TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.

41（2022）

Review

History of Air Separation Unit Technologies Developed by TNSC

TAMURA Masahiro*

In 1935, we succeeded in domestically producing Japan's first air separation unit. Since then, based on our
abundant experience and superior technological capabilities, we have developed various technologies
including: process technology to design processes that match customer needs; pre-treatment equipment to
remove moisture and carbon dioxide from raw material air; and cryogenic equipment such as rectifying
columns, which are the core components of air separation units. Air separation units have a history of more
than 100 years, and continue to make progress based on these technological capabilities. This paper
introduces the development of air separation units that we have been working on, and describes how we
intend to develop these technologies in the future.

method, and nitrogen generation units refer to equipment

1. Introduction
specialized for the production of nitrogen using the same
Oxygen is used in a wide range of industrial fields, method.
including steel, chemistry, shipbuilding, nonferrous
metals, glass, and medicine. In particular, the increase in
demand for oxygen in the steel industry in the 1970s 2. Unit type and designation
promoted the development of larger air separation units.
In the 1970s, the maximum oxygen production per unit Air separation units has pre-treatment equipment to
was 35000 Nm3/h, but now it is up to 65,000 Nm 3/h, and remove impurities such as water and carbon dioxide gas
the operability has been greatly improved through from raw material air before introducing the air into the
automation of the equipment. The specific power cryogenic air separation section. This equipment was
consumption has been reduced by about 20% compared either a Revex or Regenerator system until the 1970s, and
to the 1970s. has been an MS (molecular sieves) adsorber system since
On the other hand, also nitrogen generation units have the 1980s. We determine the unit type depending on the
been rapidly becoming larger and more power-efficient in outlet pressure of the air compressor and the pre-
line with the development of the electronics industry. The treatment equipment. When the outlet pressure of the air
nitrogen production per unit has been up to 25000 Nm 3/h, compressor is low (0.5 MPaG or less) and the pre-
and the specific power consumption has been reduced by treatment equipment is the Revex or Regenerator system,
1) .
about 30% compared to the 1990s the unit is designated as NR type, which stands for
In this way, we have made development to meet Niederdruck, a German word with the meaning of low
customer needs in air separation units. This paper pressure, and Revex or Regenerator. This is because the
introduces some of the features of the technologies and units were initially imported from Germany. When the
equipment we have developed so far and describe our outlet pressure of the air compressor is medium (0.5
future prospect. MPaG or higher) and the pre-treatment equipment is the
In this review, air separation units refer to equipment MS adsorber system, the unit is designated as MG type,
that mainly produces nitrogen, oxygen, argon, etc. from which stands for Mitteldruck, a German word with the
raw material air using the cryogenic air separation meaning of medium pressure, and Gel (adsorbent).

* Fellow
TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

However, at present, the pressure classification is not time. The units built under this contract bear the
clear, and even units with a low pressure MS adsorber "Licensed by Linde" nameplate, which is still in place
system are also designated as MG type units. In addition, today. Fig. 1 shows the Linde nameplate.
units with a medium pressure liquefaction cycle for the
production of liquid products are designated as MNR type
or MMG type, the additional M of which stands for
middle pressure. Internally compressing units, which
compress the product gas using a liquefied gas pump, are
designated as MGP type units. For example, an MG type
unit with 185,000 Nm 3/h of raw material air is called
MG185000 type unit. In the case of an NR type unit, the
last three digits are omitted and the unit is called NR185
type unit.
In the same way, also nitrogen generation units are
Fig.1 Linde nameplate
designated as MG type nitrogen units, but standard units
(manufactured by former Nippon Sanso Co., Ltd.)
mainly for Japanese market are designated as JN type
nitrogen units. Currently, we are developing GNS type
After the technical cooperation agreement with Linde
and GND type nitrogen units, which are standard units
was terminated in 1980, we established and strengthened
mainly for the overseas market. These stand for Global
a development department to improve and enhance our
Nitrogen Single column and Global Nitrogen Dual
own technology, and the development of air separation
column, respectively.
units became active. Fig. 2 on the next page shows the
history of the development of air separation units 6, 10, 13,
16, 22, 25-28, 38, 45, 48, 52, 64) . This was also the beginning of the
3. Technical cooperation and collaboration
export of air separation units to overseas markets, which
had previously been restricted.
In 1962, we entered into a technical cooperation
In 2000, we had been able to design and manufacture up
agreement with Linde, the headquarters of which was in
to 35,000 Nm 3/h oxygen units using our own technology.
West Germany at that time and is now in the UK, to
To further increase the size of the unit, however, there
introduce the world's most advanced technology for air
were challenges in manufacturing the rectifying column
separation units. Based on this agreement, we changed the
and MS adsorber. Therefore, in order to meet the
cryogenic equipment materials of our air separation units
subsequent demand for larger units in the domestic
from copper and brass to aluminum to reduce costs and
market, we started a collaboration with Linde for the
improve safety. In addition, by introducing Linde's
fabrication of larger units, which is still ongoing.
technology for manufacturing large air separation units,
As a result of this collaboration, we installed a 50000
we developed large units and improved our technical
Nm3/h oxygen unit at Fukuyama Plant of Kokan Sanso
capabilities, which greatly contributed to the on-site plant
Center (now JFE Sanso Center) in 2002. This unit
project at that time 2) .
adopted a DFR type main condenser (Down-Flow
Since the signing of the technical cooperation agreement,
Reboiler) for the first time 30). In addition, we installed a
we have been able to obtain the selection, welding, and
65000 Nm3/h oxygen unit at Keihin Plant of JFE Sanso
processing techniques of aluminum materials for the
Center in 2005. This unit was the largest class in Japan,
production of equipment and gases, and the basic data and
and we introduced a krypton/xenon concentration column
fabrication drawings necessary for the design of major
42) .
and a neon concentration column Furthermore, we
equipment such as rectifying columns. During the 18
installed a high-purity xenon production unit, the largest
years before the contract was terminated, we built 75
Linde type air separation units, including the 35,000
Nm3/h oxygen unit, which was the largest class at that
 TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

