Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Forrest Eli Hulbert

Philip Bruce Henderson

Patrick Michael Colleran

During the conventional temperature swing adsorption (TSA) process, NFco-adsorbed with the impurities is vented during regeneration. This invention is a novel TSA cycle in which the co-adsorbed NFis recovered. In this novel TSA cycle, a control scheme is used to stop the adsorption prior to the saturation of the adsorber with impurities and use a recovery purge gas (either co-current or counter-current) to release the co-adsorbed NFoff the saturated adsorber. The effluent of the inert purge gas can be combined with the effluent of the on-stream vessel or can be recycled to the feed of the on-stream vessel. 10%-100% of the co-adsorbed NFis recovered and made available as product in this novel TSA cycle. Thus the overall process yield of NFis increased. The removing of the co-adsorbed NFfrom the adsorber also prevents adsorber degradation thus prolonging the useful life of the adsorber.

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Macungie, PA, United States of America

Forrest Eli Hulbert