Low-pressure drop structure of particle adsorbent bed for adsorption gas separation process

A gas separation unit for the separation of a first gas from a gas mixture containing said first gas as well as further gases different from the first gas by using a cyclic adsorption/desorption process using a loose particulate sorbent material for gas adsorption,

• wherein said particulate sorbent material is arranged in at least two stacked layers,
• wherein each layer comprises two sheets of a flexible fabric material which is gas permeable but impermeable to the loose particulate sorbent material, which sheets:
• are either mounted on a stiff frame structure or form the layer in a self-supporting way using spacers or distance elements between them,
• are arranged essentially parallel defining an inlet face of the layer and an outlet face of the layer,
• are arranged with a distance between the sheets in the range of 0.5-2.5 cm, and
• are enclosing a cavity in which the particulate sorbent material is located,
• wherein the unit has a gas inlet side or gas inlet manifold through which a gas inflow of the gas mixture enters the unit and a gas outlet side or gas outlet manifold through which a gas outflow exits the unit, a gas pathway between the gas inflow and the gas outflow being confined in the unit to pass through at least one layer,
• wherein said layers are arranged in the unit such that the gas inflow passes through the inlet face, subsequently through the particulate sorbent material located in the cavity of the respective layer, subsequently to exit the respective layer through the outlet face to form the gas outflow,
• wherein the layers are arranged such that inlet faces of adjacent layers are facing each other enclosing gas inlet channels and such that outlet faces are facing each other enclosing gas outlet channels,
• wherein a mean distance between inlet faces and/or outlet face defining said channels, measured in a direction essentially perpendicular to a main gas inflow direction and a main gas outflow direction, respectively, is in the range of 0.5-5 cm,
• wherein a length of the inlet face and/or of the outlet face in a direction parallel to the main gas inflow direction and the main gas outflow direction, respectively, is at least ten times larger than distance (d) between the sheets in the layer,
• wherein at least one layer is provided with a primary heat exchange structure, wherein tubing is provided in each layer,
• wherein there are provided stackable backbone elements, in or as part of a frame structure,
• wherein means are provided in or at said stackable backbone elements for fluid transfer attachment of ends of the tubes,
• wherein the stackable backbone elements can be connected to each other, directly or via further tubing, involving using O-rings, to transfer a heat transfer fluid to and from the tubes in individual layers,
• wherein the stackable backbone elements are cylindrical elements with a diameter in the range of 1 to 5 cm, and
• wherein the tubing of the primary heat exchange structure as well as any secondary heat exchange structure can be directly included in the frame structures during an injection molding process.