Cryogenic Air Separation Unit · ASU Plant

Cryogenic Air Separation Unit

Reliable Oxygen, Nitrogen & Argon Production for Continuous Industrial Gas Supply

DEEP Gas designs and supplies customized cryogenic air separation units for continuous production of oxygen, nitrogen and argon in gaseous or liquid form. Each ASU is engineered according to required capacity, purity, pressure, liquid-product ratio, energy target and site conditions.

O₂ / N₂ / Ar
Gas & Liquid Products
24/7
Continuous Operation
Customized
Capacity & Pressure
Cryogenic Air Separation Unit
Cryogenic Air Separation Unit
Cryogenic Air Separation Technology

High-Purity Industrial Gases from Atmospheric Air

A cryogenic air separation unit compresses, purifies and cools atmospheric air to cryogenic temperatures. Oxygen, nitrogen and argon are then separated by rectification according to their different boiling points.

Cryogenic air separation technology is particularly suitable for large and continuous industrial gas demand, high-purity gas requirements and projects requiring multiple gaseous or liquid products from a single integrated plant.

Gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and argon production
Optional liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen and liquid argon
Internal or external product compression
Continuous automatic operation
Customized capacity, purity and product pressure
Gas & Liquid Products

Oxygen, Nitrogen and Argon from One Integrated ASU

Product configuration is customized according to your process demand. Gas and liquid production can be combined within one cryogenic air separation plant.

Oxygen · O₂

High-purity gaseous or liquid oxygen for steelmaking, metallurgy, glass manufacturing, chemical processing and other industrial applications.

Product: GOX / LOX
Typical Purity: ≥99.5% O₂
Pressure: Customized
Nitrogen · N₂

High-purity gaseous or liquid nitrogen for inerting, blanketing, purging, chemical processing, electronics and industrial gas supply.

Product: GAN / LIN
Purity: Project Specific
Pressure: Customized
Argon · Ar

Optional argon recovery can be integrated depending on oxygen production scale, product requirements and overall project economics.

Product: GAR / LAR
Recovery: Optional
Purity: Project Specific
Technical Specifications

Cryogenic Air Separation Unit Technical Specifications

Each cryogenic ASU is designed according to the required gas products, capacity, purity, pressure, liquid production ratio and site utilities. Final performance parameters are confirmed during project engineering.

Parameter Typical / Configurable Range Engineering Note
Products O₂ / N₂ / Ar Gas and/or liquid products
Oxygen Purity Typical ≥99.5% Customized according to application
Nitrogen Purity High-purity specification available Residual O₂ specified by project
Argon Recovery Optional Depends on ASU scale and project economics
Product Pressure Customized Internal or external compression
Liquid Products LOX / LIN / LAR Optional liquid co-production
Operating Mode Continuous Automatic industrial operation
Control System PLC / DCS Remote monitoring available
Power Consumption Calculated by project Depends on capacity, product pressure, liquid ratio and ASU configuration
Note: ASU power consumption should be evaluated according to a defined process basis. Oxygen capacity, pressure, liquid-product ratio, argon recovery, ambient conditions and compressor efficiency all affect the final energy consumption.
Process Technology

How Does a Cryogenic Air Separation Unit Work?

Atmospheric air passes through compression, purification, cryogenic cooling and distillation before oxygen, nitrogen and argon are delivered as gaseous or liquid products.

Cryogenic Air Separation Process
01 · Air Compression

Ambient air is filtered and compressed to the required process pressure by the main air compressor.

02 · Pre-cooling & Purification

Moisture, carbon dioxide and trace contaminants are removed before the air enters the cryogenic section.

03 · Cryogenic Cooling

Purified air is cooled in the main heat exchanger close to its liquefaction temperature.

04 · Expansion

The turboexpander generates refrigeration required to maintain the cryogenic heat balance of the plant.

05 · Cryogenic Distillation

Oxygen and nitrogen are separated in the rectification columns. Argon recovery can be added when required.

06 · Product Delivery

Gas or liquid products are delivered at the required purity, pressure and operating conditions.

System Configuration

Main Equipment of a Cryogenic Air Separation Plant

The performance of an air separation plant depends on the coordinated design of the complete process system rather than any single machine.

Centrifugal Compressor

Main Air Compressor

Provides stable feed-air flow and pressure for the complete cryogenic process.

Air Pre-cooling System

Air Pre-cooling System

Reduces compressed-air temperature and moisture load before purification.

Molecular Sieve Purifier

Molecular Sieve Purifier

Removes H₂O, CO₂ and contaminants to protect the cryogenic section.

Main Heat Exchanger

Main Heat Exchanger

Recovers refrigeration between incoming air and outgoing gas streams.

Turboexpander

Turboexpander

Generates refrigeration required for stable cryogenic operation.

Cold Box

Cold Box & Distillation Columns

Core cryogenic separation section containing heat exchangers, columns, condensers and process piping.

ASU Process Selection

Internal Compression vs External Compression

The optimal product compression route depends on gas pressure, liquid-product demand, plant capacity, energy consumption, reliability and project investment.

Internal Compression ASU

Liquid oxygen or nitrogen is pressurized by a cryogenic pump and subsequently vaporized in the main heat exchanger to produce high-pressure gaseous product.

Suitable for high-pressure gaseous oxygen
Can reduce large oxygen gas compressor duty
Integrated cryogenic liquid-pump design
Strong integration with heat-exchanger design

External Compression ASU

Oxygen or nitrogen leaves the cold box at lower pressure and is compressed downstream using a dedicated product gas compressor.

Clear separation of ASU and compression sections
Suitable for many gaseous product configurations
Product compressor efficiency is important
Maintenance strategy differs from internal compression