Purification of gases using solid adsorbents
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsMohammad Ali Kalbassi, Timothy Christopher Golden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In the purification of air to remove water and carbon dioxide and other contaminants prior to cryogenic separation of oxygen and nitrogen, water and carbon dioxide are adsorbed on a solid adsorbent and are periodically desorbed to regenerate the adsorbent by the passing of a heated regenerating gas such that the quantity of heat added to the regenerating gas to produce desorption is no more than 90 percent of the heat of adsorption liberated during the adsorption of the water and carbon dioxide. The process is applicable to removing other contaminants from other gas streams also.
Claims13
A method for removing a component from a gas stream comprising the steps of:
- a) passing the gas stream in a first direction in contact with an adsorbent to adsorb the component from the gas stream on the adsorbent with liberation of heat of adsorption,
- b) ceasing passing said gas stream in contact with said adsorbent,
- c) heating a regenerating gas to add heat thereto and to raise the temperature of the regenerating gas to a temperature above that of said gas stream,
- d) passing said regenerating gas in a second direction opposite to said first direction to desorb said gas stream component from said adsorbent for a period such that the heat added to the regenerating gas so passed in contact with the adsorbent is no more than 90% of the heat of adsorption liberated during the adsorption of said gas component,
- e) ceasing to heat said regenerating gas and continuing to pass said regenerating gas in an unheated state to continue to desorb said gas stream component from said adsorbent, and
- f) repeating steps(a) to (e).
A method of separating oxygen and nitrogen in air comprising treating a stream of air containing water and carbon dioxide to remove the water and carbon dioxide therefrom and separating oxygen and nitrogen from the air in a cryogenic separation unit, wherein removal of carbon dioxide and water is carried out by a method comprising the steps of:
- a) passing the air in a first direction in contact with an adsorbent to adsorb the water and carbon dioxide from the air on the adsorbent with liberation of heat of adsorption,
- b) ceasing passing said air in contact with said adsorbent,
- c) heating a dry, nitrogen rich regenerating gas to add heat thereto and to raise the temperature of the regenerating gas to a temperature above that of said air,
- d) passing said regenerating gas in a second direction opposite to said first direction to desorb said water and carbon dioxide from said adsorbent for a period such that the heat added to the regenerating gas so passed in contact with the adsorbent is no more than 90% of the heat of adsorption liberated during the adsorption of said water and carbon dioxide,
- e) ceasing to heat said regenerating gas and continuing to pass said regenerating gas in an unheated state to continue to desorb said water and carbon dioxide from said adsorbent, and
- f) repeating steps(a) to (e).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.