→Taiyo Nippon Sanso (from 2004)

Development theme 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Technical cooperation and collaboration with Linde Technical cooperation (1980 and earlier) Collaboration (from 2000) ★ 65,000 Nm3/h oxygen unit (2005)
Process development LNG cold heat utilizing process ★ First LNG utilizing unit (1971) High-pressure LNG utilizing unit
Rare gas separating process Kr/Xe separation Kr/Xe separation Ne separation Xe purification Rare gas purification
Demand fluctuation responding process Demand fluctuation responding Large demand fluctuation responding
Nighttime electricity utilizing process First nighttime electricity utilizing unit (1991) ★
Low-purity oxygen process Low-purity oxygen Low-purity oxygen HIDiC utilizing Mixing column Mixing column
Internally compressing process First internally compressing unit (2002) ★ Internally compressing liquid co-producing
High-efficiency process Standard liquid plant Low power consumption
High-purity oxygen co-producing nitrogen production process First oxygen co-producing unit (2019) ★
Standard nitrogen generation unit JN series, GN series First JN unit (1982) ★ JNS JNT, JNP, JNC, JNM JNR, JNE JNF GNS, GND series
Power-saving nitrogen generation unit Low-pressure reboiler type Dual column type
Next-generation nitrogen generation unit Next-generation (packed column) Ultra-pure oxygen co-producing
Pre-treatment equipment MS adsorber Single-layer MS adsorberFirst multi-layer MS adsorber (1987) ★ PTSA type High-performance MS adsorber High-speed flow MS adsorber Radial flow
MS adsorber simulator MS adsorber simulator Improved MS adsorber simulator
Normal-temperature TSA adsorber Normal-temperature PTSA Normal-temperature TSA Expansion of application scope New MS adsorbent
Normal-temperature catalyst H2/CO removing catalyst New normal-temperature catalyst
Cryogenic equipment Rectifying column Packed rectifying column ★ First packed rectifying column (1996)
Lower column Four-path cross-flow lower column
Packed material Increased-density packed material Development of packed material and distributor
Main condenser DFR type Multi-stage type Cascade type
Expansion turbine Gas bearing expansion turbine NET-A type ★ First NET-A unit (1985) Expansion of lineup
Magnetic bearing expansion turbine NET-M type Hybrid bearing type, five-axis control type Expansion of lineup
Low-temperature compression-braking expansion turbine NET-C type
Operation control Design simulator Dynamic simulator Next-generation dynamic simulator
Simulator for education Simulator for education Simulator for education New simulator for education
Automatic control, Automatic start of liquefaction equipment Expert Fuzzy control Fieldbus Optimization Introduction of digital technology
remote monitoring, remote operation Full-automatic control EzMPICS JN General Monitoring Center

Fig.2 History of development of air separation units

in Japan 56) . Through this collaboration with Linde, seven study the basic technology, safety, economics, and future
large domestic units have been installed so far 62) . Table 1 prospects, and concluded that the active development of
shows the basic specifications of the 65000 Nm 3/h LNG cold heat utilizing unit is promising for air
oxygen unit. separation units, especially for liquefied oxygen and
liquefied nitrogen production facilities. We started
Table 1 Basic specifications of the 65000 Nm3/h oxygen unit designing and manufacturing the world's first LNG cold
Product Flow rate (Nm3/h) Purity (vol) heat utilizing air separation unit in 1969, and delivered it
Oxygen gas 61400 O2≧99.6 ％
Liquefied oxygen 3600 O2≧99.8 ％ to Tokyo Liquefied Oxygen Co., Ltd. in 1971. Since then,
High-purity nitrogen gas 80000 O2≦0.1 ppm
we have adopted new technologies such as low-
Crude nitrogen gas 20000 O2≦3 ％
Crude argon gas 1580 O2≦1.5 ％ temperature compressors and high-pressure heat
Liquefied crude argon 400 O2≦1.5 ％
Kr/Xe concentrated liquefied oxygen 80 Low purity exchangers, and have completed a unit that reduces the
Concentrated Ne gas 8.5 Low purity
Raw material air 320000 Nm3/h 456 kPaG
specific power consumption by about half compared to
Specific power consumption *1 0.364kWh/Nm3 conventional air separation units. We have delivered a
*1 Specific power consumption = Power consumption / (Oxygen gas + liquefied oxygen) flow rate
total of nine LNG cold heat utilizing air separation units
to date, both in Japan and overseas. Fig. 3 on the next
4. Development of process
page shows a system diagram of an LNG cold heat
utilizing air separation unit.
We have developed a variety of processes to meet
The units we delivered until the 1990s used low-pressure
diversifying customer requirements for air separation
LNG (1 to 3 MPaG). In response to the shift to high-
units. The following sections describe a part of such
pressure LNG with the introduction of high-efficiency
processes and equipment we have developed to date.
power generation facilities since the 2000s, we have
converted existing units to use high-pressure LNG (7
4.1 LNG cold heat utilizing process
MPaG), and have delivered three units so far. In order to
As mentioned in Technical Report No. 1, the
minimize the modification cost, the renewal was made
introduction of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) to Japan
only for the LNG system, and the other components
began in 1969, when a dedicated LNG tanker from Alaska
3) . reused existing equipment. In order to maintain the
arrived at the Port of Yokohama Before the
operating conditions of the components using existing
introduction of LNG, studies on the use of LNG cold heat
equipment, the LNG usage was increased, and it was
had already been conducted and the results of research on
confirmed that the unit could be operated at the same
LNG utilization technology were published in technical
power consumption and production rate as before as a
and professional journals. In 1968, we established the
result 51) .
"Technical Committee for LNG Cold Heat Utilization" to
TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

