Expandable adsorptive gas separator and method of operation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotating torus for supporting a plurality of sorbent containers therein and having a sealing assembly. The rotating torus is fluidly isolated from a stationary stator assembly having a stationary conduit and a stationary seal assembly. The sealing assembly of the rotating torus and the sealing assembly of the stationary stator assembly cooperate with each other to fluidly isolate a plurality of sorbent containers. When the torus is rotated about the axis of rotation, the plurality of containers each pass through each stationary seal assembly, allowing fluid to flow from one stationary assembly through the sorbent container to another stationary seal assembly, allowing the sorbent container to adsorb or desorb fluid components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to adsorptive gas separators having a motion vessel containing a solid adsorbent, and more particularly to structural details. Background Art

[0002] Large chemical separations are usually performed using distillation techniques. Different techniques, such as adsorption separation, are used to remove large amounts of CO from dilute gas streams of industrial effluents. 2 The demand is a very challenging technical problem.

[0003] For example, adsorption separation using liquid amines requires larger contactor towers to allow CO 2 Capable of exchanging between bulk gases and amine-containing liquids.

[0004] Adsorption gas separation processes using solid adsorbents have been developed with preferred smaller contactor volumes. One such technology using a rapid cycle humidity swing process demonstrated suitable CO removal of 10,000 metric tons per year (MTPY) from a flue gas stream. 2 Separation capacity. A rotary adsorptive gas separator with a 4 meter diameter contactor containing 1 to 2 metric tons (MT) of adsorbent material has a processing cycle time as low as 1 minute. However, separation and purification of CO from flue gas at this small scale is not possible. 2 Less economically viable due to higher investment costs vs. CO 2 While this right-sized demonstration demonstrates the feasibility of the method and adsorbent system, scaling up the machine to perform millions of metric tons of CO per year is a real challenge. 2 Separation will present new challenges.

[0005] Adsorptive gas separation methods and systems (eg, temperature swing adsorption, pressure swing adsorption, vacuum swing adsorption, and partial pressure swing adsorption) are known in the art for adsorption gas separation of multi-component fluid mixtures.

[0006] Conventional temperature swing adsorption gas separation processes generally employ two basic steps, an adsorption step and a regeneration step. In the adsorption step, a feed stream (e.g., a multi-component fluid mixture at a relatively low temperature) generally enters an adsorption gas separator having a contactor including an adsorbent material, wherein the adsorbent material is capable of adsorbing a target component of the feed stream, thereby separating the adsorbed target component from the remaining components of the feed stream. A first product stream depleted of the target component relative to the feed stream can then be recovered from the contactor and the adsorption gas separator. That is, the concentration of the target component in the first product stream is less than the concentration of the target component in the feed stream.

[0007] In one or more subsequent regeneration steps, typically, at least one fluid stream at a higher temperature enters the adsorptive gas separator and contactor to increase the temperature of the adsorbent material, thereby releasing or desorbing the adsorbed target component from the adsorbent material and allowing cyclic reuse of the adsorbent material.

[0008] A second product stream enriched in the target component relative to the feed stream can then be recovered from the contactor and adsorptive gas separator. More specifically, the concentration of the target component in the second product stream is greater than the concentration of the target component in the feed stream.

[0009] In an optional cooling or conditioning step, typically, a fluid stream at a lower temperature enters the adsorption gas separator and contactor to reduce the temperature of the adsorbent material in preparation for the subsequent adsorption step. Typically, the steps of adsorption, regeneration, and conditioning can be repeated sequentially.

[0010] Some adsorptive gas separation processes using a humidity swing adsorbent regeneration step may have 4 to 8 process steps and between 3 and 6 inlet process streams.

[0011] In conventional adsorptive gas separation processes and systems, the energy consumed to regenerate the adsorbent material can often represent a large portion of the operating costs of such systems and processes, and this cost is often a barrier to widespread adoption and implementation of conventional adsorptive gas separation technology. More complex cycles are often created to improve the separation performance of the process, such as using additional purge steps to increase product purity, or using multiple adsorbent conditioning steps to improve control of adsorbent moisture loading and adsorbent temperature.

[0012] The adsorptive gas separator may be configured with multiple adsorbent beds, multiple adsorbent contactors, or multiple zones, such as multiple discrete adsorbent beds or contactors, wherein at least one contactor moves through multiple stationary zones of substantial fluid separation within the adsorptive gas separator while performing different steps of the adsorptive gas separation process.

[0013] The adsorption gas separator may also be arranged so that the various fluid streams supplied to and withdrawn from the adsorption gas separator are supplied and collected at fixed locations while the adsorbent bed or contactor or zone is in motion.

[0014] There are several design challenges for adsorption gas separators with moving or rotating solid adsorbents, including, for example, achieving short cycle times for the adsorption gas process, achieving adequate sealing of the various fluid flows between dynamic and static components, and limiting undesirable heat transfer between beds, contactors, and / or zones within the adsorption gas separator, which may undesirably result in reduced performance of the adsorption gas separator and process. Furthermore, thermal cycling of components within the device may undesirably reduce the life expectancy of some adsorption gas separator or adsorbent contactor components.

[0015] The amount of adsorbent used to perform a gas separation is generally inversely proportional to the cycle duration. Therefore, the ability to perform rapid adsorption process cycles has a significant impact on the size of the adsorption gas separator and the economic viability of the process.

[0016] With the global CO 2 With the demand for removal exceeding 1 GT per year, commercial plants with gas separation capacities ranging from, for example, 200,000 MTPY to 2,000,000 MTPY are desired. An efficient design for a rapid cycle adsorption gas separator is needed that can rapidly move 20 MT to 400 MT of adsorbent material through a set of processing steps in minutes to tens of seconds in order to meet the desired global gas separation capacity.

[0017] Scaling up of adsorptive gas separators using rotating adsorbent wheels presents many challenges, including designing a structure for the adsorptive gas separator that is as light as possible while being able to accurately and repeatably position the seals and seal performance at the interface of the rotor and stator. The size of the final structure also makes it difficult to transport the structure or components to site.

[0018] Additional challenges for large adsorptive gas separators include achieving adequate containment of process and product gas streams in the adsorptive gas separator while rapidly switching the streams feeding and withdrawing from the adsorbent, e.g., in one minute, the adsorbent vessel may be in contact with at least 4 different process streams. Therefore, the time available for opening and closing the channels to the adsorbent vessel when switching streams will be of short duration.

