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US 8,262,783 B2Granted
Gas separation device
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Stoner, Christopher R. McLean, Daryl Musselman
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Stoner, Christopher R. McLean, Daryl Musselman
Estimating the term…
A gas separation device is disclosed. In particular, seal assemblies and adsorbent element constructions for a gas separation device such as a pressure swing adsorption device are disclosed. The seal assembly can be part of a rotary valve and can include a seal backer and a floating seal positioned within a bore in the seal backer. The floating seal is configured to press towards and seal against an adjacent rotor. Valve action is provided as apertures in the floating seal and rotor are brought into and then out of alignment as a result of relative rotation therebetween. The seal assembly can include two types of gas chambers to apply balanced sealing pressures over the sealing surface of the valve, one type configured to receive pressurized process gas from within the device and the other configured to receive gas from an independently controlled pressurized gas source. The adsorber elements in the device may comprise improved spacer cross support structures at the ends of wound laminate adsorbent structures.
A seal assembly for use in a rotary valve in a rotary gas separation device, the assembly comprising a seal backer and a mating floating seal that is movable with respect to the seal backer, the seal backer comprising a plurality of apertures aligned with flow ports through the floating seal, the floating seal comprising a sealing face opposite the seal backer to provide sealing engagement to an adjacent surface rotating with respect to the seal assembly, the seal backer and the mated floating seal defining fluidly isolated process gas chambers and activation gas chambers for receiving process and activation gases respectively for applying sealing pressure to the floating seal, wherein each process gas chamber is fluidly connected to a flow port through the floating seal, and each activation gas chamber is fluidly connectable to a source of activation gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.