Cryogenic air separation as the most important part of an integrated gasification combined cycle is a widely used operation unit for producing large quantities of high-purity oxygen and nitrogen. However, cryogenic distillation requires a large amount of energy due to the work needed to compress the air feed. An improved heat-integrated air separation column (HIASC) is proposed. The requirements of high-purity separation in the industrial cryogenic air separation process are achieved. An optimization model of the heat transfer coefficient (UA), a key parameter in column structure design and operation, is presented. The optimized UA value is obtained within the accepted value range reported in the international open literature, which ensures the practicability of the improved HIASC.