Fractional Liquid air distilation

Chemical Properties

Oxygen:

Brittle, strong oxidizing agent, has second highest electronegativity, highly reactive

Evaporate: 90 k (-183º C)

Nitrogen:

Inert, used when oxidation is not wanted

Evaporate: 77 K (-195.79 °C)

Historical Background

Industrial Effects

Fractional distillation of liquid air is a way of separating major gases such as nitrogen and oxygen.

The final product of the separation creates liquid oxygen and nitrogen gas.

There are many industrial uses of these two products, and isolated oxygen can also have medical uses as well.

1895: Karl Paul Gottfried von Linde of Germany and William Hampson of England created the process of lowering the temperature of air until it liquified. After liquified, they distilled it and allowed some elements to evaporate

Uses of Oxygen (Gas or liquid state)

Industrial Uses:

Industrial uses of liquid oxygen:

- Methanol

- Welding Iron

- Rocket fuel

- Welding

Medical Uses:

Medical uses of liquid oxygen:

- Respiratory support in hospitals

- Locations where oxygen levels are low (mountain climbing, scuba diving)

Chemical Equation

There is no chemical equation for the fractional distillation of liquid air, but air consists of

78.1% Nitrogen (N2)

30.0% Oxygen (O2)

.93% Argon (Ar)

.04% Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Fractional

Distillation of Liquid Air

Definition

Fractional Distillation (liquid):

Separation of a liquid mixture into fractions differing in boiling point by means of distillation, typically using a fractionating column.

Fractional Distillation of liquid air:

The process of separating nitrogen and oxygen from air by fractional distillation (see above)

THE PROCESS

-190º C

Air taken in

Air in the atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen

First, air is filtered to remove dust particles. Then air is cooled (-200º C) to a point that water vapor condenses, and carbon dioxide freezes (-79º C) and then they are both removed. At this point, oxygen (–183ºC) and nitrogen (–196ºC) are liquified.

Sorting

Fractionating column

Air is Compressed

Pressure is then applied to the air to 200 times the atmospheric pressure, and it becomes warm. The pressure will help turn nitrogen and oxygen turn to liquid in the fourth step.

Works Cited

Air cooled

Finally, the liquid nitrogen and oxygen is sent into the fractionating column, where nitrogen evaporates at

-190º C and dense oxygen is captured as liquid at the bottom at -185º C

Air is cooled to remove the heat from the pressurized air. The air is cooled through pipes flowing with liquid nitrogen.

"Air Seperation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_separation>.

"Can You Explain the Process of Fractional Distillation to Obtain Nitrogen?" Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090710093855AAsApaV>.

"Chemistry-gases-fractional Distillation." Chemistry-gases-fractional Distillation. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <http://www.dynamicscience.com.au/tester/solutions1/chemistry/gas/fractionaldistilationofair.htm>.

"Fractional Distillation of Liquid Air." BBC News. BBC. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel_pre_2011/oneearth/usefulproductsrev2.shtml>."Uses of

"Liquid Oxygen." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_oxygen#Uses>.Nitrogen | Uses Of." Uses Of. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <http://www.usesof.net/uses-of-nitrogen.html>.

"Oxygen." How Oxygen Is Made. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

"What Is the Chemical Formula of Air?" - Quora. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-chemical-formula-of-air>.

Air Expands

The pressurized air is then allowed to expand, which releases a huge amount of stored energy and allows the oxygen and nitrogen particles to slow down, causing it to turn liquified.

-185º C

Uses of Nitrogen (Gas or liquid state)

Industrial Uses:

- Liquid Nitrogen

- Cooling system

- Canned foods

- High temperature thermometer

- Incandescent lightbulbs

- Stabilizing atmosphere

in chemical/petroleum

factories

THE ISSUE:

Hydrocarbon: Hydrogen and Carbon, reactive with oxygen

Hydrocarbons and oxygen together may create some safety issues. When removing Hydrocarbons through the distillation process, it is done with extreme care; however, it is not very easy to get rid of all the hydrocarbon in the air.

If there are large amounts of hydrocarbon, solids start to form in the walls of the machines, and these solids can start fires and even explosions.

The Solution

Fractional distillation of liquid air is mainly used in chemical factories in order to retrieve pure oxygen or nitrogen from the air. Such industries include steel, petrochemical, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Combustion of Hydrocarbon and excess Oxygen

Hydrocarbon + Oxygen

CH4 + 2O2 => CO2 + 2H2O

= C

Oxygen

Methane

Water

Carbon

dioxide

= H

= O

In order to prevent this hazard, chemical factories that use the process of fractional distillation of liquid air must keep their factories in good condition. When the units are not checked regularly, rime starts to build up. These are the solids that cause the reaction of hydrocarbon and oxygen through slight friction. Factories need to be held responsible to prevent these reactions.

Rime: an accumulation of granular ice tufts on the windward sides of exposed objects that is formed from supercooled fog or cloud and built out directly against the wind (Merriam-Webster)