[0019] A small adsorptive gas separator can be provided in which the adsorbent is contained in two or more enclosures or containers mounted on a rotor driven by and rotating about a central axis. Channels in the enclosures or containers enable different flows to flow into and out of the enclosures in order to contact the adsorbent. An adsorptive gas separator using pressure swing treatment is disclosed in European Patent Publication EP3613491A1, in which the outer diameter of the rotor is typically less than 2 meters. The dynamic or moving enclosure or container may have a sealing surface or relative panel that moves and slides against a stationary sealing surface or stationary sealing surface of the stator to form a seal between the container and the surrounding environment and between the containers, while allowing process and product gas flows to flow into and out of the container via the sealing surface and relative panel. The production and deployment of large components (e.g., stationary sealing surfaces and / or moving opposing panels having a span of greater than five meters) presents challenges, such as manufacturing components with the tight tolerances required for proper sealing (e.g., tolerances of less than one millimeter over a distance greater than about five meters), the cost of manufacturing and installation, and the handling and transportation of large components. During operation of this type of adsorption gas separator, challenges in maintaining alignment between the moving and stationary sealing surfaces, thermal expansion and contraction of the various sealing surfaces or opposing panels over large spans, etc., may impair effective matching of the components, thereby resulting in leakage of process and product gas streams. Another challenge of such large adsorption gas separators is the application and transmission of the power required to accelerate and move the adsorbent (which can weigh more than about 10 metric tons) and related hardware, while overcoming friction between the stationary and moving or sliding sealing surfaces, such as the moving opposing panels and the stationary sealing surfaces. Applying power with concentrated forces so that the entire weight of the adsorbent and related hardware moves through a single point may result in deflection and localized stresses in the components, thereby requiring oversizing of the components, which in turn increases component cost. Yet another challenge with large adsorptive gas separators includes the large footprint or area occupied by the adsorptive gas separator, particularly in applications where available area is limited, such as in retrofit applications where the adsorptive gas separator is added to an existing facility or equipment, such as a power plant.

[0020] The life cycle cost of an adsorbent gas separator must be considered in light of the commercial operation and acceptance of the various technologies.The capital cost or strength of an adsorbent gas separator can be assessed by evaluating the amount of structure required to control the location and movement of the adsorbent vessels.

[0021] Maintenance of adsorbent gas separators may include replacement and / or repair of components and parts, such as adsorbent materials, seals, and other parts that have a limited lifespan. Ridges and / or supporting structures and conduits for process and product gas streams typically surround the adsorbent gas separator on all sides, which limits access to and hinders replacement of components and parts. Limited access to components leads to complexity, delays, and increased downtime, thereby increasing the impact and cost of maintenance.

[0022] Sealing the interface between moving annuli used as multi-flow separation systems, particularly for large radius systems (e.g., diameter greater than 4 meters), requires high tolerances on the surface roughness of the opposing faces of the seal. Conventional prior art seals require at least a root mean square (RMS) roughness of no more than 0.4 microns for the opposing faces, with higher quality seals requiring RMS roughness as low as 0.1 microns or even 0.01 microns. Such extremely smooth surfaces over large areas of such system scales that are economical to operate would make the production and maintenance of large gas separation systems very challenging or expensive. Therefore, there is a significant motivation to create a sealing system that can achieve low leakage rates. Seals that address these deficiencies in the prior art are the subject of the present invention.

[0023] Traditionally, large gas processing equipment and facilities would be uniquely designed and manufactured for a single specific application, process and location. It would also be desirable to have a modular design that could be mass manufactured with reduced on-site manufacturing and installation costs.

[0024] The present invention provides solutions for adsorptive gas separation methods and applications, such as separation of CO from industrial, commercial, process, combustion or flue gas streams. 2 , where the gas flow from which the components are to be separated has a relatively large gas flow rate (>20000Nm 3 / h) and lower pressure (<100 kPag). The solutions include providing an efficient adsorption gas separator design for moving the adsorbent contactor between process streams and recovering the process effluent stream without significant leakage, and a novel multi-stream selector valve design with a novel sealing system design that can achieve longer seal life and higher seal performance and lower leakage rate than the sealing system design that can be used in larger adsorption gas separators (e.g., greater than 5 m in diameter). Summary of the invention

[0025] In a broad aspect of the invention, a multi-stream selector valve comprises: a rotating torus; a set of conduits and conduit connectors; a support structure for a driver and a wheel, the support structure supporting the torus and positioning the set of conduits and conduit connectors to form a stator assembly; and a sealing assembly, the sealing assembly comprising a flexible wear-resistant sealing component in contact with the rotating torus, the sealing assembly being subjected to friction. In an embodiment, the rotating torus is capable of being attached to at least one circular track and supported by a wheel, the wheel being arranged in a fixed position and distributed in angular increments so as to contact the circular track simultaneously, the wheel providing a reaction force to a static load of the torus, wherein at least one wheel provides power for rotating the torus. In yet another embodiment, at least one face of the torus is substantially flat or in the shape of a truncated cone and is suitable for use as an interface for a sliding seal or sealing surface of the torus integrated therein.

[0026] In another broad aspect of the present invention, a sliding sealing system for a toroidal multi-flow selector valve comprises: an inner diameter flexible sealing ring, which also includes a plurality of wear-resistant segments with a Mohs hardness of less than 4; an outer diameter flexible sealing ring, which also includes a plurality of wear-resistant segments, which are free to move along the rotation axis of the annulus and have a Mohs hardness of less than 4; a group of pushing elements for pressing on the wear-resistant segments so as to apply a distributed force along the direction of the sliding sealing surface; and a radial sealing element, which is arranged between the inner diameter sealing ring and the outer diameter sealing ring and contacts the inner diameter sealing ring and the outer diameter sealing ring, and is used to separate different flows entering or leaving the multi-flow selector valve, wherein the sealing system can be configured to provide flow separation for 2 to 20 inlet flows while preventing the process flow from leaking into the surrounding environment or the surrounding environment fluid from leaking into the process flow.

[0027] In another broad aspect, a rotating torus comprises at least one circular track operatively connected to an inner diameter of the rotating torus; a set of wheels arranged in a fixed position and distributed in angular increments along the inner diameter for contacting the at least one circular track, wherein the set of wheels is suitable for providing a reaction force to a static load of the torus, and at least one wheel in the set of wheels is suitable for providing power for rotating the torus without being driven or supported by a central shaft, wherein the torus further comprises at least one substantially flat surface suitable for use as an interface for at least one sliding seal or at least one sealing surface integrated in an adsorption separation machine or a multi-stream selector valve.

[0028] Also, in another broad aspect of the invention, an adsorptive gas separator comprises: a rotating torus having at least one circular track operatively connected to an inner diameter of the rotating torus; a set of wheels arranged in a fixed position and distributed in angular increments along the inner diameter for contacting the at least one circular track, wherein the set of wheels is suitable for providing a reaction force to a static load of the torus, and at least one wheel in the set of wheels is suitable for providing power for rotating the torus without being driven or supported by a central shaft, the torus further comprising at least one substantially flat surface suitable for use as an interface for at least one sliding seal or at least one sealing surface integrated in an adsorptive separation machine or a multi-stream selector valve. In an embodiment, the adsorption gas separator can further include: a plurality of adsorbent vessels containing adsorbent contactors; a set of conduits and conduit connectors; a support structure for a drive and a wheel, the support structure supporting the ring and positioning the set of conduits and conduit connectors to form a stator assembly; and a sealing assembly including a flexible, wear-resistant sealing component in contact with a moving ring surface sealing surface, the sealing assembly being subjected to friction, wherein the adsorption gas separator is suitable for connection with at least one of a conduit for conveying a feed stream, a conduit for conveying a regeneration stream, a conduit for conveying a product stream, and a conduit for conveying a waste stream.

