Praxair Technology, Inc.

Neil Andrew Stephenson

Philip Alexander Barrett

Steven John Pontonio

Hai Du

Nicholas R Stuckert

Persefoni E Kechagia

Jian Zheng

Neil Mark Prosser

Garrett R Swindlehurst

Michael Freiert

Yang Luo

Joseph Timothy Mullhaupt

Rachael A Masin

Jesus Gallego-Preciado Nieto

Kerry C Weston

Ravi Prasad

Mark William Ackley

Steven R Falta

Ashwini K Sinha

Frank Notaro

Douglas Charles Heiderman

Cynthia A Hoover

Qisheng Huo

Scot Eric Jaynes

Delong Zhang

William S Kane

Katie Held

Phillip Alexander Barrett

Christopher D Schotz

Eustathios S Kikkinides

Paula Marie Chinn Stephenson

Paula Chinn Stephenson

Katie Farley

Michael T Freiert

Jesus Gallego-Praciado Nieto

The present invention relates to a surface modified zeolite adsorbent wherein the surface of said zeolite is modified with a coating comprised of a silicone derived species, said zeolite having a mean crystal size from about 5 to about 10 μm and a skeletal density of ≥1.10 gr./cc. The invention is based on the discovery that larger crystals tend to have higher particle density, and the packing of the larger crystals in agglomeration processes leads to more idealized packing to provide a larger mean-pore diameter. The surface modified adsorbent provides rate selectivity for one gas over others is described. The superior adsorbent has the added convenience of bead forming simultaneously with pore modification as well as having the treatment result in the yielding of high crush strength products.

Large crystal tunable adsorbents

The present invention relates to a superior carbon adsorbent with or without a core. In one embodiment the carbon adsorbent of the present invention employs carbon adsorbent powder and an organic binding agent which are combined together with an appropriate solvent in an agglomeration step. In another embodiment the invention contemplates a core-in-shell adsorbent comprising an outer shell composed of a carbon and a non-adsorbing inert inner core. Low temperature processing of these agglomerates substantially preserves the binding agent within the final composition and allows one to prepare adsorbent products of high sphericity. The adsorbents of the invention possess superior characteristics such as higher mass transfer rate and COworking capacity for use in a HPSA process.

Superior carbon adsorbents

The invention relates to a superior core-in-shell adsorbent comprising adsorbent, and an inert core, wherein said core possesses a porosity less than 10%, and has a volumetric thermal capacity greater than 1 J/K*cc. The adsorbents of the invention possess good physical strength, and allow a longer cycle time, thereby reducing the blowdown (vent) losses compared to known adsorbents. The invention relates to an adsorber design for a vacuum/pressure swing adsorption (VSA, VPSA, PSA) process designed to obtain oxygen product from air utilizing the adsorbents of the invention.

Superior core-in-shell component composite adsorbents for VSA/VPSA/PSA systems

A carbon adsorbent storage and dispensing system is provided with a structurally modified particulate carbon adsorbent designed with optimal volumetric surface area for a certain range of particle sizes. Bulk density and specific surface area are carefully balanced to ensure the volumetric surface area remains within an optimal range to create high performance, as measured by dispensing capacity of the dopant fluid that is reversibly adsorbed onto the structurally modified particulate carbon adsorbent.

Dopant fluid storage and dispensing systems utilizing high performance, structurally modified particulate carbon adsorbents

The present invention relates to a method for modifying the crystalline inorganic framework of an adsorbent with coatings to provide rate selectivity for one gas over others is described. The method described herein narrows the effective pore size of crystalline porous solids with pores less than about 5 &#x212b; for rate selective separations. This method of the invention comprises treating the hydrated or partially hydrated zeolite with a silicone derived binding agent followed by subsequent heat treatment. The additive content and treatment are adjusted to match effective pore size to specific separations. The superior adsorbent has the added convenience of bead forming simultaneously with pore modification as well as having the treatment result in the yielding of high crush strength products.

Tunable adsorbents

The present invention generally relates to a pressure swing adsorption process for separating an adsorbate impurity from a feed stream comprising product gas, said process comprising feeding the feed stream to an adsorbent bed at a pressure of from about 60 psig to 2000 psig, wherein said adsorbent bed comprises adsorbent having: The invention also related to an adsorbent useful in PSA separations, particularly separating Nfrom methane, COfrom methane Ofrom Nand the like.

