Design and operation methods for pressure swing adsorption systems

A method for the separation of a gas mixture comprising:

• (a) providing a pressure swing adsorption system having a plurality of adsorber vessels, each vessel having an inlet and an outlet;
• (b) providing a bed of particulate adsorbent material disposed within each adsorber vessel, wherein the adsorbent material is selective for the adsorption of one or more components in the gas mixture, and wherein each bed of adsorbent material is characterized by a bed depth and by an average particle diameter less than about 1.3 mm;
• and
• (c) initiating a feed step that comprises introducing the gas mixture into the inlet of the adsorber vessel, passing the gas mixture through the bed of particulate adsorbent material and adsorbing therein one or more components from the gas mixture, and withdrawing a product gas from the outlet of the adsorber vessel;
• continuing the feed step for a feed time period;
• and terminating the feed step;
• wherein the bed depth in feet times a dimensionless ratio of an empty bed residence time to the feed time period is less than about 4,
• wherein the particulate adsorbent material contains one or more adsorbents selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, chemically modified activated carbon, activated alumina, chemically modified activated alumina, silica gel, and zeolite, and
• wherein the bed of particulate adsorbent material comprises a layer of activated carbon and a layer of CaA zeolite with or without a binder.