Method for separating the constituents of a gas mixture by making use of a rapid selective adsorbent
AssigneeSociete Nationale Elf Aquitaine
InventorsPatrick Valentin, Germain Hagenbach, Jean-Louis Duran, Maurice Fromager
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Abstract
In a first step of the method, the gas mixture to be treated is injected into a column swept by a continuous stream of carrier gas and containing a suitable selective solid adsorbent until saturation of this latter by the adsorbed constituent of the gas mixture. In a second step, small quantities of the mixture to be treated and representing a fraction of the quantity injected into the column during the first step are injected periodically so as to collect successively at the column outlet a fraction which is enriched in the non-adsorbed constituent and a fraction which is purified in the adsorbed constituent.
Claims12
A method for the treatment of a gas mixture which permits the separation of at least one of the constituents of the gas mixture, which comprises
- 1. continuously injecting the gas mixture to be treated into a column swept by a continuous stream of carrier gas and containing a selective solid adsorbent of the chromatographic type, which will retain the desired constituent of the gas mixture without retaining the non-desired constituent, until saturation of said selective adsorbent by the desired adsorbed constituent of the gas mixture, and
- 2. discontinuing the continuous injecting of said gas mixture while periodically injecting small quantities of the gas mixture to be treated and representing a fraction of the quantity injected into the column during step (1) so as to collect successively at the outlet of the column a fraction which is enriched in the non-adsorbed constituent and a fraction of the purified adsorbed constituent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.