Patent ID: 8394171

Claim:
A method for controlling impurity buildup on adsorbent for a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process, the adsorbent is contained in a plurality of adsorption units including a first adsorption unit, a second adsorption unit, and a third adsorption unit, the method comprising the steps of: operating the PSA process in a normal mode comprising a first depressurizing equalization step and a providing purge step, the first depressurizing equalization step causing a first amount of gas to be fluidly communicated from the first adsorption unit that is at a pressurized condition to the second adsorption unit to equalize pressure between the first and second adsorption units, and the providing purge step causing a second amount of gas to be fluidly communicated from the first adsorption unit to purge the third adsorption unit for removal of impurities from the adsorbent in the third adsorption unit; sensing the impurities in an effluent from the PSA process; and operating the PSA process in a high purge mode comprising a high providing purge step and excluding the first depressurizing equalization step to increase an available amount of gas for the high providing purge step, the high providing purge step causing a third amount of gas to be fluidly communicated from the first adsorption unit to purge another of the plurality of adsorption units, wherein the third amount of gas is greater than the second amount of gas for enhanced removal of the impurities from the adsorbent in the another of the plurality of adsorption units.