Patent GB-165816-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the separation of gases
IPC: B01D53/04
Filed: 1919-04-16
Abstract: 165,816. Davies, W. E. April 16, 1919. Gases, separating mixtures of; diffusion apparatus for gases.- To separate gaseous mixtures into their constituents the gases are led into an apparatus provided with a number of chambers or sections corresponding with the number of the constituents, charged with absorbent material, and arranged around a more or less central inlet; the upper section or sections are for the lighter constituents, and the lower for the heavier; in all cases the packing is of a porous or semiporous character, and may consist of rubber sponge, coke, charcoal, broken brick, and may be in the form of perforated, holed, slotted, cornered, bevelled, rounded or other shaped pieces or briquettes, and it may be supported on perforated shelves so as to form layers : and the chambers are provided at their outlets with fans, injectors, &c. for withdrawing the absorbed constituents, and since the absorption and therefore separation depends on the rate at which the gases are exhausted from the sections or chambers, the outlets may be provided with regulating valves, &c., and to obtain uniform absorption each section may have several cutlets which subsequently unite, as shown in Fig. 4. The separation may be effected at reduced, normal, or increased pressures, and at low, normal, or high temperatures. If the gas mixture contains but two constituents, it is introduced through an inlet 4b, Fig. 1, arranged between two packed sections 2.3. the upper section for the lighter constituent, and the lower for the heavier; and the inlet pipe may be perforated on one or both sides, and a by-pass such as the pipe 15, may connect with the outlet side of the sections in order to obtain a desired mixture. From the separating chamber the fractionated products may be passed to other and similar apparatus to obtain a more perfect separation. In the case of more than two constituents, the separating sections are arranged around an horizontal axis in a manner depending on their relative densities, for example as shown in Fig. 3, in which the sections a - - d, are arranged around an horizontal inlet pipe 4b. This inlet pipe is perforated and may revolve slowly, and the mouths of sections may be screened by solid or perforated partitions 16, 17, 18. As a general rule the mouth of a section is proportional in width to the amount of the particular constituent to be dealt with in that section. When large volumes of gases are to be treated, the inlet may be surrounded by concentric bands of sheeting, 25, Fig. 4, with uniform perforations and with porous packing arranged between the several sheets; and the several layers of packing and sheeting may be of graduated porosity. When packing the sections, those for the lighter constituents should be more densely packed, and the material employed should be more finely porous, than those for the heavier constituents. To dispose of any heat generated in a section, cooled gas of a similar composition may be introduced, and such added gas may also act as a flushing medium. The invention is applicable to the recovery from the air withdrawn from coal mines of methane either as such or in the form of air enriched with methane suitable for combustion; and to the separation of furnace gases into nitrogen and carbon dioxide.