Questair Technologies Inc.

Kevin A Kaupert

Bowie Gordon Keefer

Christopher R McLean

Christopher Gordon Stoner

Les Jeziorowski

Marie-Claude Taponat

A gas separation system for separating a feed gas mixture into a first gas component and a second gas component comprises a stator, and a rotor rotatably coupled to the stator. The stator includes a first stator valve face, a second stator valve surface, and a plurality of function compartments opening into the stator valve surfaces. The rotor includes a first rotor valve surface in communication with the first stator valve surface, and a second rotor valve surface in communication with the second stator valve surface. The rotor also includes a plurality of rotor flow paths for receiving gas adsorbent material therein for preferentially adsorbing the first gas component in response to increasing pressure in the rotor flow paths in comparison to the second gas component. Each rotor flow path includes a pair of opposite ends opening into the rotor valve faces for communication with the function compartments. Centrifugal turbomachinery is coupled to a portion of the function compartments, and includes an impeller which has a plurality of impeller flow paths for exposing each rotor flow path to a plurality of discrete pressures as the rotor rotates for separating the first gas component from the second gas component.

Gas separation with split stream centrifugal turbomachinery

A rotary module for implementing a high frequency pressure swing adsorption process includes a stator having a number of function compartments opening into the stator valve faces, a rotor rotatably coupled to the stator and including a number of apertures opening into the rotor valve faces, and a self-regulating clearance-type valve seal positioned between the valve faces of the stator and rotor so as to regulate the rate of gas flow between the stator and the rotor. Each valve seal includes a sealing face disposed adjacent a respective one of the rotor valve faces and is pivotable relative to the respective rotor valve face for varying the gas flow rate in accordance with the clearance distance between the sealing face and the respective rotor valve face. Each valve seal also includes a passage which communicates with one of the function compartments for varying the clearance distance in response to a pressure differential between the passage and an approaching aperture. In this way, the valve seal maintains a smooth pressure transition profile as the flow paths are switched between the function compartments. As a result, equilibrium is maintained between the adsorbent material and the mass transfer front of the gas, and the efficiency of the gas separation process is enhanced.

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Sparks, NV, United States of America

Kevin A Kaupert