Powering Industry with On-site Oxygen Generation

VPSA is an advanced gas separation technology that plays a crucial role in the production of industrial gases, particularly O₂. This pressure-driven process enables the selective separation of O₂ from air by adsorbing nitrogen (N₂) and other impurities. This technology is highly adaptable, and thus suitable for different application challenges. Its simplicity, reliability, energy efficiency and low operating costs make it a strong choice for industries seeking O₂ generation solutions with an attractive cost-benefit ratio.

Showcasing the Environmental and Cost Benefits of Small On-sites: VITRON Centrifugal VPSA Plants

Linde's advanced VITRON^® centrifugal VPSA plants exhibit a number of key innovations that promote sustainability and reduce the environmental footprint of industrial operations. Our proprietary design features highly efficient centrifugal blowers for air compression instead of the rotary lobe blowers traditionally used in the industry, lowering power usage at both design and turndown flows. Centrifugal blowers also offer a quieter and more compact alternative to rotary lobe blowers, significantly reducing footprint, site infrastructure requirements and noise emissions. In addition, the use of oil-free magnetic bearings enhances energy efficiency and reduces noise emissions, while also lowering maintenance throughout the plant's lifetime.

All VITRON VPSA plants are designed as prefabricated modular units to accelerates deployment and reduces installation effort for additional cost savings and efficiency gains.

VPSA in Detail: A Look Inside an On-site O₂ VITRON Plant

This plant utilizes an adsorptive air separation process to recover gases. The physical principle behind VPSA relies on the interaction between gas molecules and porous materials, where adsorption is influenced by the surface area and adsorption forces within pores of specific sizes. Individual gases are adsorbed with variable adsorption capacities depending on the pressure and temperature of the feed gas, as well as the selectivity of the adsorbent material toward the various gas molecules. By adjusting the pressure conditions, VPSA optimizes gas separation by selectively adsorbing N₂ from the air under controlled pressure, efficiently enriching the O₂ content in the output gas. Our on-site O₂ VITRON plant is an ideal way to supply O₂ at purities of up to 94 vol.%, while notably lowering energy consumption and operational expenses relative to alternative separation techniques.

Adsorptive air separation is a periodic batch process where adsorbent material is alternately fed with pressurized air to produce the desired product. It is regenerated by means of a vacuum to remove residual gases like N₂, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). Our VITRON VPSA plants are often designed as 2-bed systems, which enables continuous operation of the plant. Each adsorber undergoes a cyclic process consisting of three main phases: adsorption (O₂ production), desorption (evacuation) to remove residual gases, and re-pressurization (pressure build-up).

Adding Value to Different Industry Segments

Each VITRON VPSA plant is assembled to balance the performance needs of your individual application with your cost constraints. Advanced VPSA technology has the potential to revolutionize gas separation and purification across various industries, delivering unparalleled efficiency, flexibility and reliability to your operations. Below you can read how on-site VITRON O₂ plants are already adding value to many industry sectors.

• Steel and non-ferrous metals: VITRON VPSA plants are used to produce O₂ for steel / non-ferrous metals (such as copper) manufacturing processes, contributing to the overall efficiency, quality and sustainability of mills.
• Glass manufacturing: O₂ accelerates combustion in glass furnaces, improving efficiency and reducing fuel usage and emissions.
• Pulp and paper: O₂ enhances bleaching processes by reducing reliance on harmful chemicals.
• Mining: VITRON VPSA technology produces O₂ on site for leaching processes, accelerating oxidation reactions in the solution and enhancing the dissolution of valuable metals. This improves both the efficiency and effectiveness of metal extraction.
• Combustion process: O₂ is essential for various oxidation reactions. It also improves the efficiency of combustion processes, leading to better fuel utilization and reduced emissions. VITRON VPSA units can be scaled to meet the specific O₂ demands of different chemical plants, providing a continuous and reliable supply of this gas for consistent chemical processes.
• Lithium battery production: VITRON VPSA technology is used to supply O₂ to the lithium battery industry. Here, the O₂ is primarily used in the NCM cathode roasting process, helping to deliver the efficiency and quality needed for high-performance lithium batteries.
• Wastewater treatment: VITRON plants generate O₂ on site, which is used for enhancing microbial growth in specialized wastewater treatment processes.
• Cement: In the oxyfuel process, O₂ is used instead of air for combustion, resulting in higher flame temperatures and improved energy efficiency. Using O₂ reduces dilution in the flue gas, making carbon capture easier and more efficient. The reduction of N₂ in this high-temperature environment also lowers nitrogen oxide (NOx) formation and leads to improved NOx emission control.