.5
point to gas at 70F (21.1C):

EVAPORATION RATE (Butyl Acetate = 1): Not applicable
FLAMMABILITY: Nonflammable
FLAMMABLE LIMITS IN AIR, % by volume: LOWER: Not applicable.
UPPER: Not applicable
LIQUID DENSITY at boiling point and 1 atm: 50.7 lb/ft
3
(808.5 kg/m
3
)
VAPOR PRESSURE at 68F (20C): Not applicable
VAPOR DENSITY at 70F (21.1C) and 1 atm 0.0724 lb/ft
3
(1.160 kg/m
3
)
SPECIFIC GRAVITY (H
2
O = 1) at 19.4F (-7C): Not available.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY (Air = 1) at 70F (21.1C) 0.967
and 1 atm:
SOLUBILITY IN WATER, vol/vol at 32F (0C): 0.023
PARTITION COEFFICIENT: n-octanol/water: Not available
AUTOIGNITION TEMPERATURE: Not applicable.
DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE: Not available
PERCENT VOLATILES BY VOLUME: 100
MOLECULAR WEIGHT: 28.01
MOLECULAR FORMULA: N
2

6. Stability and Reactivity
CHEMICAL STABILITY: Stable
CONDITIONS TO AVOID: High temperatures, exposure to lithium,
neodymium, titanium and magnesium
INCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS: None known.
HAZARDOUS DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS: None known.
POSSIBILITY OF HAZARDOUS REACTIONS: May Occur
Under certain conditions, nitrogen can react violently with lithium, neodymium, titanium
[above1472F (800C)], and magnesium to form nitrides. At high temperature, it can also
combine with oxygen and hydrogen.
7. Toxicological Information
ACUTE DOSE EFFECTS: Nitrogen is a simple asphyxiant
STUDY RESULTS: None known

8. Ecological Information
ECOTOXICITY: No adverse ecological effect expected.
16

OTHER ADVERSE EFFECTS: Nitrogen does not contain any Class I or Class II ozone-
depleting chemicals
9. Disposal Considerations
WASTE DISPOSAL METHOD: Do not attempt to dispose of residual or unused
quantities. Return cylinder to supplier.

CHAPTER 4. MASS AND HEAT BALANCE

Basis: 10 tonnes/day ln2 ,
10 tonnes/day gaseous nitrogen and 2 tonnes per day waste nitrogen gas
So total nitrogen production = 22 T/day
= (22*1000)/(24*14)
= 65.476 kg moles/hr
At standard temperature and pressure,
1kg.mole occupies 22.4m
3
Nitrogen produced in volumetric units =65.476*22.4
=1466.66Nm
3
/hr
Standard analysis of air:
Component volume%
Nitrogen 78.03
Oxygen 20.99
Argon 0.94
Hydrogen 0.01
Helium 0.0003
Krypton 0.00011
Xenon 0.00009
Carbon dioxide 0.03-0.06
Moisture 0.02-0.05
Quantity of intake air:
Capacity of the unit = 1466.66m
3
/hr of nitrogen
Volume % of nitrogen in the air =78%
Quantity of air needed =1466.66/0.78
=1880.34m
3
/hr
Assuming about 15% less of air due to removal of moisture, CO2

and from possible leaks.
The quantity needed = 1880.34+1880.34 *.15
=2162.393m
3
/hr
Thus this much amount of air is required for production of 10 tonnes of liquid nitrogen

Heat balance: At turbo compressor
17

Atmospheric conditions :
Temperature =30
0
C, relative humidity =60%
Now the air passes through elements of the system
Enthalpy of air at 1 atm and 30
0
C =3701kcal/kgmol.
Enthalpy of air at 6.8 atm and38
0
C =3766.23 kcal/kgmol
Moles of air entering compressor
=2162.393Nm
3
/22.414=96.475 kgmol/hr
Enthalpy of air entering compressor
=96.475*3701kcal/hr=357053.975kcal/hr
Enthalpy of air leaving the compressor
=96.475*3766.23=363347.0393kcal/hr.
So change in enthalpy of air = 363347.0393-357053.975
=6293.064kcal/hr
Heat balance at reciprocating compressor
Amount of air passing
= 96.475
kg moles/hr
This air passes through compressor
Compressor
Before compression, air is at 6.5 atm and 38 0C
And after it is at 800 atm & 6 0C
Enthalpy of inlet air = 3766.23 kcal/kgmol
Enthalpy of outlet air = 3251.119 kcal/kgmol

