ES Magazine Issue 30 ASU | Page 6

THE CRYOGENIC AIR SEPARATION PROCESS

Atmospheric air can be separated into its primary components , resulting in the production of three main pure gaseous elements – nitrogen ( N 2 ), oxygen ( O 2 ), and argon ( Ar ).
Beyond this , it is possible to further separate the air to
produce noble gases such as neon , krypton , and xenon , but demand for these products is lower than that for the first three .
At an industrial level , the process is carried out at an Air Separation Unit ( ASU ). The most significant method for this , in terms of
production value and volume , is cryogenic distillation . This method is required for the ultrahigh-purity O 2 , N 2 , and Ar gases needed in industrial , medical , and semiconductor production .
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