# US 11,439,946 B2 · Mixed bead layering arrangement for thermal swing adsorption application > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,439,946 B2 - Document ID: US11439946B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/037,906 - Filed: 2020-09-30 - Published: 2022-03-31 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-30 - Assignees: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. - Applicants: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. - Inventors: Nasim Ul Hassan Malik; King Wai Hung; Gowri Krishnamurthy; William T. Kleinberg; Garrett C. Lau; Edward Landis Weist, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439946B2 ## CPC - B01D 53/0462: {Temperature swing adsorption} - B01D 53/0438: {Cooling or heating systems} - B01D 53/047: Pressure swing adsorption - B01D 53/261: {by adsorption} - B01D 2253/1085: characterized by a silicon-aluminium ratio - B01D 2253/116: Molecular sieves other than zeolites - B01D 2253/206: Ion exchange resins - B01D 2253/304: Linear dimensions, e.g. particle shape, diameter - B01D 2257/402: Dinitrogen oxide - B01D 2257/404: Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide - B01D 2257/504: Carbon dioxide - B01D 2257/702: Hydrocarbons - B01D 2259/4146: Contiguous multilayered adsorbents - B01D 2259/4148: Multiple layers positioned apart from each other - Y02C 20/10: of nitrous oxide (N2O) - Y02C 20/40: of CO2 - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - Y02C: CAPTURE, STORAGE, SEQUESTRATION OR DISPOSAL OF GREENHOUSE GASES [GHG] ## Abstract An adsorbent vessel for removing contaminants from a feed gas upstream from a cryogenic distillation process using pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, or thermal-pressure swing adsorption. The adsorbent vessel having an adsorbent bed comprised of multiple layers of adsorbent material, including two layers of adsorbent material that selective adsorbs carbon dioxide. Each of the two layers is formed from an adsorbent material having a different capacity for adsorbing carbon dioxide. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for removing at least one contaminant from a gaseous feed stream, the at least one contaminant comprising carbon dioxide, the apparatus comprising: at least one adsorbent vessel comprising an adsorbent bed, an inlet, and an outlet, the adsorbent bed comprising a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers comprising a first layer formed from a first adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing the at least one contaminant at a first temperature and selectively desorbing the at least one contaminant at a second temperature, and a second layer formed from a second adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing the at least one contaminant at the first temperature and selectively desorbing the at least one contaminant at a third temperature; wherein the second and third temperatures are both higher than the first temperature; wherein the arrangement of the plurality of layers from the inlet to the outlet comprises the first layer, then the second layer; wherein the first adsorbent material has a greater adsorption capacity for the at least one contaminant than the second adsorbent material; and wherein the adsorbent bed has an equilibrium zone and a mass transfer zone, wherein the first layer is located within the equilibrium zone and the second layer is located within the mass transfer zone. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one contaminant further comprises nitrous oxide and hydrocarbons. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first adsorbent material has a greater adsorption capacity for carbon dioxide than the second adsorbent material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first adsorbent material has a first average particle size and the second adsorbent material has a second average particle size, the first average particle size being greater than the second average particle size. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first adsorbent material has an Si/Al ratio in the range of 1.0-1.2 and the second adsorbent material has an Si/Al ratio of 1.2-1.5, the Si/Al ratio of the first adsorbent material being lower than the Si/Al ratio of the second adsorbent material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers further comprises a third layer formed from a third adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing moisture at the first temperature and selectively desorbing moisture at a fourth temperature, the fourth temperature being higher than the first temperature, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of layers from the inlet to the outlet comprises the third layer, the first layer, then the second layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first layer has a first layer length, and the second layer has a second layer length, wherein the second layer length is in the range of 10-50% of a sum of the second layer length and the first layer length. ### Claim 8 A system comprising: a feed conduit in fluid flow communication with air, the feed conduit being adapted to supply the air to at least one adsorbent vessel at a feed temperature; at least one adsorbent vessel having an inlet, an adsorbent bed, and an outlet, the inlet being in fluid flow communication with the feed conduit, the adsorbent bed comprising a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers comprising a first layer formed from a first adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing at least one contaminant at a first temperature and selectively desorbing the at least one contaminant at a second