The differing degrees of adsorption of various components on the CMS allow even the adsorbed components to be separated from one another very effectively. Other impurities in the natural gas streams can be adsorbed with the hydrocarbons or allowed to pass through with the nitrogen. In this manner, nitrogen is separated from hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons adsorbed by the CMS are recovered during the pressure reduction phase of the Pressure Swing Adsorption process. Initially, a bed is pressurized to an optimum adsorption pressure of 30-50 psig with feed gas.
Optimum pressure is determined for each specific application.
Feed gas then flows through the bed and hydrocarbons are adsorbed onto the CMS, while nitrogen passes through the bed and is vented to atmosphere. Some of the hydrocarbons are reclaimed and recycled with the plant feed stream. The operation of the PSA unit is quite simple with minimal process control required. Nitrotec's PSA units operate on a preprogrammed, repetitive time cycle. Highly accurate and reliable analytical equipment is utilized to monitor gas compositions and optimize performance.