So net enthalpy of entrance = 3766.23*96.475 kcal/hr = 363347.0393 kcal/hr
And for exit air 96.475*3251.119 kcal/hr=313651.7
Assuming no condensation of water vapor
The net change in enthalpy of air =
49695.333kcal/hr
CO
2
absorber: volume % ofCO
2
in air =.045%

Moles of V present = .045*96.475/100=.0434 kg moles/hr

Moisture present volume% of moisture in air =0.05
Moles=0.05*96.475/100=0.0482
In the absorber most of the moisture and CO
2
is removed


Thus air=96.475-0.0434-0.0482
=96.3834kgmol/hr

18

High pressure heat exchanger
96.3834 kgmol/hr is used to produce ln2, gaseous nitrogen and waste n2
Thus nitrogen entering HP heat exchanger is 0.78*96.834*10/22=34.20477kgmol/hr
Considering the same data for oxygen entering (mole fraction is =0.21)
Oxygen entering HP heat exchanger is 0.21*96.834*10/20=20.335kgmol/hr
No change in mass. Now heat balance, from enthalpy chart in Perrys handbook

Stream
Flow rate
Kg
moles/hr
Temp.
0
C
Pressure
atm
Enthalpy
Kcal/kg
Pure nitrogen
In-
34.2047
Out-
34.2047
-178
4
1.5
1.5
1500
2750
Oxygen In -
20.335
Out-
20.335
-178.2
2
30
30
2161.6
3328.64
Air
In
96.834
Out-
96.834
6
T
200
200
3251.119
H

Heat taken by pure nitrogen stream= 34.2047(2750-1500)= 42755.875 kcal/hr
Heat taken up by oxygen = 20.335 (3328.64-2161.6) = 23731.7584 kcal/hr
Heat lost by air = 96.834(3251.119-H)
Now H=2428.91 kcal/kg mol
Now the corresponding temp of air is -150
0
C(T)
So the air entering the expansion engine is at 200 atm and -150
0
C

Here air is expanded to 6.5 atm the temp. Of air after compression is -174
0
C(liquid state)
and fed to lower distillation column.




19

Mass Balance at Columns:
Let the liquid to vapor ratio at the top of both columns to be .58
So L1/V1=L2/V2=.58
Suffix 1 for upper column
Now V2=34.20472
L2=.58*34.20472=19.8387kg moles /hr
This L2 comes out of condenser in vapor state and fed at the top of upper column as
liquid after passing through expansion valve
.58V1+19.838=V1
.42V1=19.838 so V1=4723.5 kg moles/hr
The amount L1 refluxed to the lower column after condensation occurs in the condenser
=.58*4723.5
= 2739.63 kg moles/hr
Let F=amount of feed =96.834kgmoles/hr
W=bottom product from lower which is refluxed back to the top column ( rich liq)
S=side stream from lower column, which is refluxed back to top column (impure
liquid)
Xf=mole fraction of N
2
in feed = .79
Xw=mole fraction of N
2 in
rich liquid =.65
Xs= mole fraction of N
2 in
IPL=.96
X1= mole fraction of N
2
in top product = .9999

Now, from overall& component balance
F=W+S+L2 ---- (1)
FX
F
=WX
w
+SXs + X1L2---- (2)
From (1) 96.834 = W + S +19.8387

W +S = 76.99----- (3)
From (2) (96.834*.079) = (W*.65)+(S*.96)+(19.8387*0.9999)----- (4)

56.67 = .65W + .96S
Multiplying (3) by .65
Solving (3) and (4) we get
S=21.377419 kg moles /hr
&
W = 76.67-21.377419 = 55.61258 kg moles/hr

20

CHAPTER 5: THERMODYNAMICS
The simplest liquefaction process is the Linde or Joule-Thompson expansion cycle Some of the
steps in the process are
1. Gas is compressed at ambient pressure
2. Cooled in a heat exchanger
3. Passed through a throttle valve - isenthalpic Joule- Thompson expansion - producing liquid





Figure3: Entropy(S) Vs Temperature (T)
The ideal work of liquefaction for nitrogen is only 0.207 kWh/kg
(0.094kWh/lb)

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Figure 4: Pressure Vs Temperature























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References
Department of mechanical and aerospace engineering-NASA hydrogen research-
pdf
US Patent 4072023 - Air-rectification process and apparatus
Air liquefaction:distillation
Encyclopedia of separation science 2007 science direct
R.Agrawal, D.M. herron
MSDS worldwide library-praxair
Cryogenic air separation history and technological progress
www.linde-india.com
American Chemical society journal , some aspects of gas separation at low
temperatures by W. H. Granville
Wikipedia
5pengineering cro&eng srl -nitrogenhpn(pdf)


























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