selection for withstanding the stress had to be made. The unit

is automatically controlled by a DCS (Distributed Control
System), which reduces startup and shutdown time and
enables startup and shutdown by one-touch operation.
Furthermore, this one-touch startup and shutdown operation
Seawater
can be omitted by scheduling it using the calendar in the DCS.
In 1991, the first unit of this nighttime electricity utilizing air
separation unit was delivered to Toho Acetylene Co., Ltd.,
and six units have been delivered so far 14). Fig. 4 shows a
system diagram of the nighttime electricity utilizing air
separation unit.

1. Main heat exchanger 2. Rectifying column

3. Recycle nitrogen heat exchanger
4. LNG heat exchanger 5. LNG evaporator
6. Pre-cooler 7. Freon pump
8. Recycle nitrogen compressor
Fig.3 System diagram of LNG cold heat utilizing air
separation unit

4.2 Nighttime electricity utilizing process

The liquefaction equipment used to produce liquefied
oxygen and liquefied nitrogen consumes large amounts of
electricity due to the use of high-pressure, large-capacity
compressors. In the 1980s, electricity demand was higher 1. Main air compressor 2. Pre-treatment equipment
during the daytime and lower at night and on holidays, and 3. Main heat exchanger 4. Rectifying column 5. Subcooler
6. Recycle nitrogen compressor 7. Expansion turbine
electric power companies aimed to equalize electricity
8. Liquefied nitrogen storage tank
demand by reducing the unit price of electricity during
Fig.4 System diagram of nighttime electricity utilizing air
nighttime and holidays to less than half that during the
separation unit
daytime. Therefore, by making contracts to use more
electricity at night and on holidays, it was possible to use
4.3 Internally compressing process
inexpensive electricity.
The MG type unit introduced above employs a total low-
Thus, we have developed a nighttime electricity utilizing
pressure process, whereby the product oxygen gas is
unit in which the liquefaction equipment is operated only
generated as low-pressure oxygen gas. To raise the
during the inexpensive-electricity hours. By operating the air
pressure of the oxygen gas to the required level, an
separation equipment continuously during the day and night
oxygen compressor is required. However, oxygen
and the liquefaction equipment only during the night, and by
compressors are more expensive and have shorter
injecting liquefied nitrogen from a storage tank to supply the
maintenance cycles than air compressors. Therefore, we
cold needed during the daytime, the air separation equipment
have developed internally compressing equipment in
can be kept in constant operation. However, since the
which liquefied oxygen in the main condenser of the
liquefaction equipment operates only at night and on holidays,
equipment is pressurized to the product pressure by a
a large liquefaction unit capable of handling a larger flow rate
pump and vaporized and heated by heat exchange with
than the average production rate is required. In addition, since
high-pressure air. This system uses a less expensive air
the liquefaction equipment is of the DSS (Daily Start and
booster compressor and liquefied oxygen pump instead of
Stop) type, which starts and stops every day, and the
an expensive oxygen compressor, thereby reducing
compressor, heat exchanger, and other components are
equipment costs compared to conventional equipment.
subject to a lot of start-up stress, the design and material
In addition, since the internally compressing equipment
 TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

