Patent ID: 6802889
Filing Date: 2004-10-12
Classification: B01D

Abstract:
A pressure swing adsorption process for the separation of a multi-component feed gas mixture by selectively adsorbing at least one more readily adsorbable component in a bed of adsorbent material, comprising:(a) pressurizing the bed; (b) passing the feed gas mixture through the bed of adsorbent material from an inlet surface of the bed to an outlet surface of the bed, wherein the at least one more readily adsorbable component is preferentially adsorbed by the adsorbent material, and withdrawing a depleted gas depleted in the at least one more readily adsorbable component exiting from the outlet surface of the bed; (c) depressurizing the bed by withdrawing an enriched gas enriched in the at least one more readily adsorbable component from the bed; (d) repeating (a)-(c) in a cyclic manner; wherein the bed has a bed depth, L, and a bed volume, Vbed; wherein the bed has an aspect ratio according to equation (1) Aspect ratio=L3/Vbedâ€ƒâ€ƒ(1) wherein the aspect ratio for the bed is less than 10; and, wherein the mean pressure gradient in the bed in (b) exceeds 0.035 psi/inch.