M1 International - Arts et Metiers ParisTech

Thermodynamics
Practical work # 2

CO2 solidification (dry ice, Linde or Claude process)

1. The two most common processes used to cool and liquefy (solidify) gases are the isenthalpic
cooling (Joule-Thomson expansion) and the isentropic cooling.

(a) Plot in the entropic diagram T -s the corresponding pathes and comment.
   
T T
(b) Express the corresponding coefficients , and . Compare the efficiency of
P H P S
both processes.

(c) Evaluate the temperature decrease experienced by the air expanded from 20 atm and
400o R to 1 atm.

PRECOOLING
2

3
COMPRESSOR

1
CO ENTRANCE 8
2

EXCHANGER

7
x 4
EXPANDER
(Butterfly valve)
SEPARATOR
5

6 1x

EXTRACTOR

Fig. 1 Sketch of the CO2 solidification plant.

2. A plant of CO2 solidification, assumed entirely adiabatic, is working as displayed in the figure
1. Derive the energetic budget of the plant, without taking into account of compression and

1
 precooling stages, and by considering one mass unit of CO2 . Express the specific fraction 1x
which is solidified.

3. A four-stages compressor is used in the plant. Carbon dioxide is taken at 80o F (25o C) and
1 atm (14.6 psi), and exits at 600 psi, 80o F.

After every stage, the gas is cooled at 80o F. After the exchanger, the gas is expanded through
a valve at 1 atm. The non solidified gas is recycled after passing again through the exchanger
in the reverse direction ; it exits at 60o F (15o C)

(a) Which fraction of CO2 is transformed in dry ice ?

(b) What is the temperature of CO2 just after the exchanger (point 4), and what is its
physical state ?

(c) What is the use of using a compressor with four successive stages where the gas is cooled
after each compression ?

Attached are the thermodynamic diagrams of air (T -s) and CO2 (log P -h).