extracts liquefied oxygen equivalent to the amount of oxygen gas increased. Therefore, in 2015, we developed
product oxygen from the main condenser, the a high-purity oxygen co-producing nitrogen generation
concentration of hydrocarbons in the liquefied oxygen in unit as an improved version of the dual column nitrogen
the main condenser can be significantly reduced, so that generation unit. The developed unit further improves the
the safety of the equipment is improved. In 2002, we nitrogen yield, co-produces a small amount of oxygen gas,
delivered the first internally compressing air separation and achieves low power consumption and space saving.
unit to Shunan Sanso Co., Ltd. 34) . Furthermore, we have This unit has a dual column nitrogen generation unit and
developed and completed an internally compressing air an additional third rectifying column for oxygen
separation unit that can co-produce liquid products production, and incorporates an internally compressing
without installing a separate liquefaction unit by process. Nitrogen gas is taken out from the high-pressure
incorporating a liquefaction process for collecting liquid column as a product. In addition, nitrogen gas taken out
products into the oxygen pressure boosting section of the from the low-pressure column is boosted by the nitrogen
unit in order to meet the demand to produce liquid compressor and joins the aforementioned nitrogen to
products at the same time as generating high pressure become a product. On the other hand, liquefied oxygen
47, 49, 58) .
oxygen gas Fig. 5 shows a system diagram of the gas is extracted from the bottom of the third rectifying
internally compressing liquid co-production air column, pressurized by the liquefied oxygen pump, and
separation unit. vaporized and heated in the main heat exchanger to
become a product. In this unit, the air booster compressor
generally used in an internally compressing process can
be omitted. In addition, the unit is compact due to the
adoption of combined equipment of a main air
compressor and a nitrogen compressor. Furthermore, the
MS adsorber employs normal-temperature adsorbents and
hydrogen (H 2) and carbon monoxide (CO) removal
catalysts to enable higher purity. In 2019, the first high-
purity oxygen co-producing nitrogen generation unit was
delivered to the Iwate Kurosawajiri Gas Center 61) . Fig. 6
shows a system diagram of the high-purity oxygen co-
1. Main air compressor 2. Pre-treatment equipment producing nitrogen generation unit, and Table 2 on the
3. Air booster compressor 4. Expansion turbines next page shows the basic specifications of the unit.
5. Main heat exchanger 6. Rectifying column 7. Subcooler
8. Liquefied oxygen pump
Fig.5 System diagram of internally compressing liquid
co-production air separation unit

4.4 Nitrogen and high-purity oxygen co-production

process
In 2003, we developed a dual column nitrogen
generation unit capable of reducing power consumption
by about 30% (specific power consumption 0.195
kWh/Nm3) compared to conventional nitrogen generation 1. Main air compressor/Nitrogen compressor
units and of efficient reduced volume operation with up 2. Pre-treatment equipment 3. Main heat exchanger
to 50% reduced rated product volume 40, 44, 46, 55, 60) . 4. First rectifying column 5. Second rectifying column
6. Third rectifying column 7. Third main condenser
After that, as the demand for nitrogen gas increased due
8. Liquefied oxygen pump
to the development of the semiconductor industry, the
Fig.6 System diagram of high-purity oxygen co-producing
demand for the simultaneous use of a small amount of
nitrogen generation unit
TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

Table 2 Basic specifications of high-purity oxygen co- employed a normal-temperature PTSA (Pressure and
producing nitrogen generation unit Thermal Swing Adsorption) adsorber in the pre-treatment
Product Flow rate (Nm3/h) Purity (vol) equipment to eliminate CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon). After
O2≦0.1 ppm
Nitrogen gas 20000 CO2, CO, H2≦0.1 ppm that, as a result of further improvements, we developed
H2O≦1 ppm the JNP type nitrogen generation unit series, which
O2≧99.5 ％
CO2≦3 ppm employed a CFC-free normal-temperature TSA (Thermal
Oxygen gas 1400 CO≦1 ppm
CH4≦25 ppm
Swing Adsorption) adsorber for the pre-treatment
H2O≦2.5 ppm equipment. In the JNP type unit, high product purity and
Product pressure 800 kPaG （nitrogen gas, oxygen gas）
Raw material air 34500 Nm3/h 920 kPaG low noise were achieved and the appearance was
Specific power consumption*1 0.208 kWh/Nm3
improved by eliminating the container used for the JNS
*1 Specific power consumption = Power consumption/(Nitrogen gas+Oxygen gas) flow rate

type unit and using a low-noise box that accommodated

the components.

5. Standard nitrogen generation unit In 1997, against the background of intensifying

competition regarding on-site gasification of liquid
Nitrogen gas is used in a wide range of fields, including supply, we completed the JNC type nitrogen generation
the semiconductor industry, petrochemicals, textiles, and unit, a compact on-site unit with a separator and a storage
glass. Since we manufactured the first nitrogen tank on top of the unit for the purpose of smaller volume
generation unit that produced nitrogen gas as an and space saving. The JNC type nitrogen generation unit
independent product, we have responded to domestic and does not have an expansion turbine and operates with a
international demand. From that time to the present, we liquid injection method in which liquefied nitrogen is
have made improvements and modifications to our units injected from the storage tank and an air-cooled cooler is
in response to various market demands, and have worked used, eliminating the need for cooling water. As a result
to reduce the costs and improve the specific power of thorough space saving, the footprint of the unit was 12
consumption. In the 1970s, global competition regarding m2 21) .
nitrogen generation units intensified and demand for In order to meet increasing demand, we developed the
higher performance and lower cost units increased. In JNR150 type nitrogen generation unit (nitrogen gas flow
1982, we completed the first JN type nitrogen generation rate 1500 Nm 3/h) to replace the JNP100 type nitrogen
unit, which achieved an 18% reduction in specific power generation unit (nitrogen gas flow rate 1000 Nm 3/h),
consumption and a 10% reduction in price compared to which was the highest-flow model of the JN series until
conventional units, and made a series of nitrogen then, and to further reduce the specific power
generation unit models (named the JN series) available 4) . consumption. The JNR150 was the first unit that
At that time, nine models ranging from 100 to 1,000 employed a waste gas circulation cycle to improve the
Nm3/h nitrogen gas were available as standard JN type product yield of nitrogen gas by boosting the pressure of
nitrogen generation units in order to meet various low-temperature waste gas with the expansion turbine
demands. braking compressor and introducing it into the rectifying
From 1984, a large gas demand was expected for the column for redistilling 39).
semiconductor industry, and the TGC (Total Gas Center) After 2010, we developed the JNF type nitrogen
project to install nitrogen generation units throughout the generation unit as a successor high-purity unit to the JNP
country was promoted. The JN series greatly contributed type unit, which eliminated the box so that the
to this TGC project 8, 11). components could be arranged flexibly, thereby reducing
Furthermore, in 1988, we launched JNS type nitrogen the price. In addition, the JNF type unit was the first
generation unit series for the semiconductor industry, nitrogen unit to adopt a packed rectifying column to
featuring high purity, unitization of components into a reduce the weight of the cold box 50) .
container, remote monitoring, and automatic operation. Currently, we are planning to produce a series of GNS
Then, as an improved version of the JNS type unit, we type nitrogen generation unit models and GND type
completed the JNT type nitrogen generation unit, which nitrogen generation unit models as standard nitrogen
 TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

