Air Liquide purity and argon fraction

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The purity and quantity of liquid air have a significant impact on the distillation conditions in the upper column. ① A decrease in the oxygen content of the liquid air entering the lower column leads to a deterioration in the quality of the feed liquid in the upper column. With the structural parameters and equivalent column efficiency remaining unchanged, this increases the burden on separation processes in the upper column; since its separation capacity is limited, this results in a decrease in oxygen purity and an increase in the nitrogen content in the argon fraction； ② The high oxygen content in the liquid air from the lower column increases the oxygen level in the distillation section of the upper column, which in turn raises the oxygen content in the argon fraction. Since liquid air also serves as the cooling source for the condenser in the crude argon column, an increase in its temperature hinders the proper functioning of the condenser, resulting in a decrease in the purity of the nitrogen in the upper column. At the same time, a high oxygen content in the liquid air from the lower column indicates an increased presence of argon components in the nitrogen, which makes it more difficult to extract argon after it enters the upper column.