Praxair Technology, Inc.

Union Carbide Corporation

Jeffert John Nowobilski

Mark William Ackley

Arun Acharya

James Smolarek

Frank Notaro

Cem E Celik

James Stanley Schneider

Gregory William Henzler

William J Owens

Salil Uday Rege

Frederick Wells Leavitt

Robert Leroy Baker

Neno T Nenov

Michael F Patterson

Kenneth C Kather

Henry Edward Howard

Bayram Arman

Christian Friedrich Gottzmann

Joseph Alfred Weber

Victor Emmanuel Bergsten

Vijayaraghavan Srinivasan

Guoming Zhong

Alan Barnard Stewart

John Harry Fassbaugh

Richard C Cipolla

Dariush Habibollah Zadeh

Himanshu Saxena

Michael George Noakes

Michael A Marchese

Alfred Peter Evans

Scott Alan Spriggs

Adam Kenneth Lippert

Dariush Habibollih Zadeh

The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for mixing at least two different solid materials (e.g., adsorbents) and loading the mixture into a vessel, such as an adsorption vessel or reactor.

Methods and systems for mixing material

Methods and systems for mixing materials

A radial flow reactor vessel is disclosed for use in gas purification, separation or reaction processes and most suitably used in prepurification processes. The reactor has internal baskets for confining a bed of active material. The baskets are rigidly supported at both the top and bottom ends of the reactor and have walls that are axially flexible and radially rigid. The vessel has multiple movable support columns designed to facilitate pre-stressing of the baskets to offset axial compressive loads induced from thermal cycling.

Radial flow reactor with movable supports

A radial flow reactor is disclosed for use in gas purification, separation or reaction processes and most suitably used in prepurification processes. The reactor has two concentric internal baskets which are rigidly supported at both the top and bottom ends of the reactor. The reactor has a removable section in the inner basket to accommodate rotating arms to dense load one or more layers of active materials between the concentric baskets.

Radial flow reactor

The present invention relates generally to adsorbents for use in pressure swing adsorption (PSA) prepurification processes. The invention more particularly relates to the design of adsorbent zones to be used in PSA prepurification processes that are expected to provide for extensions in PSA cycle time, thereby reducing blowdown loss and operating costs associated with the process. One particular embodiment of the present invention includes a first adsorption zone containing activated alumina and a second adsorption zone of an alumina-zeolite mixture or composite adsorbent in which the volume of the first zone does not exceed 50% of the total volume of the first and second zone.

Adsorbents for pressure swing adsorption systems and methods of use therefor

The present invention relates to cryogenic air separation processes and systems that employ a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) prepurification process. It is advantageous to operate the PSA process at a pressure comparable to or below the operating pressure of the highest pressure column in the cryogenic separation unit. Following PSA prepurification, the air can be split into at least two fractions, with at least a portion of the air being directed to the cryogenic separation unit and at least a portion of the remaining air being further pressurized in at least one stage of compression.

Air prepurification for cryogenic air separation

This invention comprises an adsorption process for the removal of at least NO from a feed gas stream that also contains nitrogen and possibly COand water. In the process the feed stream is passed over adsorbents to remove impurities such as CO2 and water, then over an additional adsorbent having a high NO/Nseparation factor. In a preferred mode the invention is an air prepurification process for the removal of impurities from air prior to cryogenic separation of air. An apparatus for operating the process is also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for gas purification

An adsorbent vessel comprising adsorbent material within the vessel interior positioned above at least one layer of support media, and a perforated baffle resting on the support media and not attached to the vessel shell whereby gas flow into the vessel from an inlet nozzle and a lengthwise oriented plenum is more evenly distributed for flow through the adsorbent material.

Adsorbent vessel with improved flow distribution

For PSA or TSA prepurifiers, the temperature rise on adsorption is particularly troublesome when the temperature rise reaches the end of the bed at the end of the adsorption step. This results in an increase in the COand NO concentration at the end of the cycle. Addition of a regenerator in the middle of the adsorption layer will reduce the temperature rise at the end of the bed and thus enhance the performance of the bed.

