Praxair Technology, Inc.

Nicholas R Stuckert

Neil Andrew Stephenson

Philip Alexander Barrett

Steven John Pontonio

Yang Luo

Andrew Chester Rosinski

Garrett R Swindlehurst

Andrew C Rosinski

Hai Du

Timothy Mark Aaron

Osemwengie Uyi Iyoha

Michael Freiert

Rachael A Masin

Michael St James

Jeffrey Abbatiello

Michael St-James

The present invention relates to a method and system for improving VPSA plant energy and capital efficiency through optimizing direct drive variable speed centrifugal feed, vacuum, and/or product compressors to achieve lower unit gas product production cost. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new energy efficient VPSA process and system which employs high speed direct drive centrifugal compressors to achieve wider production range. Significant lower energy consumption can be achieved over the plant operation life by employing compressors sized with average ambient and production demand, utilizing direct drive variable high speed centrifugal compressors' speed and operating range to meet the desired production demand. Since majority of the plants tend to run at below peak production most of operating life of the plant. In addition, the smaller size machine offers plant capital savings from the initial investment.

Energy efficient VPSA system with direct drive high speed centrifugal compressors

The invention relates to a method and system for improving PSA/VPSA plant energy efficiency during times of reduced production demand and capital efficiency through optimizing feed, vacuum, and centrifugal product compressors to achieve lower energy consumption and lower unit gas product production cost. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new energy efficient PSA/VPSA turn down process and system which employs high speed direct drive centrifugal product compressor to achieve desired production. Significant lower energy consumption can be achieved by employing lower flow, and lower adsorption top pressure in the lower production range.

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

The present invention is directed to an intensified process cycle that utilizes the adsorption beds present to a substantially greater degree allowing the processing of significantly more gas and/or the generation of significantly more product. The elimination of purge steps, reduction in equalization step times, and introduction of overlapping feed and equalization steps which normally cause a degradation in performance for equilibrium-based cycles, frees extra step for other actions to be taken, such as additional equalization steps, etc.

Rate/kinetic selective multiple bed adsorption process cycle

A gas separation process in which the thermal storage of the heat in the gas is desired as well as the gas separation. This invention outlines a novel process and system whereby the thermal storage efficiency can be vastly increased by matching the gas sorption fronts and the thermal fronts to cause thermal front sharpening. The gas separation process and system include an adsorption vessel having an adsorbent in an amount of 10-40% and a thermal storage component in an amount of 50-90% by volume.

Combined thermal energy storage and contaminant removal

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 process cycle that allows for the stable production of mid-range purity oxygen from air, using traditional system designs. Typical cycles have a limited production benefit when generating Oat lower than 90% purity, however they suffer a production loss at higher purity. The process cycles of the invention are capable of producing significantly more contained Oat a lower purity. In addition to enhanced production capacity, lower power consumed per mass of product and more stable product purity and flow are realized by the process of the invention compared to traditional alternatives.

Mid-range purity oxygen by adsorption

The invention relates to a process for modifying the VPSA/VSA/PSA cycle to allow for maximum product pressure without the need for a base load oxygen compressor (BLOC) or base load oxygen blower (BLOB), thus supplying low pressure oxygen (3 to 7 Psig) to the end user while at the same time lowering product costs 10 to 30%. The system of this invention preferably employs larger piping runs from the VPSA to the oxy-fuel control skids, larger piping for the oxy-fuel control skid, larger piping for the VPSA, low pressure drop flow measurements, and low pressure drop check valves.

Process for generating higher VPSA product pressure

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.

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.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Island, NY, United States of America

Nicholas R Stuckert