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

A gas separation unit for the separation of at least a first gas from a gas mixture containing said first gas as well as further gases different from the first gas by a cyclic adsorption/desorption process, the gas separation unit comprising:

• a plurality of particulate active material constructs arranged in at least two stacked layers,
• wherein each layer of the particulate active material construct comprises two sheets of a flexible fabric material which is hydrophobic and gas permeable but impermeable to a loose particulate active material for gas adsorption,
• wherein the sheets are:
• arranged essentially parallel defining an inlet face of the layer and an outlet face of the layer,
• arranged and separated with a distance between the sheets in the range of inclusively between 1-5 mm,
• enclose a cavity in which the loose particulate active material is located, and
• mounted on a stiff rectangular circumferential frame structure,
• wherein said stiff rectangular circumferential frame structure is formed by four metal profiles arranged pairwise mutually parallel,
• wherein said metal profiles have pairs of legs arranged essentially parallel to said inlet face of the layer and said outlet face of the layer, respectively, and allow for fixing said sheets circumferentially to said legs on each respective face,
• wherein a plurality of tubes for a heat exchange fluid is provided within said stiff rectangular circumferential frame structure and within said cavity,
• wherein the plurality of tubes, at least over non-bent portions thereof, are arranged essentially parallel to one first pair of said mutually parallel metal profiles and are in thermal contact with a plurality of sheets of metal,
• wherein the sheets are arranged essentially perpendicular to a main plane of the frame structure and perpendicular to said tubes and extend in a continuous manner between said first pair of mutually parallel metal profiles and are provided with a plurality of holes through which the plurality of tubes penetrate,
• wherein the unit has a desorbing media inlet side or desorbing media inlet manifold through which the desorbing media enters the unit and a desorbing media outlet side or desorbing media outlet manifold through which the desorbing media exits the unit, a desorbing media pathway between the inflow and the outflow being confined in the unit to pass through at least one layer,
• wherein said layers are arranged in the unit such that a gas inflow into the unit passes through the inlet face, subsequently through the loose particulate active material located in the cavity of the respective layer, and subsequently to exit the respective layer through the outlet face to form a gas outflow leaving the unit,
• wherein the layers are arranged such that inlet faces of adjacent layers are facing each other and enclose gas inlet channels, and such that outlet faces are facing each other and enclose gas outlet channels,
• wherein a mean distance between inlet faces and/or outlet faces 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 inclusively between 0.1-15 cm,
• wherein a total frame depth is in a range of inclusively between 0.5-1.8 m and the frame's width is in a range of inclusively between 0.5-1.9 m, and
• wherein the layers are arranged vertically so that between the layers there are vertical slots.

A gas separation unit for the separation of at least a first gas from a mixture containing said first gas as well as further gases different from the first gas by a cyclic adsorption/desorption process, the gas separation unit comprising:

• a plurality of particulate active material constructs arranged in at least two stacked layers,
• wherein each layer of the particulate active material construct comprises two sheets of a flexible fabric material which is hydrophobic and gas permeable but impermeable to a loose particulate active material for gas adsorption,
• wherein the sheets are:
• arranged essentially parallel defining an inlet face of the layer and an outlet face of the layer,
• arranged and separated with a distance between the sheets in the range of inclusively between 1-5 mm,
• enclosing a cavity in which the loose particulate active material is located, and
• mounted on a stiff rectangular circumferential frame structure,
• wherein a plurality of tubes for a heat exchange fluid is provided within said frame structure and within said cavity,
• wherein the plurality of tubes, at least over non-bent portions thereof, are arranged essentially parallel to each other via a plurality of connection members,
• wherein the frame structure is provided with a plurality of holes through which the plurality of tubes penetrate,
• wherein the unit has a desorbing media inlet side or desorbing media inlet manifold through which the desorbing media enters the unit and a desorbing media outlet side or desorbing media outlet manifold through which the desorbing media exits the unit, a desorbing media pathway between the inflow and the outflow being confined in the unit to pass through at least one layer,
• wherein said layers are arranged in the unit such that a gas inflow into the unit passes through the inlet face, subsequently through the loose particulate active material located in the cavity of the respective layer, and subsequently to exit the respective layer through the outlet face to form a gas outflow leaving the unit,
• wherein the layers are arranged such that inlet faces of adjacent layers are facing each other and enclose gas inlet channels, and such that outlet faces are facing each other and enclose gas outlet channels,
• wherein a mean distance between inlet faces and/or outlet faces 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 inclusively between 0.1-15 cm,
• wherein the total frame depth is in the range of inclusively between 0.5-1.8 m and the frame width is in the range of inclusively between 0.5-1.9 m, and
• wherein the layers of the stack of at least two layers are slidably and removably held in place in a housing.