[0029] In another broad aspect of the invention, an adsorptive gas separator for separating a first component from a multi-component fluid stream comprises: an annulus having at least one circular track operatively connected to an inner diameter of a rotating annulus; a set of wheels arranged in a fixed position and distributed along the inner diameter in angular increments for contacting the at least one circular track, wherein the set of wheels is suitable for providing a reaction force to a static load of the annulus, and at least one wheel in the set of wheels is suitable for providing power for rotating the annulus without being driven or supported by a central shaft, wherein the annulus further comprises at least one substantially flat surface suitable for use as an interface for at least one sliding seal or at least one sealing surface integrated in an adsorptive separation machine or a multi-stream selector valve. In an embodiment, the adsorptive gas separator further comprises: a plurality of containers, wherein the plurality of containers are movable and each contain an adsorbent for adsorbing the first component from the multi-component fluid flow; at least one stator side seal assembly, the at least one stator side seal assembly having a conduit connector, an inner peripheral seal, an outer peripheral seal and a radial seal; a plurality of motors for transmitting power to the plurality of containers; a first process flow conduit for directing the multi-component fluid flow as a supply flow to the plurality of containers, wherein the supply flow conduit is substantially stationary; a first product flow conduit for directing a first product flow recovered from the plurality of containers, wherein the first product flow conduit is substantially stationary; a second process flow conduit for directing a first regeneration flow to the plurality of containers, wherein the first regeneration flow conduit is substantially stationary; and a second product flow conduit for directing a second product flow recovered from the plurality of containers, wherein the second product flow conduit is substantially stationary.

[0030] In another aspect of the present invention, an adsorbent gas separator comprises: a rotating assembly for rotating about an axis, the rotating assembly having an annular support structure, the annular support structure having an inner side located on the inner periphery of the rotating assembly, an outer side located on the outer periphery of the rotating assembly, a first span located between the inner side and the outer side, and a second span located between the inner side and the outer side; a plurality of containers that can be attached to the annular support structure, surrounding a solid adsorbent, the plurality of containers having an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the solid adsorbent; and at least one protrusion attached to the inner side of the rotating assembly. In an embodiment, the adsorbent gas separator further comprises: a stationary assembly having a plurality of drive wheels connected to a plurality of motors for transmitting power to move the rotating assembly about the axis; and at least one sealing system for guiding an inlet flow through the plurality of containers and recovering a product flow from the plurality of containers, the at least one sealing system comprising a rotor sealing surface and a stator-side wear-resistant sealing assembly, wherein the stationary assembly is located on the inner side of the rotating assembly.

[0031] Moreover, in another broad aspect of the present invention, a method for operating an adsorptive gas separator for separating a first component from a multi-component fluid stream comprises: providing a rotating torus having at least one circular track operatively connected to an inner diameter of the rotating torus; providing a set of wheels arranged in a fixed position and distributed along the inner diameter in angular increments for contacting the at least one circular track, wherein the set of wheels is suitable for providing a reaction force to a static load of the torus, and at least one wheel in the set of wheels is suitable for providing power for rotating the torus without being driven or supported by a central shaft, wherein the torus further comprises: at least one substantially flat surface suitable for use as an interface for at least one sliding seal or at least one sealing surface integrated in an adsorptive separation machine or a multi-stream selector valve. In an embodiment, the adsorption gas separator can further include: a plurality of adsorbent vessels containing adsorbent contactors; a set of conduits and conduit connectors; a support structure for a drive and a wheel, the support structure supporting the annulus and positioning the set of conduits and conduit connectors to form a stator assembly; and a sealing assembly including a flexible, wear-resistant sealing component in contact with a moving annulus sealing surface, the sealing assembly being subjected to friction, wherein the adsorption gas separator is adapted to be connected to at least a conduit for conveying a feed stream, a conduit for conveying a regeneration stream, a conduit for conveying a product stream, and a conduit for conveying a waste stream. In an embodiment, the method also includes: transmitting power from the multiple motors to the annulus for moving the multiple containers; connecting the multiple containers to a supply flow conduit and a first product flow conduit fluid; directing the multi-component fluid flow as a supply flow to the multiple containers; allowing the first component to be adsorbed on the adsorbent of the multiple containers to form a first product flow depleted of the first component relative to the supply flow; recovering the first product flow from the multiple containers and directing the first product flow to the first product flow conduit; connecting the adsorbent of the multiple containers to the first regeneration flow conduit and the second product flow conduit fluid, and directing the first regeneration flow to the multiple containers; desorbing the first component from the multiple containers to form a second product flow enriched with the first component relative to the supply flow; recovering the second product flow from the multiple containers; and directing the second product flow to the second product flow conduit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing an adsorptive gas separator having a rotating torus assembly having a plurality of adsorbent vessels fluidly connected to a plurality of static conduits and diffusers located above and below the torus assembly;

[0033] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A side view of an embodiment of an adsorptive gas separator shown in;

[0034] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a torus assembly with a support frame and a sorbent vessel with opposing panels;

[0035] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 an enlarged view of a portion of an embodiment showing a support frame and an adsorbent container with opposing panels;

[0036] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of an embodiment of the present invention showing a support frame and a plurality of moving relative panels;

[0037] Figure 6 an enlarged perspective view of a portion of an embodiment of the present invention showing a torus assembly having a plurality of sorbent vessels, a plurality of motors for moving the torus assembly, and a plurality of conduits and diffusers;

[0038] Figure 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a toroidal support structure and a plurality of motors for moving the toroidal support structure;

[0039] Figure 8a is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a bottom portion of an adsorbent container, a connector, and an opposing panel;

[0040] Figure 8b is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a flexible connector that enables opposing panels to bend in at least one direction;

[0041] Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the components of an embodiment of the present invention showing a torus assembly, a sorbent container, and a plurality of diffusers;

[0042] Fig.10a is a schematic diagram of a cutaway plan view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a torus assembly attached to a boom and track and supported by a set of wheels and a rotating shaft;

[0043] Fig.10b yes Fig.10a A schematic top view of a torus assembly showing the position of the set of wheels relative to the torus assembly;

[0044] Fig.11 is an enlarged detailed view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a portion of an adsorptive gas separator forming a multi-stream selector valve;

[0045] Fig.12a is a perspective cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention showing an inner diameter seal;

