Optimization And Retrofitting Of Air Separate Unit: Case Study Of Company A

The industrial gas,one indispensable raw material,plays an important role in national economy,which widely applied in petroleum,steel manufacture,chemical engineering,medical treatment,food manufacture,metallic and electronic industry.Air separate unit(ASU)is a very important unit in industrial gas production.According to the pre-research results of one ASU in company A,it was found the unit had high unit energy consumption and low production capacity.Under the circumstances,the process optimization and improvement were carried out by six sigma(6?)management methods and chemical process simulationIn this paper,by the method of 6? management,the key process parameters of the ASU in company A were analyzed via Minitab software,and the process bottlenecks of the ASU were identified.Then the equipment bottlenecks of ASU were determined after discussions with a mechanical engineer,an electrical engineer and several experts from equipment manufacturers.After the feasibility analysis of the process and equipment bottlenecks,the optimization direction of reducing unit energy consumption and increasing yield were determined,based on which the process optimization measures were made and implemented.Combined with the basic situation of the ASU and theory of air separate,four schemes of technical retrofitting were put forward.Taken the payback year into consideration,the most economical one was determined by the simulation results of different schemes by Aspen Plus On this basis,the principle of technical retrofitting and key points in design,construction,commissioning and operation,are discussed in detail.Finally,the technical retrofitting had been put into effect,with the analysis of economic benefit.The results of the project implementation showed that,after the process optimization and technical retrofitting,LIN unit energy consumption reduce 3.02%,LIN yield increase 7.03%,achieve the foal and obtain good economic benefit.Besides,the running of the ASU is stable and reliable.Since the process optimization measures and the technical retrofitting schemes are simple,easy-to-implement,low-cost and easy-to-operate,for similar air separation plant is of great realistic significance.