This publication addresses the operation of the reboilers of air separation plants. It contains a summary of current knowledge and industrial practices used in their safe application. It specifically applies to the main reboiler and oxygen product reboilers in which the oxygen concentration is above 75% in the liquid phase. Its guiding principles may be used for other reboilers within air separation plants, including auxiliary vaporizers, guard adsorber vaporizers, argon condensers, and the main reboilers in nitrogen generators.

Reboilers feeding krypton/xenon columns and the krypton/xenon distillation system are excluded from the scope of this publication. These systems and their methods of dealing with hydrocarbon accumulation vary widely. Reboiler operation and safety for plants with these units should be discussed with the supplier on a plant-specific basis.