2x7 Rotary Valve

A rotary valve assembly for use in an adsorption based separation process, the rotary valve assembly comprising:

• a housing having a feed port for introduction of a feed stream, a product port for withdrawal of a product stream, and a plurality of pairs of bed ports, each pair of bed ports being for connection in fluid flow communication to an adsorbent bed and consisting of a feed end bed port for sending fluid to or receiving fluid from a feed end of the adsorbent bed and a product end bed port for sending fluid to or receiving fluid from a product end of the adsorbent bed;
• and
• a rotor rotatably mounted within the housing, the rotor comprising a component having a first end surface, a side surface and a second end surface and containing a plurality of channels that are separate from each other and comprise at least a feed channel and a product channel, said component being a unitary component or a component formed of two or more parts that are rigidly attached to each other;
• wherein the first and second end surfaces of the rotor form flat sealing surfaces with the housing,
• the feed channel has a first opening in the first end surface that is in fluid flow communication with the feed port,
• the product channel has a first opening in the second end surface that is in fluid flow communication with the product port, and
• the feed channel has a second opening in the first end surface that can, via rotation of the rotor within the housing, be brought into and out of alignment and hence fluid flow communication with each feed end bed port, and the product channel has a second opening in the second end surface that can, via rotation of the rotor within the housing, be brought into and out of alignment and hence fluid flow communication with each product end bed port, such that via rotation of the rotor within the housing the second openings of the feed and product channels can be brought into and out of fluid flow communication with each pair of bed ports.