Rotary pressure swing adsorption apparatus

A rotary module for pressure swing adsorption separation of a gas mixture containing components which are respectiviely more readily adsorbed and less readily adsorbed under pressure increase over an adsorbent material;

• the rotary module comprising a stator and a rotor with an axis of rotation, the stator and rotor being mutually engaged in fluid communication across a first rotary valve surface and a second rotary valve surface both centred on the axis of rotation;
• the stator having a plurality of first function compartments each opening into the first rotary valve surface in an angular sector thereof, and a plurality of second function compartments each opening into the second rotary valve surface in an angular sector thereof;
• the rotor having a plurality of angularly spaced adsorber elements each having an angular width, and with the adsorbent material supported on the walls of parallel flow channels in the adsorber elements, each such flow channel extending in a flow direction between a first end communicating by a first aperture to the first valve surface and a second end communicating by a second aperture to the second valve surface;
• and with means to rotate the rotor such that each of the first apertures is opened in fluid communication to the first function compartments by rotation of the rotor bringing the apertures sequentially into the angular sector of each first function compartment, while each of the second apertures is opened in fluid communication to the second function compartments by rotation of the rotor bringing the apertures sequentially into the angular sector of each second function compartment so as to achieve cycling of the pressure in each adsorber element between an upper pressure and a lower pressure;
• with means to provide the gas mixture to a first function compartment at an upper pressure, with means to exhaust gas enriched in a more readily adsorbed component from a first function compartment at a lower pressure, and with means to deliver gas enriched in a less readily adsorbed component from a second function compartment at substantially the upper pressure;
• and the rotary module further characterized in that the function compartments also include a plurality of pressurization compartments and blowdown compartments for respectively subjecting the adsorber elements to a plurality of incremental pressure increases and a plurality of incremental pressure decreases between the upper and lower pressures and intermediate pressures therebetween.