Patent ID: 8491704

Claim:
A pressure swing adsorption process for separating a pressurized supply feed gas containing one or more strongly adsorbable component from at least one less strongly adsorbable product gas component in a six bed adsorbent system to produce a continuous stream of product gas enriched in the less strongly adsorbable component and a continuous stream of offgas that is enriched in the strongly adsorbable components; wherein, the process cycle has eighteen steps including four bed-to-bed equalization steps, in accordance to following cycle chart: Step: Bed # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1 A1 A2/ A3/ E1 E2 E2 E3 PPG E4/ BD2 PG E4′ E3′ E2′ E2′ E1′ PP1 PP2 PP1 PP2 BD1 2 E1′ PP1 PP2 A1 A2/ A3/ E1 E2 E2 E3 PPG E4/BD1 BD2 PG E4′ E3′ E2′ E2′ PP1 PP2 3 E3′ E2′ E2′ E1′ PP1 PP2 A1 A2/ A3/ E1 E2 E2 E3 PPG E4/ BD2 PG E4′ PP1 PP2 BD1 4 BD2 PG E4′ E3′ E2′ E2′ E1′ PP1 PP2 A1 A2/PP1 A3/PP2 E1 E2 E2 E3 PPG E4/BD1 5 E3 PPG E4/ BD2 PG E4′ E3′ E2′ E2′ E1′ PP1 PP2 A1 A2/ A3/ E1 E2 E2 BD1 PP1 PP2 6 E1 E2 E2 E3 PPG E4/ BD2 PG E4′ E3′ E2′ E2′ E1′ PP1 PP2 A1 A2/ A3/PP2 BD1 PP1 wherein: A1 = First Adsorption Step A2/PP1 = Second Adsorption Step/First Product Pressurization A3/PP2 = Third Adsorption Step/Second Product Pressurization E1 = First Equalization Down E2 = Second Equalization Down E3 = Third Equalization Down PPG = Provide Purge Gas E4/BD1 = Fourth Equalization Down/First Blowdown BD2 = Second Blowdown PG = Purge E4′ = Equalization Up (using gas from E4 step) E3′ = Equalization Up (using gas from E3 step) E2′ = Equalization Up (using gas from E2 step) E1′ = Equalization Up (using gas from E1 step) PP1 = First Product Pressurization PP2 = Second Product Pressurization