Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Christopher James Raiswell

Mohammad Ali Kalbassi

Timothy Christopher Golden

Fred William Taylor

Elizabeth Helen Salter

Andrew David Wright

Daniel Patrick Zwilling

Nasim Hassan Malik

Christine Waweru

William Paul Schmidt

Jeffrey Raymond Hufton

Shyam Ramchand Suchdeo

Ian Robert Zone

Leighta Maureen Johnson

Garret C Lau

Christopher Suggitt

Michaela Pollock

Gregory Scott Weyrich

Christopher Timothy Golden

Jon Louis Mogan

Roy Adolph Meikle

Derek Alan Prichett

Ann Marie Botelho

Anthony Finot

April Emma Louise O'Meara

Timothy Christoper Golden

The present invention relates to a temperature enhanced pressure swing adsorption (TEPSA) process for removing at least two components including a less strongly adsorbed component and a more strongly adsorbed component from a gas mixture, said process comprising using one single heater and at least two adsorber vessels, in each of which repeated cycles comprising an adsorption phase and subsequent regeneration phases.

Heater arrangement for TEPSA system

Process of reducing water, COand NO in feed air, which: a first adsorbent such as alumina (25-40% volume) and a second adsorbent such as X zeolite (60-75% volume) are used; the online time of the adsorbent is determined by determining the concentration measured by an analyzer for COconcentration at a position within the length of the second adsorbent when a maximum level of NO is simultaneously obtained at the downstream end of the second adsorbent in the feed direction, wherein the online time is the time taken from commencing passing the feed air to the first and second adsorbents to the measurement by the analyzer of the determined concentration of CO; at least the second adsorbent is regenerated by heated regeneration gas at a temperature of 140&#xb0; C.-220&#xb0; C.; and the molar ratio of the regenerating gas to feed air supplied during one iteration of the cycle is 0.08-0.5.

Purification of air

Hydrogen and carbon monoxide impurities are removed from a dry gas comprising the impurities, wherein the dry gas is at least substantially free of carbon dioxide, by passing the dry gas with sufficient residence time, e.g. at least 1.5 s, through a layer of catalyst comprising a mixture of manganese oxide and copper oxide. The use of expensive noble metal catalysts to remove hydrogen may thereby be avoided. In addition, regeneration of the catalyst using oxygen-containing regeneration gas does not reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst.

Removal of hydrogen and carbon monoxide impurities from gas streams

Reduction of water, COand NO in an air stream comprising: passing said air stream at a feed temperature through a first adsorbent, whose Henry's Law selectivity for CO/NO is at least 12.5, and a second adsorbent, whose Henry's Law constant for COis less than 1020 mmol/g/atom and whose Henry's Law selectivity for CO/NO is at most 5; and passing a heated regenerating gas at a temperature which is between 20&#xb0; C. and 80&#xb0; C. to at least the second adsorbent, and passing a second regenerating gas at a temperature less than the temperature of the heated regenerating gas to the first and second adsorbents in a direction opposite to the feed direction; the second adsorbent occupying from 25% to 40% of the total volume of the adsorbents, and the temperature of the heated regenerating gas being 10&#xb0; C. to 60&#xb0; C. higher than the feed temperature.

The concentration of adsorbate in the feed gas to an on-stream bed of a cyclical swing adsorption process is monitored and the data processed to predict the time required to complete the on-stream mode of that bed and the purge flow rate and/or other regeneration mode operating condition of the concurrently off-stream bed is modified in response to changes in said predicted time whereby the regeneration mode of the off-steam bed is completed at the same time as the on-stream mode of the concurrent on-stream bed.

Cyclical swing adsorption processes

Base treated aluminas exhibit improved COcapacity over untreated aluminas. Base treated aluminas prepared by physically mixing alumina and base during forming have (1) a higher surface area, (2) less hydrothermal aging, (3) improved COcapacity and (4) lower cost than base treated aluminas produced by aqueous impregnation. A method for removing at least COand water from a gas stream includes providing an adsorbent formed from a process comprising physically mixing activated alumina solids and solid salts of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals or ammonium ion; and contacting the gas stream with the adsorbent.

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An improved control scheme is set forth for an adsorption process that removes water and carbon dioxide (CO) from a feed gas using a hybrid of both temperature swing (i.e. TSA) and pressure swing (PSA) to regenerate the adsorbent. The control scheme comprises adjusting the quantity of heat to be provided by the regeneration gas as a function of temperature data taken within a strategic portion of the water selective adsorbent zone. The strategic portion corresponds to the location for the desired transition from regeneration by temperature swing, to regeneration by pressure swing. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said quantity of regeneration heat is also adjusted as a function of the water content of the feed gas.

Control scheme for hybrid PSA/TSA systems

A method for removing a first and a second minor component from a gas mixture comprising the first and second minor components and one or more major components. The method comprises providing a first adsorbent zone containing a first adsorbent material and a second adsorbent zone containing a second adsorbent material wherein the selectivity of the first adsorbent material for the first minor component relative to the second minor component is greater than the selectivity of the second adsorbent material for the first minor component relative to the second minor component. The average particle diameter of the first adsorbent material and the average particle diameter of the second adsorbent material preferably are substantially the same. The gas mixture is passed through the first adsorbent zone and subsequently through the second adsorbent zone. A purified gas containing the one or more major components and depleted in the first and second minor component is withdrawn from the second adsorbent zone.

Purification of gas streams

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for the removal of nitrous oxide from a feed gas stream using an adsorbent having a nitrogen diffusion parameter of 0.12 sec or higher and a nitrous oxide capacity of 79 mmol/g/atm or higher at 30&deg; C.

Process for nitrous oxide removal

A binderless X-type zeolite is used in a process for the reduction of the level of carbon dioxide and/or N O in a gaseous mixture, the zeolite being obtained by converting the binder in a bound zeolite to zeolite such that the ratio of the adsorption capacity for carbon dioxide of the binderless zeolite to the adsorption capacity of the bound zeolite is greater than the weight ratio of the level of zeolite in the binderless zeolite to the level in the bound zeolite.

Process for reducing the level of carbon dioxide in a gaseous mixture

Carbon dioxide, water, nitrous oxide and optionally ethylene are removed from a feed air stream by a temperature swing adsorption using a first adsorbent such as alumina to adsorb water, a second adsorbent such as 13X zeolite to adsorb carbon dioxide, and a third adsorbent such as binderless calcium exchanged X zeolite to adsorb nitrous oxide and optionally ethylene, prior to cryogenic separation of the purified air stream.

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Crewe, United Kingdom

Christopher James Raiswell