The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 16, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 19, 1995
Ravi Kumar, Allentown, PA (US);
Sidney S Stern, Highland Park, NJ (US);
The BOC Group, Inc., New Providence, NJ (US);
Abstract
A method of rectifying a multicomponent mixture by pressure swing adsorption to separate primary and secondary components of the mixture. Two groups of adsorbent beds are used in the method and adsorbent beds of the two groups are employed in a paired relationship and subjected to feed, co-current depressurization, evacuation, and countercurrent repressurization stages. In the feed stages, pairs of the adsorbent beds are pressurized with the mixture to adsorb the primary component in a first group of the adsorbent beds and in an entry section of a second group of the adsorbent beds. Also during the feed stage, the secondary component is adsorbed in the second group of adsorbent beds in remaining sections thereof. During co-current depressurization, any of the secondary component adsorbed in the first group of adsorbent beds and part of the primary component is driven to the second group of adsorbent beds. The adsorbent beds are individually evacuated to produce primary and secondary product streams rich in the primary and secondary components, respectively. Countercurrent repressurization is effected with a waste stream comprising the effluent from the feed stage. The countercurrent repressurization stage functions to bring the adsorbent beds back up to operating pressure and to drive the primary component back into the first group of adsorbent beds.