Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Daniel Patrick Zwilling

Timothy Christopher Golden

Edward Landis Weist, Jr

Mohammad Ali Kalbassi

Christopher James Raiswell

William Paul Schmidt

Jeffrey Raymond Hufton

Andrew David Wright

Keith Alan Ludwig

Garret C Lau

Catherine Marie Anne Golden

Christine Waweru

Christopher Suggitt

Edward Landis Weist

Catherine Marie Golden

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

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

Method for the separation of a gas mixture comprising providing a pressure swing adsorption system having a plurality of adsorber vessels, wherein each vessel has an inlet, an outlet, and a bed of particulate adsorbent material disposed therein. The adsorbent material is selective for the adsorption of one or more components from the gas mixture, and each bed of adsorbent material is characterized by a bed depth and by an average particle diameter less than about 1.3 mm. A feed step is carried out during a feed time period wherein the gas mixture is introduced into the adsorber vessel, one or more components are selectively adsorbed from the gas mixture, and a product gas is withdrawn from the adsorber vessel. The bed depth in feet times the dimensionless ratio of the empty bed residence time to the feed time period is less than about 4.

Design and operation methods for pressure swing adsorption systems

A method for the separation of a gas mixture comprises (a) obtaining a feed gas mixture comprising nitrogen and at least one hydrocarbon having two to six carbon atoms; (b) introducing the feed gas mixture at a temperature of about 60&deg; F. to about 105&deg; F. into an adsorbent bed containing adsorbent material which selectively adsorbs the hydrocarbon, and withdrawing from the adsorbent bed an effluent gas enriched in nitrogen; (c) discontinuing the flow of the feed gas mixture into the adsorbent bed and depressurizing the adsorbent bed by withdrawing depressurization gas therefrom; (d) purging the adsorbent bed by introducing a purge gas into the bed and withdrawing therefrom an effluent gas comprising the hydrocarbon, wherein the purge gas contains nitrogen at a concentration higher than that of the nitrogen in the feed gas mixture; (e) pressurizing the adsorbent bed by introducing pressurization gas into the bed; and (f) repeating (b) through (e) in a cyclic manner.

Recovery of nitrogen and light hydrocarbons from polyalkene purge gas

A rapid pressure swing adsorption (RPSA) process includes the use of an adsorbent fabric. The fabric can be self-supporting, have an average pore diameter greater than 5 &angst; and/or have a carbon dioxide mass transfer coefficient of at least 0.5 sec . Activated carbon cloths can be suitable for use as the adsorbent fabric. The process can be used to prepare high purity hydrogen and other products. Systems including the adsorbent fabric outperform systems lacking such fabrics in RPSA applications.

Self-supported structured adsorbent for gas separation

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Drexel Hill, PA, United States of America

Daniel Patrick Zwilling