Patent ID: 6488747
Filing Date: 2002-12-03
Classification: B01D

Abstract:
A pressure swing adsorption system for separating a first gas fraction and a second gas fraction from a gas mixture including the first and second fractions, the pressure swing adsorption system comprising:a stator including a first stator valve surface, a second stator valve surface, a plurality of first function compartments opening into the first stator valve surface, and a plurality of second function compartments opening into the second stator valve surface, the first function compartments comprising a plurality of feed gas compartments and a plurality of countercurrent blowdown compartments; a rotor rotatably coupled to the stator and including a first rotor valve surface in communication with the first stator valve surface, a second rotor valve surface in communication with the second stator valve surface, a plurality of flow paths for receiving adsorbent material therein, each said flow path including a pair of opposite ends, and a plurality of apertures provided in the rotor valve surfaces and in communication with the flow path ends and the function ports; and a gas turbine including a plurality of pressure outlet ports and a plurality of pressure inlet ports for maintaining each of the function ports at a plurality of discrete pressure levels between an upper pressure and a lower pressure for maintaining uniform gas flow through the first and second function compartments, wherein the gas turbine comprises a multi-stage first compressor coupled to the gas feed compartments through the pressure outlet ports for delivering feed gas to the flow paths at a plurality of pressure increments, a multi-stage first expander coupled to the first compressor and coupled to the countercurrent blowdown compartments through the pressure inlet ports for exhausting blowdown gas from the flow paths at a plurality of pressure increments, and a gas flow heater coupled to at least one of the pressure outlet ports for heating a portion of the feed gas and for conveying the heated portion to the first expander.