Swing adsorption processes utilizing controlled adsorption fronts

A swing adsorption process for separating contaminant gas components from a feed gas mixture containing at least one contaminant gas component, which process comprises:

• a) conducting the feed gas mixture directly to a first adsorption bed in a swing adsorption process unit containing a plurality of adsorbent beds each having a fluid inlet end and fluid outlet end wherein the first adsorption bed has a first primary adsorption cycle defined by the period of time from the start of connecting the fluid input end of the first adsorption bed directly to said feed gas mixture to the end of connecting the fluid input end of the first adsorption bed directly to said feed gas mixture;
• b) retrieving a first product stream flow from the fluid outlet end of the first adsorption bed;
• c) fluidly connecting the fluid outlet end of the first adsorption bed with the fluid inlet end of a second adsorption bed in the swing adsorption process unit during a point in the first primary adsorption cycle so that at least a portion of the first product stream from the fluid outlet end of the first adsorption bed is passed to the fluid inlet end of the second adsorption bed at which time the second adsorption bed is in a first secondary adsorption cycle which first secondary adsorption cycle is defined by the period of time from the start of exposing the second adsorption bed to the first product stream from the fluid outlet end of the first adsorption bed to the end of exposing the second adsorption bed to the first product stream from the fluid outlet end of the first adsorption bed;
• d) retrieving a second product stream flow from the fluid outlet end of the second adsorption bed;
• e) fluidly disconnecting the fluid outlet end of the first adsorption bed from the fluid inlet end of the second adsorption bed;
• and
• f) conducting the feed gas mixture directly to the second adsorption bed wherein the second adsorption bed has a second primary adsorption cycle defined by the period of time from the start of connecting the fluid input end of the second adsorption bed directly to said feed gas mixture to the end of connecting the fluid input end of the second adsorption bed directly to said feed gas mixture,
• wherein step f) starts prior to the beginning of step e), and
• wherein the first product stream and the second product stream each have a lower mol % of the contaminant gas component than the feed gas mixture, and the beginnings and ends of the first primary adsorption cycle and the second primary adsorption cycle do not both coincide with each other.