temperature, and a second layer formed from a second adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing the at least one contaminant at the first temperature and selectively desorbing the at least one contaminant at a third temperature; a cryogenic distillation subsystem in fluid flow communication with the outlet of the at least one adsorbent vessel; a regeneration conduit in fluid flow communication with the outlet of the at least one adsorbent vessel, the regeneration conduit being adapted to supply a regeneration gas at a regeneration temperature, the regeneration temperature being higher than the feed temperature; wherein the arrangement of the plurality of layers between the inlet and outlet consists of the first layer and the second layer; wherein the second and third temperatures are both higher than the first temperature; wherein the arrangement of the plurality of layers from the inlet to the outlet comprises the first layer, then the second layer; wherein the first adsorbent material has a greater adsorption capacity for at least one contaminant than the second adsorbent material; and wherein the adsorbent bed has an equilibrium zone and a mass transfer zone, wherein the first layer is located within the equilibrium zone and the second layer is located within the mass transfer zone. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one contaminant further comprises nitrous oxide and hydrocarbons. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the first adsorbent material has a greater adsorption capacity for carbon dioxide than the second adsorbent material. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the first adsorbent material has a first average particle size and the second adsorbent material has a second average particle size, the first average particle size being greater than the second average particle size. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the first adsorbent material has an Si/Al ratio in the range of 1.0-1.2 and the second adsorbent material has an Si/Al ratio of 1.2-1.5, the Si/Al ratio of the first adsorbent material being lower than the Si/Al ratio of the second adsorbent material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the first adsorbent material comprises an adsorption capacity of from 1.1 to 1.6 and the second adsorbent material comprises an adsorption capacity of from 1.0 to 1.2. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of layers further comprises a third layer formed from a third adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing moisture at the first temperature and selectively desorbing moisture at a fourth temperature, the fourth temperature being higher than the first temperature, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of layers from the inlet to the outlet comprises the third layer, the first layer, then the second layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the first layer has a first layer length, and the second layer has a second layer length, wherein the second layer length is in the range of 10-50% of a sum of the second layer length and the first layer length. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, further comprising a cooling system operationally configured to cool the air prior to the air entering the at least one adsorbent vessel. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: (a) forming a plurality of layers of adsorbent material in an adsorbent bed of each of at least one adsorbent vessel, the at least one adsorbent vessel having an inlet and an outlet, the plurality of layers of adsorbent material comprising a first layer formed from a first adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing at least one contaminant at a first temperature and selectively desorbing the at least one contaminant at a second temperature, and a second layer formed from a second adsorbent material that is capable of selectively adsorbing the at least one contaminant at the first temperature and selectively desorbing the at least one contaminant at a third temperature, wherein the first layer is located in an equilibrium zone for the adsorbent bed and the second layer is located in a mass transfer zone of the adsorbent bed, wherein the second and third temperatures are both higher than the first temperature, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of layers from the inlet to the outlet comprises the first layer, then the second layer, wherein the first adsorbent material has a greater adsorption capacity for the at least one contaminant than the second adsorbent material, and wherein the at least one contaminant comprises carbon dioxide. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: (b) selectively adsorbing the at least one contaminant from a gaseous feed stream by flowing the gaseous feed stream at a feed temperature through at least one adsorbent vessel, thereby forming a purified stream; and (c) regenerating the adsorbent bed by flowing a regeneration stream through the at least one adsorbent vessel in a direction opposite to that of the gaseous feed stream of step (b) at a regeneration temperature that is greater that the feed temperature, resulting in desorption of the at least one contaminant from the adsorbent bed to the regeneration stream. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: (d) supplying the purified stream to a cryogenic distillation subsystem in fluid flow communication with the outlet of the at least one adsorbent vessel. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the first adsorbent material has a greater adsorption capacity for carbon dioxide than the second adsorbent material.