Structural panel intended to form part of a cold box of a separation device

Abstract

Structural panel intended to form part of a cold box of a low-temperature distillation separation device, comprising at least one chamber made from carbon steel or chrome and nickel alloy steel, with a rectangular or non-rectangular, optionally isosceles, trapezoid cross-section, having a roof and / or bottom sloping at an angle of between 45° and 60° relative to the panel and one open face, the open face being positioned on the inner face of the structural panel.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (a) and (b) to French patent application No. FR 1904118, filed Apr. 17, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a structural panel intended to form part of a cold box of a separation device and a cold box comprising such a panel.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Conventionally, low-temperature or cryogenic-temperature distillation separation units comprise at least one distillation column arranged in an insulating structure known as a cold box (CB). The cold box is a metal enclosure that generally has a substantially parallelepipedal shape so as to form a predetermined insulation thickness around the column and its pipes. The insulation material used is generally perlite.[0004]A low temperature is a temperature below 0° C., or even below −100° C.[0005]The present invention relate...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention pertains to a method for assembling cold boxes used in cryogenic units. The method involves prefabricating the cold box in a workshop and transporting it to the installation site, while also adding accessories such as valves and sensors in a separate chamber to prevent performance issues. The accessory chamber is designed to be easily removed for inspection or maintenance without having to remove the entire insulation. The method also minimizes risks and costs associated with transporting and installing the cold box. The result is an improved assembly process that reduces installation time and planning risks, while minimizing the required insulation volume and allowing for controlled prefabrication in the workshop.

Problems solved by technology

In this type of design, the assembly and production of the accessory chambers, as it is carried out in a horizontal position in the workshop, does not make the manufacturing of the package units more complex.

The constraints generated by this design are mainly the additional cost of the material of the enclosure and the limited transportability.

That is, all of the pipes of the CB must be installed one by one and connected to the vertical distillation column and / or to other columns, to cryogenic exchangers and / or to pumps and / or to turbines at a height ranging from ground level to approximately 60 m. Similarly the accessories (manual or automatic valves, flow meters, valve shutters, miscellaneous sensors, etc.) must be connected to these pipes one by one, which requires a lot of manpower and a large quantity of scaffolding and does not facilitate worker productivity.

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