OnOctober 20, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China issuedDocument No. 23 of 2022, approving 1,036 new industry standards, includingHelium Purifiersand others. Among them, the mechanical industry standards includefour energy efficiency limit standards for air separation equipment, namely:

1. Energy Efficiency Limits for Air Separation Equipment–Part 1: External Compression Process Equipment
2. Energy Efficiency Limits for Air Separation Equipment–Part 2: Internal Compression Process Equipment
3. Energy Efficiency Limits for Air Separation Equipment–Part 3: Liquefaction Equipment
4. Energy Efficiency Limits for Air Separation Equipment–Part 4: Liquid Equipment

The aforementioned four industry standards have been officially promulgated and are scheduled to take effect onApril 1, 2023.

Part 1: External Compression Process Equipment (JB/T 14159.1-2022)
This standard specifies the energy consumption calculation methods and comprehensive unit energy efficiency limits for medium-to-large external compression ASUs producing oxygen with purity ≥99.6%, nitrogen with oxygen content≤10⁻⁵ (volume fraction), and argon with oxygen content ≤1.5×10⁻⁶ and nitrogen content ≤4×10⁻⁶ (volume fraction). It applies to cryogenic air separation equipment using external compression processes, including self-pressurized oxygen compression with outlet oxygen pressure of 40–55 kPa.

This standard applies to external compression air separation units that utilize cryogenic air separation methods to produce oxygen and nitrogen-based air separation products.

Part 2: Internal Compression Process Equipment (JB/T 14159.2-2022)
This standard specifies energy consumption calculation methods and unit product energy efficiency limits for internal compression ASUs producing oxygen with purity ≥99.6%, nitrogen with oxygen content≤10⁻⁵, and argon with oxygen ≤1.5×10⁻⁶ and nitrogen ≤4×10⁻⁶.

 It applies to cryogenic ASUs with oxygen (gas + liquid) production ≥10,000 m³/h, where oxygen is pressurized using a liquid oxygen pump and reheated to gaseous form, and processes employ air or nitrogen booster flows.

Part 3: Liquefaction Equipment (JB/T 14159.3-2022)
This standard specifies the calculation methods for oxygen/nitrogen liquefaction energy consumption and the energy efficiency classification of liquefaction units, where the feed oxygen purity is ≥99.6% and feed nitrogen oxygen content≤10⁻⁵.

 It applies to liquefaction equipment producing liquid nitrogen or liquid oxygen using nitrogen as the circulating refrigerant, equipped with at least one cryogenic turbine expander. Applicable product streams include:

• 5–10 kPa low-pressure gaseous nitrogen and 0.8–2.5 MPa medium-pressure nitrogen for liquid nitrogen production.
• 10–45 kPa low-pressure oxygen and 0.8–2.5 MPa medium-pressure oxygen for liquid oxygen production.
  Other types of liquefaction equipment may refer to this standard.

Part 4: Liquid Equipment (JB/T 14159.4-2022)
This standard specifies energy consumption calculation methods and unit energy efficiency limits for liquid ASU products, with oxygen purity ≥99.6%, nitrogen with oxygen content≤10⁻⁵, and argon with oxygen ≤1.5×10⁻⁶ and nitrogen ≤4×10⁻⁶.

It applies to liquid ASUs with equivalent liquid product output ≥1,000 m³/h, where liquid products account for≥50% of total output, produced using cryogenic methods.