[0046] Figure 12b yes Fig.12a A perspective cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention shown in , showing an inner diameter seal, an outer diameter seal, and a plurality of radial seals;

[0047] Fig.13 is a photograph of a frame of an adsorption gas separator of Example 1, wherein the rotor is supported on the inner diameter of the torus assembly by a motorized wheel; the inner diameter of the adsorption gas separator is about 10 meters, and the outer diameter of the adsorption gas separator is about 14 meters;

[0048] Fig.14 is a graph showing load on the y-axis and time on the x-axis, wherein curve 1401 shows the vertical load on one of the eight wheels supporting the example torus structure of Example 1 when the torus rotates at about 1 rpm versus time, and curve 1402 shows the total weight of the torus structure; and

[0049] Fig.15 Graphs showing the position on the y-axis and the angular position on the x-axis of the annulus of Example 1, and a graph of the vertical profile VS angular position measured along a circular passage on the bottom sealing face (7 meters from the center of rotation). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] definition:

[0051] Machine: Adsorption gas separator or gas separator. The terms machine, separator, gas separator and adsorption gas separator may be used interchangeably herein.

[0052] Vessel: An enclosure with an inlet and an outlet for containing a solid adsorbent. The terms vessel and adsorbent vessel are used interchangeably herein.

[0053] Counterface: A mating surface that mates with a sealing element or sealing surface, preferably on the rotor or moving side. Typical materials for the counterface include steel, while materials for the sealing element include Teflon. The terms counterface and moving sealing surface are used interchangeably herein.

[0054] Cv or Valve Flow Coefficient: The volume of water at 60°F (in US gallons) that will flow through the valve per minute with a pressure drop of 1 psi across the valve.

[0055] SAB: structured adsorbent bed comprising flow channels substantially uniformly distributed between adsorbent structures (e.g., sheets, ribbons, high surface area extrudates, etc.). SABs can also include honeycomb structures having walls coated with or containing adsorbent material. The terms structured adsorbent bed, SAB, adsorbent contactor, and contactor are used interchangeably herein.

[0056] Degrees of Freedom: For rigid objects, translation or direction of motion in the X, Y, and Z axes, and rotation about each of these axes.

[0057] Design freedom: A degree of freedom that preserves the motion or orientation of a portion of a component, excluding small deformations due to applied forces. For example, a freight car on tracks has one degree of freedom in design. A scissor lift attached to a freight car will have an additional degree of freedom in the lift's height, in addition to the position of the freight car along the tracks.

[0058] Diffuser: Also called a duct connector, it expands the flow cross section from a small cross section at the duct connection to a larger cross section at the interface with the rotor assembly.

[0059] Conduit: A channel or tube that directs and contains the flow of a fluid.

[0060] Conduit Connector: A transition vessel that directs and contains fluid between a conduit and an inlet or outlet discharge face that is located proximate to a rotor seal face and covers a radial segment of the seal face.

[0061] Rotor: or rotor assembly, a structure that rotates or moves during operation of a multi-stream selector valve or operation of an adsorption separation machine. The terms rotor, annular assembly, annular assembly, rotating assembly may be used interchangeably herein.

[0062] Span: The distance or dimension between two points on a generally transverse or horizontal plane, e.g., the distance or dimension between an outer diameter and an inner diameter, where the diameters are measured from a common central axis and on a generally transverse or horizontal plane.

[0063] Process Gas: A fluid supplied to or entering an adsorptive gas separator, such as a feed stream, a regeneration stream, and / or a cooling stream.

[0064] Product Gas: A fluid stream recovered from an adsorptive gas separator, such as a first product stream, a second product stream.

[0065] Seal: An element that prevents gas flow at the interface between different components, such as the rotor seal face and stator gas manifold or the removable adsorbent vessel and the rotor.

[0066] Torus: A three-dimensional object having a substantially annular cross-sectional shape along a plane substantially perpendicular to a selected axis of rotation. A torus may be substantially extruded or extended from an annular flat face or annular base along a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and optionally have shapes having different annular cross-sections and dimensions at different distances from the base or face along a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation or face. The term torus is used interchangeably herein.

[0067] illustrate

[0068] refer to Figure 1 , the adsorptive gas separator 100 comprises: a support element 110 relative to the ground; a rotating assembly 120, which is in the shape of a torus, the torus comprising a plurality of adsorbent containers and two sets of a plurality of conduits 130, each conduit 130 being supported on a stator for fluid connection between the stator and the rotating assembly 120. The conduits can be substantially fixed or stationary. As shown, an example human figure is added for proportioning with a loading platform to handle the installation of adsorbent containers in the rotating assembly. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the machine is approximately 24 meters, with 48 adsorbent containers, for a total of approximately 150 cubic meters of adsorbent material. The carbon dioxide purification capacity of the machine will be between 1000 and 3000 metric tons per day, depending on the flue gas supply composition.

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of conduits 130 can be stationary and fluidly connected to the balance and process gas sources (e.g., flue gas sources) of the equipment for receiving and recovering fluid streams. The rotating assembly 120 includes a support structure with adsorbent containers and a sliding valve element portion capable of realizing the multi-stream switching function of the machine.

[0070] refer to Figure 3 and 4 , the rotating assembly 120 is shown with most of the adsorbent vessels 122 removed. The annular support structure 121 is manufactured from multiple sections that can be assembled in the field. The annular support structure 121 guides the movement of the adsorbent vessels 122 and portions of the sliding valve element. The annular support structure 121 can be manufactured from multiple frame trusses that form a continuous annulus with multiple voids for receiving up to forty-eight adsorbent vessels 122 with associated opposing panels 123 and flow control elements (not shown).

[0071] exist Figure 4 1, 2, and 3. The annular support structure 121, the sorbent vessel 122, and a portion of the opposing panel 123 are shown in greater detail in . As shown, a reinforcement frame can be provided or otherwise employed or used to reduce or minimize deformation of the sorbent vessel 122 during operation and under operating pressures.

[0072] refer to Figure 5, a plurality of discrete opposing panels 123 positioned adjacent to one another can form a semi-continuous surface against which the sealing surface slides. A set of multiple openings or perforations across the opposing panel 123 for one or more channels enables a product stream to flow through the opposing panel for fluidly connecting the adsorbent container and the conduit. The space between the channels of two adjacent opposing panels 123 overlaps with a sealing element located on the static side of the sealing assembly (not shown) to prevent cross-flow between the channels of two adjacent opposing panels 123 that may be exposed to different fluid flows. For simplicity, Figure 5 The mounting details and the sorbent container 122 are not shown.

[0073] like Figure 6 As shown, a set of conduits 131 and diffusers 132 are fluidly connected to each adsorbent container for distributing the flow of a fluid stream to or from each of the plurality of adsorbent containers 122. The sealing surface and associated mounting elements are not shown. The diffuser 132 is constructed and sized to cover or surround a plurality of openings in fluid connection with the adsorbent container 122 and the sealing surface. In some embodiments, additional spacing elements ( Figure 6 ) can be arranged between adjacent diffusers 132 to increase the width of the sealing face surface when necessary.

