Pressure swing adsorption process with controlled internal depressurization flow
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsSang Kook Lee, Justin David Bukowski
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Abstract
A gas transfer segment of a pressure swing adsorption process cycle utilizing multiple parallel adsorbent beds, each bed having a feed end and a product end, wherein the gas transfer segment comprises transferring gas from a bed at a higher pressure to another bed at a lower pressure followed by withdrawing a waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the bed while transferring gas from the bed at a higher pressure to another bed a lower pressure.
Claims21
A gas transfer segment of a pressure swing adsorption process cycle utilizing multiple parallel adsorbent beds, each bed having a feed end and a product end, wherein the gas transfer segment comprises transferring gas from a bed at a higher pressure to another bed at a lower pressure followed by withdrawing a waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the bed while transferring gas from the bed at a higher pressure to another bed a lower pressure.
A pressure swing adsorption process for recovering a less readily adsorbable component from a feed gas mixture comprising at least one less readily adsorbable component and at least one more readily adsorbable component, which process comprises performing cyclic process steps in a plurality of adsorbent beds, each bed having a feed end and a product end and containing adsorbent material which selectively adsorbs the more readily adsorbable component, each bed proceeding in turn through cyclic process segments which include an adsorption-make product segment, a first gas transfer segment in which gas flows from a bed initially at a higher pressure into one or more other beds initially at a lower pressure or lower pressures, a regeneration segment, a second gas transfer segment in which gas flows into a bed initially at a lower pressure from one or more other beds initially at a higher pressure or higher pressures, and a final repressurization segment, wherein the gas transfer segments include (1) transferring gas from the product end of the bed to the product end of another bed followed by (2) withdrawing waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the bed while continuing to transfer gas from the product end of the bed to the product end of another bed.
A pressure swing adsorption process for recovering a less readily adsorbable component from a pressurized feed gas comprising at least one less readily adsorbable component and at least one more readily adsorbable component, which process comprises performing cyclic process steps in two parallel adsorbers, each adsorber having a feed end and a product end and containing adsorbent material which selectively adsorbs the more readily adsorbable component, which cyclic process steps include:
- (a) providing a pressurized feed gas at superatmospheric pressure and introducing the pressurized feed gas into the feed end of a first adsorber, selectively adsorbing a portion of the more readily adsorbable component on the adsorptive material, and withdrawing from the product end of the first adsorber a product gas enriched in the less readily adsorbable component;
- (b) depressurizing the first adsorber by (1) transferring gas from an outlet at the product end of the first adsorber into the product end of the second adsorber and (2) withdrawing gas through an additional outlet disposed at a distance from the product end of the first adsorber and transferring this gas into the feed end of the second adsorber;
- (c) continuing to transfer gas from the outlet at the product end of the first adsorber into the product end of the second adsorber and from the additional outlet of the first adsorber into the feed end of the second adsorber while simultaneously withdrawing waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the first adsorber;
- (d) terminating all transfer of gas from the first adsorber to the second adsorber while continuing to withdraw waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the first adsorber;
- (e) introducing product gas into the product end of the first adsorber while continuing to withdraw waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the first adsorber;
- (f) pressurizing the first adsorber by (1) transferring gas from an outlet at the product end of the second adsorber to the product end of the first adsorber and (2) withdrawing gas through an additional outlet disposed at a distance from the product end of the second adsorber and transferring this gas into the feed end of the first adsorber, wherein the second adsorber is initially at a higher pressure than the first adsorber;
- (g) further pressurizing the first adsorber by transferring gas from the product end of the second adsorber to the product end of the first adsorber and from the additional outlet of the second adsorber to the feed end of the first adsorber, and withdrawing waste depressurization gas from the feed end of the second adsorber;
- (h) terminating all transfer of gas from the second adsorber to the first adsorber and further pressurizing the first adsorber by one or more steps selected from the group consisting of introducing product gas into the product end thereof, introducing pressurized feed gas mixture into the feed end thereof, and introducing product gas into the product end thereof while also introducing pressurized feed gas into the feed end thereof;
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- (i) repeating steps (a) through (h) in a cyclic manner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.