Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Mark Robert Pillarella

Jianguo Xu

Douglas Paul Dee

Swaminathan Sunder

William T Kleinberg

Frank Jude Riska

Rakesh Agrawal

Edward Landis Weist, Jr

Douglas L Bennett

David Lester Rarig

James Michael Occhialini

David Edward Guro

Brian Roy Dunbobbin

Edward Landis Weist

A method for operating a pressure swing adsorption process at turndown conditions by adding selected steps to the normal design operation of the process. The selected steps include the extension of a make product/no feed step and the addition of idle steps at specific points in the process cycle during depressurization and repressurization. The average volumetric flow ratio of the pressurized feed gas to the final product gas during design operation and during turndown operation may be essentially equal. The average oxygen concentration in the final product gas during design operation and during turndown operation also may be essentially equal.

Pressure swing adsorption process operation at turndown conditions

A pressure swing adsorption process for the separation of a pressurized feed gas containing at least one more strongly adsorbable component and at least one less strongly adsorbable component. The process comprises (a) introducing the pressurized feed gas into a feed end of an adsorber bed containing one or more solid adsorbents which preferentially adsorb the more strongly adsorbable component and withdrawing from a product end of the adsorber bed a first adsorber effluent gas enriched in the less strongly adsorbable component, wherein the first adsorber effluent gas is utilized as final product gas; (b) terminating the introduction of the pressurized feed gas into the adsorber bed while withdrawing from the product end of the adsorber bed a second adsorber effluent gas enriched in the less strongly adsorbable component, wherein the pressure in the adsorber bed decreases while the second adsorber effluent gas is withdrawn therefrom, and wherein the second adsorber effluent gas is utilized as additional final product gas; (c) depressurizing the adsorber bed to a minimum bed pressure by withdrawing additional gas therefrom; (d) repressurizing the adsorber bed by introducing repressurization gas into the bed, wherein at least a portion of the repressurization gas is provided by pressurized feed gas; and (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) in a cyclic manner. No final product gas is required for purge or repressurization in the process cycle steps.

Pressure swing adsorption process which provides product gas at decreasing bed pressure

A single bed pressure swing adsorption process with at least one transfer tank is utilized to separate less adsorbable components from more adsorbable components such as the separation of oxygen from air. Depressurization gas is collected in the transfer tank and is used later exclusively for purging the bed during the regeneration period.

Single bed pressure swing adsorption process

A pressure swing adsorption process including an adsorption apparatus having a plurality of beds and counter-currently purging at least two of the beds simultaneously throughout the process. The number of beds and number of pressure equalization steps are not particularly limited, but a ten-bed, four pressure equalization step process in advantageous. In addition, other ten-bed, four pressure equalization step processes are disclosed which do not counter-currently purge at least two of the beds simultaneously, but which have an average of at least two of the ten beds being simultaneously regenerated by simultaneously providing off-gas from a feed end of each of the beds to an off-gas line.

Pressure swing adsorption process with multiple beds on purge and/or with ten beds and four pressure equalization steps

Pressure swing adsorption process and system for separating gas mixtures comprising at least one more strongly adsorbable component and at least one less strongly adsorbable component. The process includes storing gas enriched in one of the components in a first storage tank and a second storage tank which are arranged in series. Final product gas is provided from the second storage tank while gas for purge, rinse, and/or repressurization is provided from the first storage tank.

Pressure swing adsorption process and system utilizing two product

The present invention provides for a structured packing element, the element being corrugated with corrugations which form alternating peaks and troughs across the element, the corrugations having a longitudinal axis, the element having at least one band of first fluting at an angle between 0.degree. and 180.degree. to the longitudinal axis of the corrugations and at least one band of second fluting at an angle between 0.degree. and 180.degree. to the longitudinal axis of the corrugations, the first fluting being at an angle greater than zero to the second fluting. The element preferably has a plurality of holes through the element. The foregoing structured packing is suited for use in processes requiring a contact device for accomplishing mass and/or heat transfer. The foregoing structured packing is particularly suited for a cryogenic air separation process comprising contacting vapor and liquid countercurrently in at least one distillation column containing at least one mass transfer zone wherein liquid-vapor contact is established by at least one structured packing element.

Structured packing element with bi-directional surface texture and a

The present invention provides for a structured packing element, the element being corrugated with corrugations which form alternating peaks and troughs across the element, the corrugations having a longitudinal axis, the element having plural portions of first fluting at an angle between 0.degree. and 180.degree. to the longitudinal axis of the corrugations and plural portions of second fluting at an angle between 0.degree. and 180.degree. to the longitudinal axis of the corrugations, the fluting of the first portions being at an angle greater than zero to the fluting of the second portions, the respective first and second portions alternating both laterally and longitudinally of the element with respect to each other. The element preferably has a plurality of holes through the element. The foregoing structured packing is suited for use in processes requiring a contact device for accomplishing mass and/or heat transfer. The foregoing structured packing is particularly suited for a cryogenic air separation process comprising contacting vapor and liquid countercurrently in at least one distillation column containing at least one mass transfer zone wherein liquid-vapor contact is established by at least one structured packing element.

Structured packing element and a mass and heat transfer process using

The present invention is a process for the cryogenic separation of air to recover at least one of its constituent components, which is carried out in an air separation unit having at least one distillation column; wherein the distillation column has at least two mass transfer sections, wherein, in each mass transfer section, a flow of vapor and a flow of liquid are counter-currently contacted to accomplish mass transfer and the flow of vapor or liquid or vapor and liquid is different in one section as compared to the other section; wherein contact of the flows of vapor and liquid in each mass transfer section is accomplished using a structured packing; wherein the structured packing comprises elements which are corrugated with substantially parallel corrugations, wherein the parallel corrugations have a longitudinal axis at an angle .beta. relative to horizontal and wherein each corrugation when approximated to be a triangular cross-section has a crimp angle .alpha. defined by the two sides of the corrugation; characterized in that the structured packing used in each mass transfer section have different angles .alpha. and/or .beta. selected such that each mass transfer section is operated in the loading region at which the dimensionless grouping S is in the range between substantially 3.0.times.10.sup.-6 and substantially 8.0.times.10 .sup.-6, where S=T.sub.i m/.sigma., wherein T.sub.i is the shear stress at the liquid-vapor interface (kgm.sup.-1 s.sup.-2), m is the film thickness of liquid flowing over the element (m), and .sigma. is the surface tension of the liquid (kgs.sup.-2).

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Center Valley, PA, United States of America

Mark Robert Pillarella