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US 11,717,786 B2Granted
Extremely large pressure swing adsorption processes for flue gas treatment
AssigneeUniversity of South Carolina
InventorsJames A. Ritter, Armin D. Ebner, Charles E. Holland
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The current disclosure provides systems and methods for multiple beds undergoing a feed step at the same time with the same feed flow rate and multiple beds undergoing a light reflux step at the same time with the same light reflux flow rate to process a gas stream in a multi-bed, multi-unit vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) process using reasonably sized beds.
Claims11
A system for reducing excessive pressure drop in a pressure swing adsorption process comprising:
- a number of beds expressed as nF+nLR−3 wherein at least one bed is a feed bed, nF, and at least one bed is a light reflux bed, nLR;
- a unit block cycle duration tUB expressed as tUB=t1+t2+t3, with the cycle duration tC expressed as tC=tUB(nF+nLR+3),
- wherein at least two feed beds undergo a feed step (F) at a same time with a same feed flow rate and at least two light reflux beds undergo a light reflux (LR) step at a same time with a same light reflux flow rate, wherein the feed step and light reflux step durations are substantially equal;
- wherein the system undergoes at least one equalization step;
- at least one cocurrent heavy reflux (HR) step receiving material from the light reflux step;
- at least one cocurrent equalization down (EqD) step;
- at least one countercurrent depressurization (CnD) step;
- at least one countercurrent LR step receiving a fraction of light product produced during the F step;
- at least one countercurrent equalization up (EqU) step that receives all gas leaving the EqD step;
- and
- at least one light product pressurization (LPP) step that receives light product produced during the F step;
- at least one idle (I) step followed by at least one partial equalization up (PEqU) step;
- and
- at least one partial equalization down (PEqD) step followed by at least one CnD step.
11 more elements
A method for reducing excessive pressure drop in a pressure swing adsorption process comprising:
- operating in parallel a number of beds expressed as nF+nLR+3 wherein at least one bed is a feed bed, nF, and at least one bed is a light reflux bed, nLR;
- arranging multiple feed beds to undergo a feed step (F) at a same time with a same feed flow rate;
- arranging multiple light reflux beds to undergo a light reflux (LR) step at a same time with a same light reflux flow rate;
- equalizing substantially duration of the feed step and light reflux step;
- undergoing at least one equalization step during the method;
- arranging at least one cocurrent heavy reflux (HR) step to receive material from the light reflux step;
- providing at least one cocurrent equalization down (EqD) step;
- providing at least one countercurrent depressurization (CnD) step;
- providing at least one countercurrent LR step receiving a fraction of light product produced during the F step;
- providing at least one countercurrent equalization up (EqU) step that receives all gas leaving the EqD step;
- providing at least one light product pressurization (LPP) step that receives light product produced during the F step;
- providing at least one idle (I) step followed by at least one partial equalization up (PEqU) step;
- and
- providing at least one partial equalization down (PEqD) step followed by at least one CnD step.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.