generation units mainly for overseas markets. Fig. 7 adsorber must be installed inside the separator.
shows a concept image of GNS type nitrogen generation
unit.

1. Main air compressor

2. Reversing heat exchanger (Revex)
3. Liquefier 4. Acetylene adsorber
Fig.7 Concept image of GNS type nitrogen generation unit
5. Liquefied oxygen pump 6. Circulating adsorber
Fig.8 System diagram of NR type air separation unit

6. Pre-treatment equipment
6.2 MS adsorber
To overcome these shortcomings of reversing heat
As mentioned above, in order to operate an air
exchangers, we began developing adsorption type pre-
separation unit safely, it is necessary to remove impurities
treatment equipment. In 1961, we developed a system in
such as moisture and carbon dioxide contained in the raw
which water is removed by alumina gel at normal
material air by pre-treatment equipment. We have adopted
temperature and carbon dioxide is removed by silica gel
a thermal regeneration type TSA (Thermal Swing
at low temperature, and in 1966, we commercialized a
Adsorption) adsorber for this pre-treatment equipment.
single-layer MS adsorber for a nitrogen generation unit.
This adsorber removes water and carbon dioxide by
6.1 Reversing heat exchanger
adsorption with Na-X zeolite. At the time of development,
Before the TSA adsorber, pre-treatment equipment using
this adsorber was inferior to the reversing heat exchanger
a reversing heat exchanger was used. Fig. 8 shows a
in some respects, such as the high regeneration energy of
system diagram of an NR type air separation unit using a
the adsorbent, and it was a little while before the
reversing heat exchanger.
adsorption type was mainly used for the pre-treatment
With this method, air is cooled as it passes through the
equipment.
heat exchanger, and the moisture and carbon dioxide in
After that, we began to concentrate on the improvement
the air precipitate on the fin surfaces in the low-
of the adsorption method around 1984. Through the
temperature section inside the heat exchanger. As a result,
development of high-performance MS adsorbents, we
the low-temperature air at the exit of the heat exchanger
employed a multi-layer MS adsorber in which moisture is
contains almost no moisture and carbon dioxide. The
removed by the alumina gel layer and carbon dioxide is
precipitates on the fin surface are purged by the returning
adsorbed by the zeolite layer. The amount of waste gas
waste nitrogen gas and removed by sublimation and
required for regeneration with this adsorber was about
evaporation, but the purging requires a quantity of waste
20% of the air volume, and the regeneration temperature
nitrogen gas equivalent to about 50% of the introduced
was 140°C. This significantly increased the amount of
air volume. Therefore, the amount of gas that can be taken
product nitrogen gas and reduced the energy required for
out as product nitrogen is limited. In addition, since
regeneration. In 1987, we adopted the first multi-layer
hydrocarbons contained in the raw material air are not
MS adsorber in the MG25500 type unit for Shinnanyo
removed, an acetylene adsorber and a circulating
Sanso. The MS adsorber removes a part of the
TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