[0074] As shown, it should be noted that multiple adsorbent vessels 122 can be in fluid contact with a common conduit diffuser 131 at the same time, and therefore in fluid contact with a common process flow. In an embodiment, multiple diffusers can be connected to the common process flow to increase the number of adsorbent vessels in contact with the flow while using prefabricated repeating elements in the components of the stator side flow distribution system. This is particularly advantageous when various settings of flow are desired in different separation applications. This can or otherwise allow the flow flow between the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit to be substantially interrupted during operation of the device and during rotation of the annulus, rotor or rotating assembly.

[0075] In selected locations, radial sealing elements (at Figure 6 omitted, but showing the gap between the diffusers so that radial sealing elements can be arranged) can be fixed to the stator assembly between the diffusers or the duct connectors.

[0076] The radial seal span can be greater than the span of the stator seal face openings, preferably equal to or greater than 360 degrees divided by the number of seal face openings, and their span extends between the inner diameter wear element and the outer diameter wear element.

[0077] refer to Figure 7, shows a toroidal support structure 121 for supporting and guiding an adsorbent container. As shown, in an embodiment, multiple motors and drive wheels can be circumferentially and evenly distributed around the toroidal support structure 121 to move the toroidal support structure 121. The even spacing or distribution of the motors reduces the reaction forces within the toroidal support structure 121 and reduces excessive deformation caused by the applied power.

[0078] like Figure 8a and 8b As shown, the connector 124 can be located between the adsorbent container 122 and the opposing panel 123. The connector 124 can include a "U" shaped element that can move in a vertical direction or in a direction along the flow axis of the fluid flow of the adsorbent container 122 or the opposing panel 123 while maintaining the pressure boundary of the process flow or product flow flowing into or out of the adsorbent container 122. The flexibility and movement of the connector 124 are desired to accommodate thermal expansion of the adsorbent container 122 and forces applied to the adsorbent container 122 in a vertical direction or in a direction along the flow axis of the fluid flow while maintaining a desired position of the opposing panel 123.

[0079] refer to Fig. 9 ,Should Fig. 9 The torus support structure 120, the adsorbent vessel 122, and the plurality of diffusers 132 are shown in greater detail. In this embodiment, the plurality of diffusers 132 disposed above and below the torus support structure 120 are mirror images, but this is not required. For some gas separation processes, it may be desirable to have one or more product streams that are configured and combined differently than the process streams.

[0080] Fig.10a An adsorption gas separator is shown, which includes: a rotating assembly 120, which is in the shape of a torus; one or more protrusions 126, which are located and / or substantially attached to the torus or the inner diameter of the rotating assembly 120; a track 125, which is in the shape of a circle; and a plurality of drive wheels 114 for transmitting power to the rotating assembly 120 through the track 125 and the one or more protrusions 126. The one or more protrusions can be cantilevered, but can be any suitable structure and / or shape, and carry at least a portion of the weight of the rotating assembly 120. In an embodiment, each drive wheel 114 can be attached and / or connected to a drive motor, such as an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, or any other suitable drive device. The plurality of drive wheels 114 support at least a portion of the weight of the rotating assembly 120.

[0081] An adsorbent gas separator is provided with a rotating assembly in the shape of a torus, having substantially flat surfaces on the top and bottom of the torus, which substantially flat surfaces can be used as sliding sealing surfaces, and a conduit for conveying gas to and from the adsorbent gas separator substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotating assembly, and a drive mechanism substantially within the inner diameter of the rotating assembly, which provides the advantage of reducing the number of components located on the periphery or outer diameter of the rotating assembly and the adsorbent gas separator for supporting weight and driving the rotating assembly. This creates a substantially open path along the outer diameter or periphery of the rotating assembly into the space inside the torus, thereby enabling the adsorbent container to be easily and quickly removed from and installed in the rotating assembly, thereby reducing maintenance downtime and costs. In one aspect, the adsorbent gas separator can include eight or more drive wheels.

[0082] refer to Fig.10b , for a rotating assembly 120, the position of the drive assembly 111 is shown relative to the rotating assembly 120, which is, for example, a toroidal structure supported by a track 125, which is cantilevered from the inner diameter (ID) of a rotor, and the rotor is driven and supported by eight wheels, wherein each wheel is connected to and driven by an independent motor.

[0083] Although not shown, the gas flow can be introduced from the top and / or bottom surface of the rotor without fixed structural elements interfering with the entry from the top and bottom surfaces of the annulus. The distribution motor enables the annulus structure to be supported and supported at or within the ID of the annulus. Compared to known systems in the prior art, rotors driven by a single shaft rotating about an axis have at least one of their stator assemblies substantially supported by the OD. In a configuration where the rotor rotates about and is supported by a single shaft, the length of the rotating element in the radial direction is less than 3 meters, thereby greatly reducing the amount of metal sagging and deformation at the OD.

[0084] Fig.11 A portion of the stator assembly and structural support that transfers loads to the ground is shown. A rotating assembly 120 is shown along with a drive assembly 111 that includes a motor and wheels attached to the support column 110. A structural support bridge 112 is used to position the support column 110 and transfer forces to the support column 110. In this embodiment, the upper multi-flow selector valve stator assembly is provided with alternating radial seal assemblies 142 and duct transition or diffuser elements 132. The combination of the toroidal rotor, duct and stator side seal assemblies form the multi-flow selector valve. The ID seal assembly 140 and OD seal assembly 141 for retaining the wear resistant seal elements are located in Fig.12a and 12bThe retainer of the wear-resistant seal is arranged in the form of a curved groove, which fixes the wear-resistant seal element so as to limit its movement in the radial direction while allowing the wear-resistant seal element to move vertically or in the direction of the rotation axis. Fig.12a and 12b Further details of example embodiments are provided in .

[0085] Fig.12a A cross-sectional view of an ID seal assembly 140 is shown wherein a wear resistant and flexible seal element 150 is energized and urged toward a rotating seal face by an inflatable bladder 151. The two elements are guided by a groove which can be extruded as a single piece or a multi-component assembly. Figure 12b The side facing the rotating seal face of the radial seal is shown. Multiple wiper seals 152 can be attached to a solid plate that bridges the gap between the ID seal assembly 140 and the OD seal assembly 141. When pressed against the moving seal face surface between the flow openings, multiple wiper seal elements are simultaneously activated. In an embodiment, the pressure differential experienced by each wiper seal is only a portion of the total pressure differential between adjacent process flows.

