Patent ID: 8585801

Claim:
A process for separating a flowing gas mixture comprising one or more higher density gas component(s) and one or more lower density gas component(s), the process comprising: a) providing a slot in a gas separation channel in the form of an elongated Clusius-Dickel column having a length dimension, L, through which a net cross-flow of the gas mixture may be established; b) causing one side of the channel to be at a higher temperature and causing an opposite side of the channel to be at a lower temperature, thereby causing thermal-diffusion and buoyant-convection flow to occur in the slot; and c) establishing the net cross-flow of a gas mixture comprising at least one higher density gas component and at least one lower density gas component along the length of the channel, wherein the net cross-flow causes, in combination with the buoyant-convection flow, a spiraling flow in the slot; and wherein the spiraling flow causes an increasing amount of separation of the higher density gas from the lower density gas along the length of the channel.