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US 8,221,524 B2Granted
Oxygen removal from contaminated gases
AssigneeGuild Associates, Inc.
InventorMichael J. Mitariten
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for achieving low oxygen levels in a natural gas stream without the use of a catalytic system. In one embodiment, the method comprises: membrane treatment for the removal of the bulk of CO2 and oxygen in the natural gas feed and the addition of a PSA system using a carbon molecular sieve adsorbent for the adsorption of residual oxygen.
Claims21
A process for the improved separation of oxygen from a natural gas feed stream which comprises:
- a. passing said natural gas feed stream to a first separation unit so as to partially separate oxygen from said feed stream and produce a first product stream enriched with methane and a waste stream having a higher molar concentration of oxygen than said feed stream;
- and
- b. passing said first product stream to a second separation unit containing an oxygen-selective adsorbent comprising a carbon molecular sieve and operated with a pressure swing so as to preferentially adsorb residual said oxygen from said first product stream to produce a low pressure gas stream enriched with oxygen and produce a higher pressure second product stream enriched with methane and having an oxygen content of less than 2,000 ppm.
A process for the improved separation of oxygen from a natural gas feed stream, which comprises:
- a. passing said natural gas feed stream to a membrane separation unit so as to partially separate oxygen from said feed stream and produce a first product stream enriched with methane and a permeate waste stream having a higher molar concentration of oxygen than said feed stream;
- b. passing said first product stream to a pressure swing adsorption unit containing a carbon molecular sieve so as to preferentially adsorb residual oxygen from said first product stream to produce a low pressure gas stream enriched with oxygen and to produce a second product stream enriched with methane and having an oxygen content of 1,000 ppm or less;
- and
- c. recycling said low pressure gas stream back to said feed stream for said membrane separation unit.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.