[0086] exist Fig.13 , an example adsorption separation machine is shown before the installation of the conduits and conduit connectors and the installation of the adsorbent containers (see Example 1). The annulus 120 is supported on the inner diameter of the annulus by 8 motorized wheels, and the annulus is attached to a track connected by a cantilever. The inner diameter of the structure is approximately 10 meters and the outer diameter is approximately 14 meters. The rotating annulus 120 has an opening on the outer diameter surface of the annulus to allow multiple adsorbent containers to be inserted and arranged therein. The top opening in the sealing surface can also be observed from this angle on the top ring. The support structure of the separator uses a set of columns 110 across the annulus 120 and is equidistantly and circumferentially distributed every 45 degrees.

[0087] Fig.14 The vertical reaction load measured at one of the eight support wheels as a function of time (shown as curve 1401 in kg force) is shown when an approximately 33,000 kg torus (shown as curve 1402) having an inner diameter of approximately 10 m and an outer diameter of 14 m is rotated at 1 rpm about a vertical axis of rotation. There is always some load on the wheel and the vertical force is recorded by the instrument, where the force varies over a range of approximately ±2000 kg force and an expected average value of approximately 4000 kg force. The torus in this embodiment is rotated using a single powered wheel. As shown, the variation in vertical load has no effect on the friction drive performance, while the vertical positioning of the sealing surfaces (one at the top and one at the bottom) is maintained at 2000 microns per meter length along a circular trajectory and a vertical range of motion of 10,000 microns for one complete rotation.

[0088] Since the annulus in this embodiment is not loaded with adsorbent containers and filled with adsorbent, and does not respond to flow head losses, the total vertical load during operation is expected to be between 80,000 kg-force and 120,000 kg-force or between 10,000 kg-force and 15,000 kg-force per wheel, thereby enabling friction traction by 8 powered wheels to transmit a total torque in the range of 1,000 Nm to 4,000,000 Nm.

[0089] Fig.15 The height change along the circular contact line at the bottom sealing surface of the torus of Example 1 is shown vs. the rotation angle of the torus, which would be measured using an instrument in a fixed position approximately 7 meters away from the center of rotation as the torus of Example 1 is rotated about a vertical axis. As shown, the vertical position ranges within ±1 mm for most of the rotation and within ±1.5 mm for a full rotation. This meets the goal of less than 10,000 microns or 10 mm of total height change for a full rotation and a target slope of less than 2000 microns per meter of displacement. At this location near the OD of the torus, a 10 degree rotation is equivalent to approximately 1.2 meters of linear displacement along the rotation circle.

[0090] Various approaches to addressing the challenge of precision motion are considered in the design of large adsorptive gas separators where a large volume of solid adsorbent (including, for example, unsupported solid adsorbent, supported solid adsorbent, solid adsorbent arranged in an adsorbent structure, adsorbent contactor, or parallel channel contactor) is fixed to a common sealing surface or sliding sealing surface. The solution must enable the adsorbent to contact different process gas streams introduced at different fixed or stationary positions.

[0091] The following describes the developments that were carried out to address these issues.

[0092] In designing a large adsorptive gas separator with moderate resistance to movement and a moderate number of feed and product stream connections, a proposed solution is different from a cylindrical adsorptive gas separator comprising a rotor supported on a central shaft rotating about an axis. A preferred alternative adsorptive gas separator design comprises a plurality of moving vessels, each of which encloses a solid adsorbent and is fixed to a substantially rigid annular surface. The plurality of moving vessels are combined to form a rotor, wherein the rotor comprises at least one sealing surface or sliding sealing surface portion of at least one sliding valve mechanism.

[0093] The novel structure disclosed herein is different from the known structures in the art for capturing CO from air. 2Large volume adsorbent-containing structures are referred to as "direct air capture" (herein referred to as "DAC") machines because those machines do not include continuous seals or sliding surfaces on the rotor. In DAC machines, which typically have only two or three processing steps, the adsorbent does not need to be isolated from the surrounding environment (ambient air) for most of the processing cycle, and therefore, seals are not required to contain and direct air through the adsorbent bed for most of the processing and movement of the adsorbent bed. Moreover, another opposing point of difference is the movement of the adsorbent bed, which is graduated rather than continuous.

[0094] For CO from industrial process gas treatment 2 Emission reduction applications, where shorter cycle times are desired, which at larger scales and masses are incompatible with indexing motions with frequent and rapid acceleration and deceleration movements. 2 In emission reduction applications, metric tons (MT) CO 2 Per cubic meter (m 3 ) Much larger production rates (greater than 2 to 40 MT CO per day) of adsorbent contactors 2 per m 3 The differences in pressure drop across the adsorbent contactor and the adsorbent result in highly differentiated processing and machine design requirements.

[0095] In an embodiment, an adsorption gas separation machine can include a multi-stream selector valve including a rotating torus attached to at least one circular track supported by a set of wheels arranged in fixed positions and distributed in angular increments so as to contact the track simultaneously. The wheels can provide a reaction force to the static load of the torus, and at least one wheel can provide power for rotating the torus without being driven or supported by a central shaft. At least one face of the torus is substantially flat or in the shape of a truncated cone, which serves as an interface for a sliding seal or sealing surface integrated in the multi-stream selector valve; a set of conduits and conduit connectors; a support structure for a drive and wheels, the support structure supporting the torus, positioning the set of conduits and conduit connectors, thereby forming a stator assembly; a sealing assembly, the sealing assembly including a flexible wear-resistant sealing component that contacts the moving torus and is subjected to friction.

[0096] Center shaft support and drive structures known in the art require excessive stiffness to accurately position the sealing faces and are therefore not suitable for the degree of sealing performance desired in such gas separation applications. Because the key function supported by the annular design is to allow fluid or gas to flow through the multi-stream selector valve into contact with the moving adsorbent bed, the innovation is equally applicable to multi-stream selector valves and adsorption separation machines.

[0097] In an embodiment, a rotating torus can be attached to at least one circular track supported by a set of wheels arranged in fixed positions and distributed in angular increments so as to contact the track simultaneously, the wheels providing a reaction force to the static load of the torus, and at least one wheel providing power to rotate the torus without being driven or supported by a central shaft, wherein at least one face of the torus is substantially flat or in the shape of a truncated cone and the face is used as an interface for a sliding seal or sealing face integrated in an adsorption separation machine or a multi-stream selector valve.

[0098] In embodiments of adsorptive gas separators for non-DAC applications (e.g., industrial gas separation applications), a suitable length of the flow path between the inlet and outlet of the adsorbent contactor can be between about 0.5 m and 2 m. In embodiments, the annulus thickness or flow path length measured in the direction of the axis of rotation can be between 0.5 m and 2.5 m. In embodiments, the annulus can be an assembly of annulus segments that are positioned and attached to form a rigid annulus.

[0099] For CO recovery from process or flue gas 2 , the flow path length is driven by the desired high capture efficiency of greater than 90% or preferably greater than 95%. With the flow path length constraint, the simplest shape of the adsorbent vessel surrounding one or more adsorbent contactors can be a cylinder 0.5m to 2m long. Although the cylindrical shape is very advantageous for directing and confining the pressurized gas, filling the annulus with a cylinder does not result in efficient spatial utilization of the annulus volume.

