Patent ID: 6293998
Filing Date: 2001-09-25
Classification: B01D,Y02C

Abstract:
A pressure and temperature swing adsorption process using a spirally wound module, said spirally wound module comprising a hollow mandrel provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart holes, said mandrel having a mandrel interior and an outer mandrel surface; at least one envelope leaf fixed to the outer mandrel surface, said envelope leaf having an open end at the outer mandrel surface and a closed end opposite and forming an envelope interior and an outer envelope surface and enclosing at least a portion of said longitudinally spaced apart holes to provide communication between the mandrel interior and the envelope interior through said holes, the envelope leaf being spirally wrapped around the mandrel; an adsorbent layer comprising at least one adsorbent paper layer and at least one feed spacer spirally wrapped around the mandrel so that the adsorbent paper layer is disposed on a side of the outer envelope surface to form an adsorption zone; a flow blocking device substantially blocking axial flow of a heat exchange fluid through the interior of the mandrel to provide a heat transfer inlet zone at a proximal end and a heat transfer outlet zone at a distal end of the mandrel; at least one spacer provided in the envelope interior extending from the open end towards the closed end, the heat transfer spacer being a combination of a first tricot layer having grooves extending in one direction and a second tricot layer having grooves extending in the opposite direction, said grooves in the first layer being in fluid communication with the grooves in the second tricot layer, said process comprising the steps of:a) passing a feed gas stream to an adsorption zone at a feed end of a spirally wound module and withdrawing an adsorption effluent from a product end opposite;b) thermally purging the adsorption zone by passing a hot heat transfer stream to the hollow mandrel to establish a thermal wave in the adsorption zone at a point between the feed end and the product end of the adsorption zone, withdrawing a warm heat transfer stream from said mandrel, and simultaneously or subsequently purging the adsorption zone with a purge stream and recovering a second adsorption effluent;c) purging the adsorption zone with a second purge stream at a desorption temperature to produce a desorption effluent;d) passing a portion of the warm heat transfer stream and a cold heat transfer stream to the hollow mandrel to return the adsorption zone to the adsorption temperature and repressurizing the adsorption zone; and,e) repeating step (a)-(d) to provide a continuous process.