Apparatus and system for swing adsorption processes related thereto

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9861929-B2
Application number	US-201615079559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	May 15, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

Provided are apparatus and systems for performing a swing adsorption process. This swing adsorption process may involve passing fluids through an adsorbent bed unit having a contactor disposed within to separate contaminates from other target components. The process includes a purge stream that introduced into the contactor at a location between a first portion and a second portion of the contactor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adsorbent bed unit for a cyclical swing process comprising:
a housing having an interior region;
one or more contactors disposed in the interior region, each of the one or more contactors having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is disposed upstream of the second portion, wherein the first portion comprises a first adsorbent material and the second portion comprises a second adsorbent material, and wherein each of the one or more contactors have fluid flow passages through the first adsorbent material and the second adsorbent material; and
each of the one or more contactors have at least one gas purge inlet conduit disposed within the first portion and configured to provide a purge flow passage to a mid-purge distribution zone between the first portion and the second portion, wherein the purge flow passage within the at least one gas purge inlet conduit is fluidly separated and independent of the fluid flow passages through the first adsorbent material.

2. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1 , further comprising a plenum closure component disposed upstream of the first portion and having a distribution zone, wherein the plenum closure component is configured to:
provide fluid communication between the distribution zone and the mid-purge distribution zone via the at least one gas purge inlet conduit;
provide fluid communication between a primary fluid zone formed between the first portion and the plenum closure component and a location external to the housing; and
isolate direct fluid communication between the distribution zone and the primary fluid zone.

3. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 2 , wherein the plenum closure component comprises one or more outlet conduits disposed adjacent to the first portion in the primary fluid zone and configured to provide fluid communication between the primary fluid zone and the external location.

4. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 2 , wherein one or more contactors comprise a first contactor and a second contactor, and,
wherein the plenum closure component is configured to:
provide fluid communication between the distribution zone and the respective mid-purge distribution zones of the via the respective gas purge inlet conduit;
provide fluid communication between primary fluid zone between the respective first portions and the plenum closure component and the location external to the housing; and
isolate direct fluid communication between the distribution zone and the primary fluid zone.

5. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1 , wherein the housing is configured to maintain a pressure from 0 bar a to 100 bar a within the interior region.

6. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1 , wherein the mid-purge distribution zone is positioned at a location that is between 10% and 60% of the length of the adsorbent bed.

7. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1 , wherein the mid-purge distribution zone is positioned at a location that is between 20% and 40% of the length of the adsorbent bed.

8. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1 , wherein the purge flow passage and the fluid flow passages are substantially parallel relative to the flow through the first portion.

9. A method of manufacturing a contactor, comprising:
fabricating a first portion of a contactor, wherein the first portion is configured to provide first fluid flow passages through a first adsorbent material, wherein the first portion has a gas purge inlet conduit that is configured to provide a purge flow passage through the first portion and the purge flow passage is fluidly separated and independent of the fluid flow passages through the first portion;
fabricating a second portion of the contactor comprising a second adsorbent material, wherein the second portion is configured to provide second fluid flow passages through the second adsorbent material; and
securing the first portion to the second portion, wherein the gas purge inlet conduit is configured to provide a purge flow passages to a mid-purge distribution zone between the first portion and the second portion, wherein the purge flow passage is fluidly separated and independent of the first fluid flow passages.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein fabricating the first portion of the contactor comprises:
providing a sheet of the first adsorbent material;
securing the sheet of the first adsorbent material to the gas purge inlet conduit; and
wrapping the sheet of the first adsorbent material around the gas inlet conduit.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein securing the sheet of the first adsorbent material to the gas purge inlet conduit comprises welding the sheet of the first adsorbent material to the gas purge inlet conduit.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein wrapping the sheet of the first adsorbent material around a gas inlet conduit comprises mechanically rolling the sheet of first adsorbent material around a gas inlet conduit to a designed size.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first adsorbent material comprises one or more of alumina, microporous zeolites, carbons, cationic zeolites, high silica zeolites, highly siliceous ordered mesoporous materials, sol gel materials, ALPO materials, SAPO materials, MOF materials and ZIF materials.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising trimming the wrapped sheet of first adsorbent material into a polygon shape.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising disposing a liner around the outer surface of the sheet of first adsorbent material.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising disposing a sealing component between the liner and the sheet of first adsorbent material, wherein the sealing component is configured to prevent fluids from passing between the liner and the sheet of first adsorbent material.

17. A method of manufacturing an adsorbent bed unit, comprising:
fabricating a plurality of contactors, wherein each of the plurality of contactors comprises:
a first portion configured to provide first fluid flow passages through a first adsorbent material, wherein the first portion has a gas purge inlet conduit configured to provide a purge flow passage through the first portion and the purge flow passage is fluidly separated and independent of the first fluid flow passages through the first portion;
a second portion comprising a second adsorbent material, wherein the second portion is configured to provide second fluid flow passages through the second adsorbent material;
wherein the first portion is secured to the second portion; and
wherein the gas purge inlet conduit is configured to provide a purge flow passage to a mid-purge distribution zone between the first portion and the second portion, wherein the purge flow passage is fluidly separated and independent of the fluid flow passages;
securing two or more plurality of contactors to each other to form an assembly of contactors;
constructing an adsorbent bed unit housing, wherein the an adsorbent bed unit housing has an interior region; and
disposing the assembly of contactors into an adsorbent bed unit housing.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the contactors in the assembly of contactors provides separate flow passages through the respective contactor.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the contactors in the assembly of contactors comprises a liner disposed around the first portion of the contactor.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein each liner has one or more tabs that extends beyond the first portion and wherein securing the two or more plurality of contacto

Assignees

• Tammera Robert F
• Frederick Jeffrey W
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Tammera Robert F
• Frederick Jeffrey W

Classifications

• B01D53/0446

  Means for feeding or distributing gases · CPC title

• B01D53/0407

  Constructional details of adsorbing systems · CPC title

• B01D53/047 Primary

  Pressure swing adsorption · CPC title

• B01D2259/4062

  using six beds · CPC title

• B01D53/0462

  Temperature swing adsorption · CPC title