Apparatus for use in pressure and temperature swing adsorption processes

A process for continuous sorption cooling using at least two spirally wound modules each of the spirally wound adsorbent modules comprising a hollow mandrel provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart holes, said mandrel having a mandrel interior and an outer mandrel surface;

• at least one envelope leaf fixed to the outer mandrel surface, said envelope leaf having an open end at the outer mandrel surface and a closed end opposite and forming an envelope interior, an interior envelope surface, and an outer envelope surface and enclosing at least a portion of said longitudinally spaced apart holes to provide communication between the mandrel interior and the envelope interior through said spaced apart holes, the envelope leaf being spirally wrapped around the mandrel;
• an adsorbent layer provided in the envelope interior extending from the open end towards the closed end, said adsorbent layer comprising at least one adsorbent paper layer disposed on the interior envelope surface and at least one adsorbent spacer, the adsorbent spacer being a first tricot layer having grooves extending in one direction;
• at least one adsorbent spacer spirally wrapped around the mandrel and disposed on a side of the outer envelope surface forming a heat transfer zone in said spirally wound adsorbent module, said process comprising the following steps:
• a) passing a hot heat transfer stream to a first spirally wound module of at least two spirally wound modules to desorb a refrigerant from an adsorbent layer containing an adsorbent selective for the adsorption of the refrigerant to provide a refrigerant vapor stream;
• b) withdrawing the refrigerant vapor stream at a desorption pressure from the mandrel of the first spirally wound module and passing the refrigerant vapor stream to a condenser wherein the refrigerant vapor stream is cooled and at least partially condensed to provide a condensed refrigerant stream;
• c) passing the condensed refrigerant stream to an isolation valve to reduce the pressure of the condensed refrigerant stream to an evaporator pressure and providing a cooled condensed refrigerant stream;
• d) passing the cooled condensed refrigerant stream to an evaporator wherein the cooled condensed refrigerant stream is heat exchanged with an external stream to cool the external stream to provide a vaporized refrigerant stream;
• e) passing a cold heat transfer stream to a heat transfer zone of another spirally wound module to cool the adsorbent layer and passing the vaporized refrigerant stream to the other spirally wound module to adsorb the vaporized refrigerant stream;
• and,
• f) repeating steps (a) through (e) to provide a continuous sorption cooling process.

A spirally wound adsorbent module for use in sorption and heat exchange applications comprising:

• a hollow mandrel having a mandrel interior, an outer mandrel surface, and a permeable surface extended along its primary axis for passing a fluid from the mandrel interior to the outer mandrel surface;
• at least one envelope leaf connected to the outer mandrel surface, said envelope leaf having an open end in communication with the permeable surface, an interior envelope surface, and an outer envelope surface and enclosing an envelope interior and sealed edges sealing opposite sides of the interior envelope surface and outer envelope surface and extending in a direction transverse to the open end, the envelope leaf being spirally wrapped around the mandrel;
• at least one interleaved layer spirally wrapped between the interior envelope surface and the outer envelope surface;
• an adsorbent layer spirally wrapped around the mandrel in the envelope interior or as a portion of the interleaved layer, said adsorbent layer comprising adsorbent disposed on a laminar substrate and at least one adsorbent spacer, the adsorbent spacer providing a fluid flow channel parallel to the adsorbent layer;
• and,
• at least one exchange fluid spacer spirally wrapped around the mandrel in either the envelope interior or as a portion of the interleaved layer and separated from the adsorbent layer by the interior envelope surface and the outer envelope surface forming a heat transfer zone in said spirally wound adsorbent module.

A spirally wound module for pressure and temperatures swing adsorption comprising:

• a hollow mandrel having a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart holes and said mandrel having a mandrel interior and an outer mandrel surface;
• at least one envelope leaf connected to the outer mandrel surface, said envelope leaf having an open end at the outer mandrel surface and a closed end opposite and forming an envelope interior and an outer envelope surface and enclosing at least a portion of said plurality of longitudinally spaced apart holes to provide communication between the mandrel interior and the envelope interior through said holes, the envelope leaf being spirally wrapped around the mandrel;
• an adsorbent layer comprising at least one adsorbent paper layer and at least one feed spacer spirally wrapped around the mandrel so that the adsorbent paper layer is disposed on a side of the outer envelope surface;
• a flow blocking device substantially blocking the axial flow of a heat exchange fluid through the interior of the mandrel to provide a heat transfer inlet zone at a proximal end and a heat transfer outlet zone at a distal end of the mandrel;
• and
• at least one heat transfer spacer provided in the envelope interior extending from the open end towards the closed end, the heat transfer spacer being a combination of a first tricot layer having grooves extending in one direction and a second tricot layer having grooves extending in the opposite direction, said grooves in the first layer being in fluid communication with the grooves in the second tricot layer.

A spirally wound adsorbent module for use in sorption cooling applications comprising:

• a hollow mandrel provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart holes, said mandrel having a mandrel interior and an outer mandrel surface;
• at least one envelope leaf connected to the outer mandrel surface, said envelope leaf having an open end at the outer mandrel surface and a closed end opposite and forming an envelope interior, an interior envelope surface, and an outer envelope surface and enclosing at least a portion of said longitudinally spaced apart holes to provide communication between the mandrel interior and the envelope interior through said holes, the envelope leaf being spirally wrapped around the mandrel;
• an adsorbent layer provided in the envelope interior extending from the open end towards the closed end, said adsorbent layer comprising at least one adsorbent paper layer disposed on the interior envelope surface and at least one adsorbent spacer, the adsorbent spacer being a first tricot layer having grooves extending in one direction;
• and,
• at least one feed spacer spirally wrapped around the mandrel disposed on a side of the outer envelope surface forming a heat transfer zone in said spirally wound adsorbent module.