Extraction and concentration of a gas component
OwnerBowie G. Keeferinventor
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Abstract
Pressure swing adsorption separation of a gas mixture, containing a first component and also a second component which may be at low or trace concentrations, is performed to extract the second component from the gas mixture so that a first product stream containing the first component may be substantially purified with respect to the second component, while the second component is concentrated to a high degree in a second product stream. Gas mixtures containing three components may also be separated. The apparatus of the invention performs the separation within a single working space.
Claims44
A process for separating and concentrating first and second components of a feed gas mixture, the feed gas mixture having a feed concentration ratio between the first and second components, and one of the first and second components being more readily adsorbed under increase of pressure relative to the other component which is less readily adsorbed under increase of pressure over an adsorbent, such that a gas mixture of the first and second components contacting the adsorbent is relatively enriched in the first component at a first pressure and relatively enriched in the second component at a second pressure when the pressure is cycled between the first and second pressures at a cyclic frequency;
- providing for the process a flow path through a number "N" of at least two interconnected adsorbent beds in a working space within which the gas mixture has a working pressure, the flow path having first and second ends and at least one intermediate node including a first intermediate node, where each intermediate node is in the flow path between adjacent adsorbent bed segments, so that the flow path passes through a first adsorbent bed of the absorbent material in the flow path between the first end of the flow path and the first intermediate node, and through a second adsorbent bed in the flow path between the second end of the flow path and an intermediate node, which is the first intermediate node in the case that N=2;
- communicating within the working space a first space communicating with the first end of the flow path, a second space communicating with the second end of the flow path, and an intermediate space communicating with an intermediate node of the flow path;
- performing volume changes with an amplitude and phase at the cyclic frequency in each of the first space, second space, and intermediate space;
- and establishing a phase difference between the volume changes of the first and second space;
- and the process including the cyclically repeated steps at the cyclic frequency and in some sequence of:
- (a) introducing the feed gas mixture to adjacent the first intermediate node of the flow path,
- (b) changing the volume of the first space, the second space and the intermediate space, and establishing an amplitude and phase of the volume changes at the cyclic frequency in each of the first space, second space and intermediate space, so as to change the volume of the working space in order to change the working pressure between the first pressure and the second pressure,
- (c) while the working pressure is substantially at the first pressure, so that the gas mixture contacting the adsorbent beds is relatively enriched in the first component, expanding the first space while contracting the second space;
- so as to generate flow in the flow path directed from the second space to the first space, to accumulate within the first space some gas enriched in the first component which has flowed into the first space from the first adsorbent bed, and also to purge the second adsorbent bed with gas which was in the second space,
- (d) changing the volume of the working space in order to change the working pressure from substantially the first pressure to substantially the second pressure,
- (e) while the working pressure is substantially at the second pressure, so that the gas mixture contracting the adsorbent beds is relatively enriched in the second component, expanding the second space while contracting the first space;
- so as to generate flow in the flow path directed from the first space to the second space, to communicate within the second space some gas enriched in the second component which has flowed into the second space from the second adsorbent bed, and also to purge the first adsorbent bed with gas which was in the first space,
- (f) changing the volume of the working space in order to change the working pressure from substantially the second pressure to substantially the first pressure,
- (g) withdrawing from adjacent the first end of the flow path a first product gas enriched in the first component,
- (h) withdrawing from adjacent the second end of the flow path a second product gas enriched in the second component,
- (i) controlling the withdrawal of the first and second product gases, so as to achieve high concentration and recovery of both the first component in the first product and the second component in the second product.