[0100] In an embodiment, a plurality of adsorbent vessels can be fixed or otherwise attached to a rotor of an adsorptive gas separator and located in a torus. In an embodiment, the torus can have a shape generated by rotating a rectangular prism or a trapezoidal prism about an axis of rotation. In an alternative embodiment, the torus can have a shape generated, for example, by rotating a closed loop (e.g., an ellipse or a circle) about an axis of rotation.

[0101] In embodiments, a plurality of containers can each be configured to enclose at least one adsorbent and / or adsorbent contactor and can be adapted or configured to have a cross-sectional shape substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the rotor or annulus, and / or configured to have a rectangular prism cross-sectional shape having an aspect ratio between any two dimensions, such as the height, length or depth, or width of the rectangular prism, wherein the aspect ratio is between about 0.4 and about 2.5.

[0102] In other embodiments of the adsorption gas separator, multiple containers can be operated with a moderate pressure difference (e.g., less than about 100 kPa) between the surrounding or ambient environment outside the container and the process gas flowing through or inside the container. Containers of rectangular prism cross-sectional shape can have a span of up to about 2.5 m to facilitate transportation and installation into the adsorption gas separator. The passage and / or track on which the container is transported can be selected to increase the adsorbent density relative to the total footprint of the adsorption gas separator, thereby increasing the utilization of the footprint or space of the adsorption gas separator. For example, greater than about 60% of the footprint of the passage of the container can be occupied by multiple containers.

[0103] In some applications, such as retrofit applications, there is limited space available for installing a new adsorptive gas separator near an existing flue gas source. Therefore, an adsorptive gas separator with a smaller volume and / or footprint is not only a more economical machine, but also a machine that is compatible with the existing chemical plant layout or industrial plant layout.

[0104] In another embodiment of the adsorption gas separator, the passage or loop of the container can be configured, for example, in an oblong, elliptical, rectangular, circular, oval, or any combination thereof, or any other suitable shape. In this configuration, preferably, the inner and outer areas inscribed in the movement or passage of the container and the associated structure for sealing and positioning the container are such that the total footprint of the adsorption gas separator in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the adsorption gas separator is less than about 170% of the area of ​​the container passage and the associated sealing structure.

[0105] Table 1 provides sample dimensions and other parameters for an embodiment of an adsorptive gas separator having 48 vessels, wherein the plurality of vessels are arranged in a circle and configured to travel in a circular passage, wherein the vessels are substantially evenly distributed around the circle at a center angle of 7.5 degrees.

[0106] Table 1: 35m contained in 48 containers (0.15m between container corners) at ID rope with loop packing density values 2 ID and OD relationship of the track for the rectangular container face.

[0107]

[0108] An adsorbent gas separator provided with a substantially circular loop passage having a relatively large inner diameter can achieve a greater coverage of the vessel passage area by increasing the total adsorbent volume of the vessel, thereby resulting in an increased adsorbent density relative to the adsorbent gas separator footprint. The increased density of the adsorbent and vessel can also result in a reduction in the amount of structural support and machinery required to guide the vessel in orbital motion.

[0109] In embodiments, the adsorptive gas separator and method are capable of operating with multiple vessels conveyed or otherwise moved about a loop path in a substantially continuous motion, rather than in discrete steps, such as indexing, with different starts and stops at different locations or processing stations corresponding to different processing steps.

[0110] Indexed movement of the vessel through discrete steps, while advantageous for producing a high quality seal at critical times, requires individual movement of each bed and additional buffer volume of adsorbent and vessel to allow continuous movement of a portion of the vessel without entering a stationary vessel, which may require complex multi-axis robotics. Indexed movement enables the use of seals other than sliding seals.

[0111] Thus, adsorptive gas separators and methods having substantially continuous motion (optionally, having substantially constant motion speed during normal operation) are well suited for use in applications involving gas separation applications from, for example, industrial process gases or combustion gases. Utilizing continuous motion of the vessel along a loop path is a feature of embodiments of the gas separation methods and adsorptive gas separators disclosed herein. In contrast, DAC processes and machines typically employ graduated and non-continuous motion machines and process steps.

[0112] In an embodiment, an adsorption gas separator and method comprises a moving or dynamic structure (also referred to as a rotor) and a stationary or static structure (also referred to as a stator). The moving or dynamic structure can include: a plurality of containers, in each container, a solid adsorbent and / or an adsorbent contactor is arranged therein and a process gas is allowed to flow through the container; a connecting structure, such as a support frame for supporting and guiding the container; and a moving relative panel or segment for forming a part of at least one multi-stream selector valve.

[0113] The static structure can include: a conduit having a tube and a conduit connector or diffuser; a structural support element for supporting and positioning the conduit; and a plurality of stationary sealing surfaces for forming further portions of the at least one multi-stream selector valve.

[0114] In embodiments, an adsorptive gas separator can be configured to have a sealing face on a moving or dynamic structure and an opposing face or panel on a stationary or static structure.

[0115] In an embodiment, the rotating torus can have a substantially vertical axis of rotation, wherein the wheels are evenly distributed along the circumference of the torus, the motor is attached to at least two of the wheels, and at least 4 support wheels are used for a torus with a 4 meter inner diameter (ID), at least 8 support wheels are used for a torus with a 10 meter ID, at least 12 support wheels are used for a torus with a 20 meter ID, and 16 support wheels are used for a torus with a 30 meter ID.

[0116] Applicants have found that these configurations limit the span between wheel sets and the amount of vertical force applied to each wheel.

[0117] In an embodiment, a rotating torus can be formed from at least 4 torus segments that are connected, combined, or otherwise attached to each other to create a complete 360 ​​degree torus with at least 16 enclosures having attachment features to secure a container in each enclosure.

[0118] In an embodiment, the annulus can have at least one sealing surface including a plurality of openings to enable fluid flow through the sealing surface, wherein the sum of the surface areas of the openings is at least 30% and at most 90% of the area of ​​the sealing surface.

[0119] In an embodiment, the annulus can have two opposing sealing surfaces, wherein the openings in the opposing sealing surfaces are mirror images of each other.

[0120] In an embodiment, an adsorptive gas separator for separating a first component from a multi-component fluid stream can include: an annulus of the present invention; a plurality of containers containing selected adsorbent materials for adsorbing the first component from the multi-component stream; at least one stator side seal assembly, the stator side seal assembly comprising a conduit connector, inner and outer peripheral seals, and a radial seal; a plurality of motors for transmitting power to the annulus; a first process flow conduit, such as a supply flow conduit, for directing the multi-component fluid stream as a supply flow to the plurality of containers, wherein the supply flow conduit is substantially stationary; a first product flow conduit for directing a first product flow recovered from the plurality of containers, wherein the first product flow conduit is substantially stationary; a second process flow conduit, such as a first regeneration flow conduit, for directing a first regeneration flow to the plurality of containers, wherein the first regeneration flow conduit is substantially stationary; and a second product flow conduit for directing a second product flow recovered from the plurality of containers, wherein the second product flow conduit is substantially stationary.

