Air separation units, design and future development

Air separation units (ASUs) have successfully been applied to support gasification projects worldwide. ASU technology has ranged from traditional, low pressure, standalone facilities supplying products only to the gasification island, to highly integrated, elevated pressure facilities that obtain air feed from and inject excess nitrogen into a gas turbine. The near-term direction of ASUs is increased single unit capacity, process optimizations that will benefit integration with the new generation of higher pressure ratio and increased capacity gas turbines, and overall ASU facility optimization for the specialized requirements of shipboard units for remote gas conversion processes. Longer-term development is proceeding on ion transport membrane technology to support cost improvements for highly efficient production of oxygen, power, and steam.