Characteristics of tunable adsorbents for rate selective separation of nitrogen from methane

The present invention relates to a method for modifying the crystalline inorganic framework of an adsorbent with coatings to provide rate selectivity for one gas over others is described. The method described herein narrows the effective pore size of crystalline porous solids with pores less than about 5A for rate selective separations. This method of the invention comprises treating the hydrated or partially hydrated zeolite with a silicone derived binding agent followed by subsequent heat treatment. The additive content and treatment are adjusted to match effective pore size to specific separations. The superior adsorbent has the added convenience of bead forming simultaneously with pore modification as well as having the treatment result in the yielding of high crush strength products.

The present invention relates generally to an attrition resistant core-in-shell composite adsorbent comprising at least a zeolite-containing COremoval adsorbent and a binder on an inert dense core. The attrition resistant core-in-shell composite adsorbent has an attrition loss of less than about 2 wt %. The core-in-shell composite adsorbent is preferably used in a multi-layered adsorption system in a cyclic adsorption process, preferably used in a PSA prepurification process prior to cryogenic air separation.

Core-in-shell composite adsorbent for use in PSA prepurifiers

An adsorption process for xenon recovery from a cryogenic liquid or gas stream is described wherein a bed of adsorbent is contacted with the aforementioned xenon containing liquid or gas stream and adsorbs the xenon selectively from this fluid stream. The adsorption bed is operated to at least near full breakthrough with xenon to enable a deep rejection of other stream components, prior to regeneration using the temperature swing method. Operating the adsorption bed to near full breakthrough with xenon, prior to regeneration, enables production of a high purity product from the adsorption bed and further enables oxygen to be used safely as a purge gas, even in cases where hydrocarbons are co-present in the feed stream.

Cryogenic adsorption process for xenon recovery

A method and apparatus for increasing argon recovery in which an impure argon stream is separated from air within a cryogenic air separation unit and purified within an integrated, multi-stage pressure swing adsorption system to produce product grade argon with high argon recovery levels.

Method and apparatus for increasing argon recovery in a cryogenic air separation unit integrated with a pressure swing adsorption system

A method and apparatus for argon recovery in which an impure argon stream is separated from air within a cryogenic air separation unit having a divided wall argon rejection/rectification column. The resulting argon stream is subsequently recovered and purified within an integrated pressure swing adsorption system to produce product grade argon.

Method and apparatus for argon recovery in a cryogenic air separation unit integrated with a pressure swing adsorption system

The invention relates to a process for removing oxygen from liquid argon using a TSA (temperature swing adsorption) cyclical process that includes cooling an adsorbent bed to sustain argon in a liquid phase; supplying the adsorbent bed with a liquid argon feed that is contaminated with oxygen and purifying the liquid argon thereby producing an argon product with less oxygen contaminant than is in the initial liquid argon feed; draining the purified residual liquid argon product and sending purified argon out of the adsorbent bed. Regeneration of specially prepared adsorbent allows the adsorbent bed to warm up to temperatures that preclude the use of requiring either vacuum or evacuation of adsorbent from the bed.

Purification of argon through liquid phase cryogenic adsorption

The present invention generally relates to a method to enhance heat transfer in the temperature swing adsorption process (TSA) and to an intensified TSA process for gas/liquid purification or bulk separation. Helium is designed as the heat carrier media to directly bring heat/cool to the adsorbent bed during the TSA cycling process. With helium's superior heat conductivity, the time consuming regeneration steps (warming, regeneration and precooling) of TSA process can be significantly reduced and allowing for the TSA process to be intensified.

Helium enhanced heat transfer in adsorptive liquid or gas phase argon purification processes

The present invention relates generally to compositions useful in adsorption and reactive processes comprising an adsorbent powder, such as a zeolite, and a binder mixed to form an agglomerate having a porosity of 0.30&#x2266;&#x3b5;&#x2266;0.42 and a Npore diffusivity D&#x2267;3.5&#xd7;10m/s and wherein the mean particle diameter of the crystalline zeolite powder is 10 &#x3bc;m or less; the mean particle diameter of the binder is 0.10 dor less, and the binder concentration is 10% or less expressed on a dry weight basis.

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East Amherst, NY, United States of America

Neil Andrew Stephenson