hydrocarbons, eliminating the need for an acetylene the amount of carbon dioxide adsorbed drops to about 1/3
adsorber and circulating adsorber and making the inside due to the increase in the adsorption temperature.
of the separator compact. Fig. 9 shows an example of the Therefore, to achieve the adsorption and regeneration
system diagram of an MG type air separation unit with conditions of the normal-temperature TSA adsorber
MS adsorber. without increasing equipment costs, it is necessary to
develop a high-performance adsorbent, downsize the
adsorber, shorten the switching time, and optimize the
regeneration gas volume and regeneration temperature.
By verifying these optimal operating conditions through
experiments, we were able to obtain the data necessary to
design a normal-temperature TSA adsorber. Then, as
mentioned above, we adopted a CFC-free, normal-
temperature TSA adsorber for the first time in a JNP type
nitrogen generation unit.
Subsequently, we developed a simulator that enabled
optimization studies of the operating conditions of pre-
treatment facilities 17-19, 36, 41) . Until then it was believed
1. Main air compressor 2. Pre-treatment equipment that the components that solidified in the separation
3. Main heat exchanger 4. Rectifying column section of the air separation unit and caused blockages
5. Liquefied oxygen pump 6. Expansion turbine were water and carbon dioxide. However, it was found
7. Subcooler
that also nitrous oxide (N 2O) may condense and solidify
Fig.9 System diagram of MG type air separation unit
in liquefied oxygen or liquefied air and cause a blockage
of heat exchangers and other equipment. Therefore, we
6.3 Normal-temperature TSA adsorber
used this simulator to predict the performance of
The MS adsorber uses a TSA adsorber. Raw material air
adsorbents to develop a high-performance adsorbent that
is compressed by an air compressor, cooled to about 40°C
efficiently removes moisture, carbon dioxide, and N 2O 54) .
by a water-cooled cooler, and further cooled to 5°C to
It is expected that the use of this simulator will allow us
10°C by a CFC cooling system before being introduced
to develop new adsorbents to further reduce costs and
into the pre-treatment adsorber. In order to reduce the
save energy.
amount of regenerated gas used to regenerate the pre-
treatment adsorber, and to save energy and reduce costs
6.4 Normal-temperature catalyst
by downsizing the adsorber, it is effective to cool the air
As the density of devices in semiconductor
entering the adsorber with CFCs. However, Ozone
manufacturing processes increases, there is a growing
Depleting Substances were abolished at the end of 1995,
demand for higher purity product gases. In particular,
and it was decided that chlorofluorocarbons substitutes
nitrogen gas is used in large quantities, and it is very
would be phased out starting in 2004. Therefore, we
important to produce high-purity nitrogen. Therefore, we
developed a CFC-free, normal-temperature TSA adsorber
have developed a catalyst that can efficiently remove H 2
that eliminated the use of CFC cooler and complied with
and CO, which are trace impurities contained in nitrogen.
environmental regulations 20) .
Trace amounts of H 2 and CO in air remains contained in
This adsorber uses a multi-layer MS adsorber packed
product nitrogen gas if not specifically treated. These
with activated alumina adsorbent and synthetic zeolite
impurities are not considered a problem for general
adsorbent. When the raw material air is introduced into
industrial gases, but their amount must be reduced to ppb
the adsorber without being cooled by a CFC cooler, its
levels for gases used in the semiconductor industry. Since
temperature is about 40°C. In this case, about six times
H2 and CO contained in air are easily converted to water
more moisture enters the adsorber than when cooling the
and carbon dioxide by passing through a precious metal
raw material air to about 10°C using a CFC cooler, and
catalyst layer at about 190°C, and the generated water and
 TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

carbon dioxide are removed by adsorption in a subsequent 6.5 High-speed flow process
MS adsorber, high-temperature catalysts for H 2 and CO As air separation units became larger, there arose a
removal were used in the past. However, catalysts that demand for downsizing of the MS adsorber, which
function at high temperatures require heating equipment accounted for about 10% of the total installation area of
to preheat the gas and catalyst columns packed with the unit. We responded to this demand by increasing the
catalysts, and in addition, energy for high-temperature flow speed of raw material air. By shortening the
heating is necessary. switching interval of the adsorption column
Therefore, we developed a normal-temperature catalyst (adsorption/regeneration cycle) and developing a large
with catalytic activity that allows the oxidation reaction particle size MS adsorbent that prevents fluidization of
to proceed at about 40°C, at which air is introduced into the adsorbent, we were able to downsize the installation
a TSA adsorber, and with the ability to adsorb by the area and thereby reduce construction costs 53) .
catalyst itself the produced water and carbon dioxide 33).
The developed normal-temperature catalyst is based on
a carbon dioxide adsorbent (zeolite layer), coated with an 7. Expansion turbine
alumina gel layer of about 100 μm on its surface, and
carried with precious metals. Water and carbon dioxide Air separation units require an expansion turbine that
produced in the oxidation reaction are adsorbed and generates cold to maintain the temperature of low-
removed by the catalyst's own alumina gel layer and temperature parts and to compensate for heat ingress and
zeolite layer. the amount of cold in liquid products. In 1981, we started
The heating equipment and catalyst column can be development of a blower breaking type hydrostatic gas
eliminated by loading this normal-temperature catalyst bearing expansion turbine for nitrogen generation units
together with adsorbent in the pre-treatment equipment. based on our own technology with the aim of establishing
In addition, by loading the normal-temperature catalyst at of designing and manufacturing technology. 5) .
the top of the multi-layer MS adsorber (at the rear of the The development steps included the design of
zeolite layer), the effect of carbon dioxide on the hydrostatic gas bearings and establishment of its
oxidation reaction can be suppressed and the catalyst can manufacturing method, the design of high-efficiency
be regenerated using adsorbent regeneration gas, which turbine rotor blades and its manufacturing method,
reduces the energy required for catalyst heating. establishment of a performance test method, and the
Furthermore, catalyst poison contained in the air is implementation of performance and reliability tests using
removed by the alumina gel and zeolite layers, which actual equipment. As a result, we confirmed the
extends the catalyst life. performance and reliability through performance tests on
The normal-temperature catalyst was mainly installed in a prototype, and adopted the first expansion turbine for a
nitrogen generation units that need to produce ultra-pure JN type nitrogen generation unit in 1985. As a result of
nitrogen gas. In addition, to produce ultra-pure nitrogen trial operation of this unit, the expansion turbine
gas with an existing nitrogen generation unit, significant efficiency of as high as more than 85% was obtained,
equipment modification was necessary in the case of compared to the planned efficiency of 78%. This
using high-temperature catalysts, whereas only the expansion turbine features hydrostatic gas bearings,
addition of a catalyst to the adsorption column was compact size with high-speed rotation, and a structure
required in the case of using normal-temperature catalysts. that is easy to disassemble and reassemble 7) .
However, since the manufacturing cost of a normal- The expansion turbine was subsequently adopted in
temperature catalyst varies with the market price of the nitrogen generation units installed in TGCs around the
precious metal carried, it is necessary to continue the country, contributing greatly to the widening of the TGC
development of catalysts to maintain their high project, and is still used in nitrogen generation units. The
performance and keep their low price. type of expansion turbine is the NET-A when the process
fluid is nitrogen gas or waste nitrogen gas and the
expansion turbine is a hydrostatic gas bearing expansion
TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

