Air Separation Unit
Air Separation Unit
Polaris Air Separation Units (ASU) provide a flexible, customized, and innovative technical solution to produce industrial gases such as Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon.
The plants use cryogenic technology for air fractionation in order to have products, simultaneously or alternatively, in either gaseous or liquid form. Each unit is tailored to the customer’s individual needs, and each component is tested to meet the most stringent international standards to guarantee the highest quality. Plants are designed for flexibility with regard to products, power consumption, available time, or total production.
See below for some common examples of ASUs, where Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon are produced.
Typical Applications (Partial List)
- Gas factories
- Steel and metal production
- Petrochemical and Chemical
- Refineries
- Oil & Gas
- Water treatment
- Glass manufacturing
- Electronics
- Fertilizer plant
- Pharmaceutical
Highlights
- Fully automatic control system
- Reliable – a storage and vaporization back-up can be installed to allow for a continuous supply of the produced gas or for peak covering. Systems are designed to promptly react to varying needs.
- Units are fully prefabricated at the Polaris workshop, for better construction control and cost reduction
Typical Plant Configuration
- Main Air Compressor(s), where air is compressed up to the required process pressure
- Pre-Treatment section for H2O and CO2 removal
- Cold Box where air is separated to obtain the necessary gases
- Storage and vaporization section
- Skid-mounted and supplied as a packaged unit
- A stand-alone liquefier section for liquid N2 can also be installed in the plant, depending on operating conditions
Advantages
- PLC control system
- Low investment and operation cost
- High plant flexibility with different operational cases
- Simple installation and maintenance
- Telemetry system for remote control/service
Examples of Specific Air Separation Units
Nitrogen Generation
Every aspect of our N2 Generation plants can be adapted to specific client requests and/or site needs.
Advantages include:
- High purity of product (up to a concentration < 1 ppm of O2)
- Compact and tailor-made design to match client needs
- Possibility of liquid nitrogen production suitable as a strategic reserve to cover peak rates or as a backup in case of plant shutdown
- Liquid storage and vaporization can be integrated in plant automation for prompt reaction
- Low operating and maintenance cost
Nitrogen and Oxygen Generation
Cryogenic technology allows for the production of very high liquid oxygen production that can be used for several medical and industrial applications. Polaris plants are designed to minimize gas production cost, while taking into consideration both CAPEX and OPEX.
Liquid oxygen is produced simultaneously with nitrogen and clients can benefit from several advantages:
- High purity of oxygen product (up to medical standard)
- High process efficiency
- High flexibility with the possibility of maximizing LOX or LIN production based on market/user needs
- Possibility of LIN and LOX storage as a backup to cover peak usage rates
Argon Generation
In addition to a LIN/LOX plant, an integrated module for Argon production can be added.
Thanks to cryogenic technology, a high purity of liquid argon can be achieved, thereby maintaining a high overall efficiency of the plant. Even though argon (Ar) is a noble gas that comprises only 0.93% of the atmospheric air, Polaris has experience with a recovery rate > 95% with < 2 ppm of O2 as impurity.
Argon is most commonly used in the welding industry as an inert atmosphere to prevent oxidation. The uses are growing in the medical and scientific research communities.