Apparatus for separating and concentrating first and second components of a feed gas mixture, the feed gas mixture having a feed concentration ratio between the first and second components, and one of the first and second components being more readily adsorbed under increase of pressure relative to the other component which is less readily adsorbed under increase of pressure over an adsorbent material, such that a gas mixture of the first and second components contacting the adsorbent is relatively enriched in the first component at a first pressure and relatively enriched in the second component at a second pressure when the pressure is cycled between the first and second pressures at a cyclic frequency;
- and the apparatus including:
- (a) a working space including a flow path passing through at least two adsorbent beds of the adsorbent material, the flow path having first and second ends, and the flow path having an intermediate node between each adjacent pair of adsorbent beds, so that the flow path has at least one intermediate node,
- (b) a first adsorbent bed of the adsorbent material in the flow path, and between the first end and an intermediate node of the flow path,
- (c) a second adsorbent bed in the flow path, and between an intermediate node and the second end of the flow path,
- (d) feed supply means for introducing the feed gas mixture to adjacent an intermediate node of the flow path,
- (e) first product delivery means for withdrawing a first product enriched in the first component from adjacent the first end of the flow path,
- (f) second product delivery means for withdrawing a second product enriched in the second component from adjacent the second end of the flow path,
- (g) first cyclic volume displacement means to change the volume of a first space within the working space and communicating with the first end of the flow path,
- (h) second cyclic volume displacement means to change the volume of a second space within the working space and communicating with the second end of the flow path,
- (i) an intermediate cyclic volume displacement means to change the volume of an intermediate space within the working space and communicating with an intermediate node of the flow path,
- (j) drive means to operate the first, second and intermediate volume displacement means at the cyclic frequency, so as to change the working pressure between the first and second pressures,
- (k) means to coordinate the relative phase of the volume displacement means, to provide a phase difference between the first and second volume displacement means so as to generate flow in the flow path directed from the second space to the first space while the working pressure is substantially at the first pressure, and also to generate flow in the flow path directed from the first space to the second space while the working pressure is substantially at the second pressure,
- (l) means for expanding the first space and contracting the second space while the working pressure is substantially at the first pressure, so as to accumulate within the first space some gas enriched in the first component which has flowed into the first space from the first adsorbent bed, and also to purge the second adsorbent bed with gas which was in the second space,
- (m) means for expanding the second space and contracting the first space while the working pressure is substantially at the second pressure, so as to accumulate within the second space some gas enriched in the second component which has flowed into the second space from the second adsorbent bed, and also to purge the first adsorbent bed with gas which was in the first space,
- (n) means for controlling the withdrawal of the first and second product gases, so as to achieve high concentration and recovery of both the first component in the first product and the second component in the second product.
Apparatus for separating the components of a fluid mixture, one of the first and second components being more readily adsorbed under increase of pressure relative to the other component which is less readily adsorbed under increase of pressure over an adsorbent material under the operating conditions of the apparatus;
- the apparatus including an adsorbent bed of the adsorbent material with a flow path through the adsorbent bed within a working space, feed supply means to introduce the gas mixture to the flow path, means to generate cyclic reversing flow in the flow path at a cyclic frequency, and hydraulic volume displacement means to cyclically change the volume of the working space at the cyclic frequency so as to generate cyclic pressure variations of the gas in the flow path, with the displacer piston and the hydraulic volume displacement means operated in relative phase so that the pressure is relatively increased when the gas is flowing in a first direction in the flow path and relatively decreased when the gas is flowing in the reverse direction in the flow path;
- the apparatus being further characterized in that:
- (a) the hydraulic volume displacement means includes means to cyclically vary the volume of a displacement liquid in a volume displacement chamber, as means to transfer volume displacements and pressure changes between the displacement liquid and the gas in the working space, and to provide the volume changes of the working volume,
- (b) the apparatus has means to balance internal energy storage to be approximately constant, so as to minimize peak power requirements.
Apparatus for separating the components of a fluid mixture, one of the first and second components being more readily adsorbed under increase of pressure relative to the other component which is less readily adsorbed under the operating conditions of the apparatus;
- the apparatus including an adsorbent bed of the adsorbent material with a flow path through the adsorbent bed, feed supply means to introduce the gas mixture to the flow path, means to generate a cyclic flow in the flow path with the flow reversing at a cyclic frequency, and means to generate cyclic pressure variations of the gas in the flow path and at the cyclic frequency with phase coordinated so that the pressure is relatively increased when the gas is flowing in a first direction in the flow path and relatively decreased when the gas is flowing in the reverse direction in the flow path;
- the apparatus being further characterized in that:
- (a) the adsorbent bed comprises multiple layers of sheet material, said sheet material including the adsorbent material and a reinforcement material, with a half sheet adsorbent thickness defined as the effective thickness of the adsorbent material on each side of the sheet material,
- (b) substantially the entire flow path through the absorbent bed is provided by channels between adjacent layers of the sheet material, said channels having a gap width between the adjacent layers of sheet materials, and spacer means to establish the gap width,
- (c) the gap width and length of all the channels is established to be substantially identical, so as to maintain substantially uniform flow distribution transverse to the flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.