turbine. The NET-A2 and NET-A3 types are used in nitrogen generation units. However, we intend to expand
ordinary nitrogen generation units, depending on the our lineup of expansion turbines by developing a
process flow rate. medium-sized expansion turbine that can also be applied
Hydrostatic gas bearing expansion turbines use process to air separation units.
gas as the bearing gas, so there is no risk of contaminating
the process even if bearing gas leaks into the process side,
and they are excellent for high-speed rotation and low- 8. Operation control, remote monitoring, and
temperature environments. However, their disadvantage remote operation
is that the amount of nitrogen gas that can be delivered is
reduced because about 30 Nm3 /h of product nitrogen gas The operation control of nitrogen generation units is
is used as the bearing gas. constructed as a total system including startup, shutdown,
So, we have developed a magnetic bearing expansion steady-state operation, and a fail-safe function in case of
turbine that uses magnetic bearings to eliminate the use abnormality. The unit operation is full-automatically
of bearing gas. This expansion turbine uses magnetic controlled. The unit is started by a startup command in
bearings instead of gas bearings, eliminating the need for both cases of startup from normal temperature and startup
bearing gas. The magnetic force generated by the electric from a low-temperature state after a pause, and all
current supplied to the magnetic bearings levitates the processes are automatically operated, including starting
bearings, and the levitation position is maintained and boosting of the air compressor, cooling and purity
constant by controlling the electric current. In addition, control of the unit, measurement of product purity, and
this expansion turbine has excellent stability at high transition to steady-state operation. The steady-state
rotation speeds, and the operating condition of the operation is automatically controlled to obtain high
expansion turbine can be observed by monitoring the efficiency by constantly making corrections against
current in the magnetic bearings. The type of magnetic disturbance factors such as fluctuations in product gas
31) .
bearing expansion turbine is NET-M usage and changes in atmospheric conditions 9) .
As mentioned above, JNR type nitrogen generation units In 2001, we developed EzMPICS, an operation control
achieve low specific power consumption by employing a system that uses a general-purpose PC and is equipped
waste gas circulation cycle in which waste gas is with a power-saving and low-cost controller, and adopted
circulated using the expansion turbine braking it for a nitrogen generation unit. The standard system
compressor. To realize this process, a turbine-driven low- configuration of EzMPICS consists of a control controller,
temperature compressor, which is an improvement of the a PC for building control programs, and a PC for
NET-A gas bearing expansion turbine, was developed 37) . operation, each of which is connected via Ethernet. The
This process using the low-temperature compressor PC for operation is used to display data in the control
utilizes the expansion turbine as the compressor drive controller and to operate the system, and can be
source, rather than simply as a cold source. This was monitored and operated remotely using digital lines 32) .
made possible by taking advantage of the NET-A turbine's In 2002, we established JN General Monitoring Center
characteristics: it uses gas bearings, which have low on the premises of the Chiba Sanso Center to centrally
bearing losses, and is suitable for low-temperature manage JN type nitrogen generation units equipped with
compressors because the bearing section is supported by EzMPICS, which had been individually operated and
43) .
a gas film on the rotating shaft, even at low temperatures. managed in various locations throughout Japan
By adopting this low-temperature compression-braking Furthermore, we installed a web server to enable
expansion turbine in JNR type nitrogen generation units, monitoring of JN units on our intranet, which allows for
we achieved about 25% reduction in specific power display alarms and trend data analysis.
consumption compared to a conventional system. The On the other hand, in addition to automatic operation
type of this low-temperature compression-braking control such as automatic startup and shutdown, air
expansion turbine is NET-C. The expansion turbines separation units must be able to follow load changes over
developed so far were small expansion turbines for a wide operating range and at high speed while
 TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

