Boc, Inc.

Devasihamani J Sebastian

John W Armond

Kenneth C Smith

David A Webber

A fluid supply system includes a pressure-swing adsorption plant e.g. for supplying oxygen-rich gas to an activated sludge reactor in a sewage works. The product gas from the plant is supplied to the utilization apparatus by a compressor at a rate dependent on the demand for the gas, while waste gas is desorbed from the plant by a vacuum pump. When using the plant to separate oxygen from an air feedstock the major proportion of the power consumed by the plant is represented by the vacuum pump, which has to impell substantially greater volumes of gas than the product compressor. To economize on the power consumed by the plant, the rate of delivery of the vacuum pump is controlled by means sensitive to the demand of the utilization apparatus for product gas, so that a reduction in the demand from the product compressor leads to a reduction in the power consumption of the vacuum pump.

Fluid supply system including a pressure-swing adsorption plant

A process and apparatus for separating gaseous mixtures by a pressure swing adsorption technique. One or more adsorbent beds are employed which operate on a cycle comprising the successive steps of adsorption, vacuum regeneration, and backfilling. The pressure in the bed(s) during backfilling is sensed, backfilling is ceased when such pressure reaches a predetermined level, and the regeneration step is controlled to occupy a constant period of time. The described process is able to maintain a substantially constant output flow and product purity despite the changes in adsorption capacity of the bed(s) which occur under fluctuating ambient temperatures.

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Hoddesdon, United Kingdom

Devasihamani J Sebastian