Apparatus and process for the purification of air

Abstract

A gas purification unit includes a gas purification vessel (12) and at least one of inlet conduit means (18, 20, 34) for connecting a feed gas source (16) to the gas purification vessel and outlet conduit means (36, 22, 24) for connecting the gas purification vessel (12) to at least one downstream gas processing unit. Each of said inlet and outlet conduit means includes at least two subsidiary pipes arranged in parallel and a common pipe (34, 36), each subsidiary pipe being in fluid flow communication with the common pipe and having a flow control valve (18, 20, 22, 24) operating in unison with the flow control valve of the or each other subsidiary pipe. The use of at least two valves in unison increases the reliability of the unit. The use of at least two smaller valves in place of a single large valve also increases the reliability.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.