Method for using an air-sparged hydrocyclone for cryogenic gas vapor separation

A method for separating a vapor from a carrier gas, the method comprising:

• providing an air-sparged hydrocyclone comprising:
• a vessel having a generally cylindrical shape with a generally circular cross-section;
• a tangential feed inlet for a cryogenic liquid, attached to a cylindrical wall of the vessel on an upper end of the vessel such that injected fluids form a tangential flow and a cyclone vortex;
• a vortex finder outlet on a top of the vessel, perpendicular to the tangential feed inlet;
• a lower section of the vessel that tapers conically down in size to an apex nozzle outlet;
• at least a portion of a wall of the air-sparged hydrocyclone comprising a porous sparger covered by an outer gas plenum which encloses the porous sparger, the outer gas plenum containing at least one inlet for the carrier gas;
• and,
• sizing the vessel, the tangential feed inlet, the vortex finder, the lower section, and the apex nozzle outlet to cause a gas/liquid separation;
• providing the cryogenic liquid to the tangential feed inlet at a velocity that induces the tangential flow and the cyclone vortex in the air-sparged hydrocyclone;
• injecting the carrier gas into the air-sparged hydrocyclone through the porous sparger;
• wherein the vapor dissolves, condenses, desublimates, or a combination thereof, forming a vapor-depleted carrier gas and a vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid;
• the vapor-depleted gas is drawn through the vortex finder while the vapor-enriched cryogenic liquid is drawn through the apex nozzle outlet;
• whereby the vapor is removed from the carrier gas.