Patent ID: 8808426

Claim:
An increased efficiency high-capacity swing adsorption process comprising: providing a feedstream containing a first concentration of at least one desired product gas and a first concentration of at least one contaminant gas, wherein the feedstream is provided at a rate of at least 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MSCFD); contacting the feedstream with an adsorption module having a feed end, a product end, and or e or more adsorption beds comprising an adsorption material under conditions sufficient for the adsorption material to selectively adsorb the at least one desired product gas in comparison to the at least one contaminant gas, so as to form a contaminant effluent having a second concentration of the at least one desired product gas that is lower than the first concentration in the feedstream and having a second concentration of the at least one contaminant gas that is higher than the first concentration in the feedstream; and selectively desorbing the at least one desired product gas from the adsorption material, so as to form a product effluent having a third concentration of the at least one desired product gas that is at least 20 wt % higher than the first concentration in the feedstream and having a second concentration of the at least one contaminant gas that is at least 20 wt % lower than the first concentration in the feedstream, wherein the adsorption module contains rotary valves both on the feed end and on the product end of the adsorption bed(s) and a rotational member defining a central rotational axis; wherein the adsorption bed(s) is(are) oriented circumferentially to the rotational member axially surrounding the rotational axis; and wherein one or more of the following are true: the adsorption bed(s) thus (each) comprise an inner wall closest to the rotational axis and an outer wall furthest from the rotational axis, such that the outer wall defines a plane that is non-parallel with a plane defined by the inner wall, such that an intersection angle defined at the convergent interface of the planes is between 10° and 60°; the adsorption bed(s) thus (each) comprise a feed end cross-sectional area and a product end cross-sectional area, such that a ratio of the feed end cross-sectional area to the product end cross-sectional area is from 12 to 10; and the feed end rotary valve has a diameter and the product end rotary valve has a diameter, such that the ratio of the feed end rotary valve diameter to the product end rotary valve diameter is from 1.1 to 2.5.