maintaining high yields. To study such operation control useful for operations such as turn-down operation of
methods, dynamic simulation technology is indispensable. product and adjusting the purity 23,57) .
We developed a dynamic simulation system for air We are also working to improve operations using
separation units, compared the simulation results with machine learning (ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT),
plant data to confirm the reliability of the simulator, and which have shown remarkable development in recent
used it to study the operability and controllability in years. In plants that operate multiple air separation units,
planning a unit. The rectifying column using structured it is desirable to combine their gas generation amounts to
packing materials in place of the conventional sieve tray minimize power consumption according to the customer's
rectifying plates has a faster response speed and a larger usage. However, since the characteristics of power
response range than the sieve tray rectifying column, so consumption differ among the units, optimization based
the control method employed in the sieve tray rectifying solely on operator experience has limitations. Therefore,
column cannot be applied as is. In addition, the some production plants utilize a method of minimizing
conventional air separation unit had attained a 100-70% the power consumption of multiple air separation units by
turn-down operation with a changing rate of 3%/min, but using a power estimation model constructed based on the
a further higher changing rate could not be realized. We operational data to optimize the combination of their
therefore used dynamic simulation to investigate the product gas volumes 59) .
dynamic characteristics of units employing structured The liquefaction equipment at production plants uses a
packing column, fixed the control model and disturbance liquefaction cycle that compresses a large amount of
model, designed a pre-compensator, and applied it to the nitrogen gas using Recycle Nitrogen Compressor, which
actual plant, resulting in that a changing rate of 5%/min, consumes an extremely large amount of electricity, and
the world's fastest level, was achieved. In this way, we the power consumption is closely related to the
have utilized dynamic simulation developed in-house to adjustment of the two turbines, making it very difficult to
meet customer requirements and contribute not only to balance the two turbines. To address this issue, we have
improvement of operational performance but also to developed a technology to optimize the turbine
shortening of commissioning periods by adjusting the adjustment by applying ML to the turbine adjustment, and
control parameters in advance 12, 15, 24, 29, 35) . have achieved success at eight production plants in Japan.
To operate air separation units safely and efficiently, a
lot of knowledge and experience is required. We
developed an ASP (Air Separation Plant) simulator for 9. Future prospect
training purposes and are utilizing it. This ASP simulator
was developed as a derivative technology of the design As mentioned above, we have developed technologies to
process simulator used in our plant manufacturing meet various market needs for air separation units. In our
department in the 1990s. This simulator has functions that history of the development of air separation units, which
can be used for basic training for beginner operators and we have looked back on in this way, we have continued
abnormality responding training for intermediate and to develop processes for increasing the size and efficiency
advanced operators. The simulator is also used by of equipment, develop pre-treatment equipment in
operators at about 30 plants nationwide through the response to environmental problems and safety measures,
adoption of a remote control system. The simulator has develop nitrogen generation units for larger nitrogen
dynamic simulation models that reproduce our three equipment and higher purity, and automate and labor-save
standard ASP models, enabling training tailored to the to improve operability, and have completed and realized
scale and equipment of each production plant. Each various new equipment and technologies.
model consists of a process section and a control loop In recent years, energy saving of equipment in air
section with the same calculation accuracy as the models separation units that consumes a large amount of energy
used for process design, and is useful for understanding has become an important issue from the viewpoint of
the distillation process by displaying the composition carbon neutrality.
distribution in the rectifying column, as well as being The specific power consumption of air separation units
TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

was 0.45 kWh/Nm 3 in the 1970s, and improved by about monitoring and operation, using digital technology for
20% to 0.35 kWh/Nm 3 in the 2000s with improved realizing unmanned operation.
oxygen product yields due to more accurate distillation In addition, in order to suppress the increase in
calculations, lowered pressure losses due to the use of equipment costs and construction costs due to the recent
packed columns, reduced lower column pressure due to rise in material prices, we aim to reduce the overall cost
lowered temperature differences in the main condenser, of a unit and shorten the overall delivery time to
and improved performance of the main air compressor. completion by further developing standard equipment and
However, there has been no improvement in specific unitizing and modularizing components.
power consumption in the most recent 20 years. In the future, it will be necessary to maintain and expand
Similarly, the specific power consumption of nitrogen these technological developments to achieve higher
generation units was 0.30 kWh/Nm 3 in the 1990s, and performance, lower power consumption, and lower price
improved by about 30% to 0.195 kWh/Nm 3 in the 2000s by further improving the efficiency of air separation units,
with the aforementioned improvements in air separation and to develop competitive equipment in the market that
units as well as adoption of dual column nitrogen matches customer requirements.
generation units through the development of a high-
efficiency process. However, there has been no
improvement after that and has reached a plateau. 10. Conclusion
Against this background, for air separation units, as
described in Technical Report No. 39, we will confirm the This paper presented our history of the development of
effectiveness of a unit that can further improve the air separation units. For the recent carbon neutral and
specific power consumption by 10% through SDGs initiatives, improving the efficiency of air
development of more efficient processes by improving separation units, which consume a large amount of
and enhancing the basic processes, and aim to expand electricity, plays an important role in contributing to
their scope of application to realize air separation units energy conservation. We believe that the development of
that employ these new processes 63) . highly efficient industrial gas production processes,
For nitrogen generation units, we aim to develop and remote monitoring using digital technology, efficiency
commercialize ultra-pure oxygen co-production nitrogen improvement through remote operation, and optimization
generation units that allow for further increase in size and of operations through the introduction of advanced
higher purification in order to meet the diversifying control technology will contribute to carbon neutrality
demands of the semiconductor market. and productivity improvement. In the future, by utilizing
For large air separation units, larger sizes are expected our sustainable technology, development capabilities, and
in overseas markets, but further size increases are not experience, we intend to contribute to the development of
expected in the domestic market, considering the all industries and solutions to social issues by developing
consequent increase in back-up facilities. However, since air separation units that meet diversifying market needs.
the number of cases in which rare gas purification
equipment is added to large air separation units is
expected to increase in the future, we would like to
further improve the efficiency of rare gas purification
equipment and lower its cost.
Regarding operation control equipment, unmanned
operation of units by remote monitoring and remote
operation has been already in place in Europe and United
States. In Japan, unmanned operation has not yet been
realized due to legal restrictions; however, in preparation
for future deregulation, we would like to develop
equipment and technology that enable safe remote
 TAIYO NIPPON SANSO Technical Report No.41（2022）

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