Adsorption process and system using multilayer adsorbent beds containing regenerator section

A low void pressure swing adsorption system wherein flow movement and pressure pulse are influenced from the same source comprised of at least one hermetically sealed vessel containing an adsorbent bed with an inlet coupled to the adsorbent bed by way of an inlet header and an outlet coupled to the adsorbent bed by way of an outlet header. Void volume of the inlet and outlet headers can be limited to less than 20% of the adsorbent bed volume, preferably to less than 10%, and most preferably to less than 5%, by mounting high pressure source(s) and/or low pressure sink(s) proximate to, or nearly proximate to, the adsorbent bed/vessel. Low void volumes and reduced cycle times may be achieved in all bed configurations, including flat header beds, segmented beds, and vertical beds. Radial beds may be configured so that the void volume of the inlet and outlet headers is less than 50% of the volume of the radial adsorbent bed, preferably to less than 20%, and most preferably to less than

Low void adsorption systems and uses thereof

A process fluid recycle system for compressor assemblies to recycle process fluid vapor flowing from one or more compressors to gear case(s) through shaft seal(s). The flowing process fluid is recycled back to the low pressure inlet of the compressor assembly by way of a recycle conduit. Coalescing filters are provided to separate oil mist from the process fluid vapor. Oil vapor and water vapor can also be removed, where necessary, by suitable oil and water vapor traps. During startup and shutdown or other times when low pressure transients occur that could cause a back flow of gear oil from the gear case into the compressor(s) by way of the shaft seal(s), an anti-back flow compressor is operated to ensure that the pressure within the gear case will be less than within the compressor.

Process fluid recycle system for a compressor assembly

A sealing system to prevent loss of a process fluid from a device having a device opening and a rotating member operable for rotational movement within the device opening. A rotary shaft seal such as a labyrinth seal, seals the rotating member in the device opening to inhibit leakage of process fluid. A chamber is connected to the device to recover leakage of the process fluid that leaks from the rotary shaft seal. A barrier seal is connected to the chamber to inject a barrier fluid under pressure to prevent the escape of process fluid from the chamber. The chamber discharges a mixture of barrier and process fluid to a filter, such as a coalescing filter, to separate the barrier fluid from the process fluid. Barrier fluid vapor and water vapor traps can also be used for purification purposes. The barrier fluid is recovered and recycled back to the barrier seal. The process fluid is returned to the device.

Sealing system

A distributor apparatus arrangement distributes a gas within a vessel that includes an adsorbent bed, the gas distribution occurring with a minimum of gas mal-distribution. The distributor apparatus includes an inlet gas coupler that feeds gas to a conduit oriented adjacent a surface of the bed. A slit opening is positioned in a wall of the conduit and extends along a length of the conduit. The slit has an opening extent near the inlet fluid coupler that is larger than an opening extent of the slit near the distal end of the conduit. The slit opening is oriented towards a wall of the vessel and away from the bed so as to enable gas flow that exits therefrom to impact upon the wall and be deflected thereby to the bed. In a preferred arrangement, the slit is defined by perforations that exhibit a 50% aperture ratio.

Apparatus for improving gas distribution in a prepurifier

An axial flow adsorber apparatus includes a bed of adsorbent material, a barrier in the form of an open-cell material combined with a distribution screen or baffle, graded balls, and an inflatable bladder. The adsorbent bed is the active adsorbent required for a separation process. The barrier combines the open-cell material, which provides uniform retention of all adsorbent material, with the distribution screen, which provides uniform flow and pressure distribution across the bed. The barrier substantially covers a top surface of the adsorbent bed to prevent fluidization of the bed. Graded balls on the barrier uniformly distribute a downward pressure supplied by the inflatable bladder above the balls. The uniform pressure is transmitted through the balls to the barrier to further suppress fluidization. The balls also serve to direct gas flow in the upper end of the vessel and reduce void volume in the apparatus that would trap product gas. The flexible bladder maintains a uniform pressure on the bed while also eliminating a major portion of the void volume in the heads of the adsorber apparatus.

Bed restraint for an adsorber

Separation of one or more fluidic components from a feed fluid containing a plurality of components is accomplished by adsorbent powder entrained in a stream of fluid, such as gas, and preferably is operated as a temperature swing adsorption process using waste thermal energy from a plant.

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Orchard Park, NY, United States of America

Jeffert John Nowobilski