Heater arrangement for TEPSA system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9795915-B2
Application number	US-201615010129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a temperature enhanced pressure swing adsorption (TEPSA) process for removing at least two components including a less strongly adsorbed component and a more strongly adsorbed component from a gas mixture, said process comprising using one single heater and at least two adsorber vessels, in each of which repeated cycles comprising an adsorption phase and subsequent regeneration phases.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for use in a temperature enhanced pressure swing adsorption (TEPSA) process, the apparatus comprising one single heater and at least two adsorber vessels, wherein each adsorber vessel comprises
an inlet for a gas mixture to be purified and an outlet for purified gas separated by a flow path including a flow chamber containing an adsorbent bed,
an inlet and an outlet for regeneration gas separated by a flow path including said flow chamber,

the apparatus further comprising
lines connecting a source of the gas mixture to be purified with the inlets for the gas mixture of each adsorber vessel,
a line connecting the one single heater with a source of regeneration gas,
lines connecting the one single heater with the inlet for regeneration gas of each adsorber vessel, and
a by-pass line for connecting the source of regeneration gas with the inlet of each absorber vessel for regeneration gas, where said by-pass line by-passes the one single heater,

wherein a single line from the one single heater is joined at a junction with the by-pass line, the junction feeding a single, common regeneration gas line before this common regeneration gas line is split to individual lines leading to each inlet for regeneration gas of each respective adsorber vessel; and
wherein the length, X, of the single line from the one single heater to the junction with the by-pass line is between 1 m and 9 m.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the total length, Y of the line between the junction and the inlet for the regeneration gas of each adsorber vessel is not more than 6 m.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the single line from the one single heater to the junction with the by-pass line is insulated.

4. A temperature enhanced pressure swing adsorption (TEPSA) process using the apparatus according to claim 1 , the process for removing at least two components including a less strongly adsorbed component and a more strongly adsorbed component from the gas mixture, wherein repeated cycles comprising an adsorption phase and subsequent regeneration phases are performed in each of the adsorber vessels as follows:
in the adsorption phase said gas mixture is passed in a first direction through the adsorbent bed contained in the adsorber vessel, so that said gas mixture is purified by the adsorption of said at least two components in the adsorbent bed,
in a first regeneration phase a hot regeneration gas having a target temperature which is selected to be any temperature in the range from 20° C. to 100° C., is passed through the adsorbent bed in a flow direction opposite to the flow direction during the adsorption phase, and
in a second regeneration phase a cool regeneration gas having a target temperature which is selected to be any temperature in the range from 5° C. to 65° C. is passed through the adsorbent bed in a flow direction opposite to the flow direction during the adsorption phase,
wherein
the hot regeneration gas is provided to each of the adsorber vessels by passing regeneration gas from the source of the regeneration gas to said one single heater where the regeneration gas is heated up, and passing the hot regeneration gas leaving the one single heater to the respective vessel through the single line from the one single heater to the junction having a length, X, between 1 m and 9 m, and
the cool regeneration gas is provided to each of the adsorber vessels by directing regeneration gas from the source of the regeneration gas to the respective vessel by-passing the one single heater.

5. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the hot regeneration gas in the first regeneration phase has a target temperature which is selected to be any temperature in the range from 20° C. to 70° C.

6. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the cool regeneration gas in the second regeneration phase has a target temperature which is selected to be any temperature in the range from 10° C. to 55° C.

7. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the difference of the target temperatures of the hot regeneration gas in the first regeneration phase and the cool regeneration gas in the second regeneration phase is 15° C. or more.

8. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the peak temperature of the hot regeneration gas in the first regeneration phase is 45° C. or more.

9. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the first regeneration phase takes place for 20 min or less.

10. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the second regeneration phase takes place for 80 min or less.

11. A process according to claim 4 , wherein the overall regeneration cycle time (on-line time) is 120 min or less.

Assignees

• Air Prod & Chem

Inventors

• Kalbassi Mohammad Ali
• O'Meara April Emma Louise
• Raiswell Christopher James
• Zone Ian Robert

Classifications

• B01D2257/80

  Water · CPC title

• B01D2259/40045

  with two sub-steps · CPC title

• B01D53/0438 Primary

  Cooling or heating systems · CPC title

• B01D2257/504

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• F25J3/04169

  by adsorption of the impurities (adsorption in general B01D53/02) · CPC title