[0121] In an embodiment, the annular surface can have two sealing surfaces, each sealing surface being located on an opposite surface, wherein each sealing surface is in contact with a stator sealing system having a conduit connector and a gas distribution piece, which connects the inlet and outlet conduits across the container fixed on the annular surface.

[0122] In an embodiment, the adsorptive gas separator is connectable to a flow conduit rated and sized to conduct the process flow at a pressure equal to or less than 100 kPa(g).

[0123] In an embodiment, the adsorptive gas separator can be formed from parts or components of a machine that are sized to be transported on a truck, such as a flatbed truck with maximum dimensions of 12 m long, 2.9 m high, and 2.4 m wide. The weight of the torus structure supporting the plurality of containers can be less than twice the combined weight of the plurality of containers loaded with adsorbent secured to the torus.

[0124] In embodiments, the force exerted on the annulus by process flow head loss across the adsorbent contactor or vessel can be less than 20,000 Pa, preferably less than 10,000 Pa in the direction of flow.

[0125] Embodiments of the invention can be used to support a rotor shaped as a torus with an outer diameter (OD) in the range of 1m to 50m, or in particular between 5m and 50m, with a deadweight (total weight of rotor with container and adsorbent, excluding forces from gas flow) of about 5 to 130 metric tons. In a preferred embodiment, the torus-shaped rotor has an outer diameter of 15m, an inner diameter of 11m, a height of 1.4m, a deadweight of 30 metric tons, and can carry an additional external load of 30-100 metric tons (additional forces applied in addition to the deadweight).

[0126] In an embodiment, the rotor formed as a torus can have an aspect ratio (ratio of outer diameter (OD) to inner diameter (ID)) in the range of 1.1 to 1.5. At a ratio greater than 1.5, the structural efficiency gained by leveraging the hoop stress is reduced. At a ratio below 1.1, the functional working volume and surface available vs. the opening area required for the field device and the sealing element length will be reduced. In an embodiment, the aspect ratio can be about 1.3. In another embodiment, the ratio can be close to 1.2.

[0127] One aspect that is unique to distributed bearings and traction systems is that the power requirement of such traction systems is the product of torque and speed. The required torque may be proportionally related to the pitch diameter (average of ID and OD) plus any amount of external load applied to the rotor due to the nature of the application. In an embodiment, the rotary gas switching valve can have a seal that applies pressure to the rotor surface, thereby generating a rotational resistance that must be overcome in order to maintain rotational motion. The range of required torque can be in the range from about 1000Nm to about 4000000Nm. In an embodiment, the system can be sized for 500000nm, while in other embodiments, the system can be sized for 1800000nm.

[0128] The rotational speed of the annulus can be variable, ranging from 0.5 rpm to 10 rpm. In an embodiment, the rotational speed can be in the range of 0.5-2.5 rpm. The present application can utilize a variable frequency electric motor drive to achieve continuous or discontinuous speed control. Applicants believe that there does not appear to be any theoretical limit to the maximum potential rotational speed that embodiments of the present invention can use. However, at higher rotational speeds, the conceptual loads caused by the rotor dynamics may become larger and exceed the practical limitations of the structural housing or supports.

[0129] The operating temperature range can be between about -40°C and 50°C ambient temperature, depending on appropriate material selection and impact toughness. In an embodiment, the rotor can be constructed of steel or stainless steel and can withstand local temperature amplitudes of up to 130°C. Temperature analysis can play an important role in the design of such radial cantilever rotors or distributed bearings and traction systems, as it can place limits on strength, toughness, and geometric accuracy.

[0130] In an embodiment, the radial cantilever rotor or distributed bearing and traction system can achieve 2.4 mm axial runout on a 30 metric ton 15m OD rotor, including all manufacturing tolerances and deflection due to deadweight. In comparison, a manufactured prototype of a 4m OD rotor on a conventional center slewing bearing can only achieve 4 mm axial runout.

[0131] In the process of splitting from the conventional and commercially available one-piece bearing race to multiple distributed support locations, a whole order of magnitude scale-up of the rotor size can be achieved, because each rolling element (as usually referred to in bearing technology) can be mounted on the shaft itself and supported by a conventional roller bearing rated for a portion of the original load. This arrangement provided by the multiple distributed support rollers improves the ability to predict the calculated reliability and enables faster replacement time in the event that a spare or replacement is required. In an embodiment, the standard L10 bearing reliability is used to ensure that less than 10% of the bearings fail before reaching their full service life.

[0132] In an embodiment, the torus can rotate about the central axis at a substantially constant rotational speed. In an embodiment, the rotational speed of the torus can be between 0.5 rpm and 10 rpm.

[0133] Sealed design

[0134] The stationary sealing element works in conjunction with the moving or rotating sealing surface. The stationary seal is capable of physically contacting the rotating sealing surface for forming a peripheral seal therebetween and fluidly isolating each process or product stream. In an embodiment, a peripheral seal having a radial seal around an adsorbent vessel partially fluidly isolates the adsorbent vessel and directs fluid through an opening in a moving sealing surface associated with each of the plurality of adsorbent vessels to fluidly connect each of the plurality of adsorbent vessels to the separator.

[0135] The stationary sealing surface can include a material suitable for permitting or otherwise enabling sliding with low static and sliding coefficients of friction against a corresponding moving relative panel or element, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (referred to herein as "PTFE" or "Teflon"), or a PTFE-filled composite material including a fluorinated copolymer such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and can be configured as and / or have a sliding seal, a brush seal, a scraping seal, or a combination thereof.

[0136] In an embodiment, the ID and OD peripheral seal assembly can include a seal ring having a plurality of segments having at least one wear element which is flexible and free to move in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation and pressed against the moving seal surface for maintaining continuous contact with and between the moving seal surface and the static side seal ring. The seal ring can be manufactured from a plurality of segments which can be easily assembled on site since large machines need to be erected on site.

[0137] Radial sealing elements that can be configured to isolate set annular surface segments will isolate and otherwise prevent cross leakage between adjacent adsorbent containers and process streams, thereby providing a high degree of flexibility in generating different process sequences experienced by the rotating adsorbent containers. Specifically, the present sealing system is modular and can be expanded to larger sizes while maintaining low leakage rates and extended service life. In particular, the present sealing system is designed to operate on rotating machines (such as adsorption gas separators or other gas separation systems) up to 50 meters in diameter. The leakage rate achieved by the embodiments of the present invention described herein is less than 10 liters STP per minute and per meter of linear seal length measured at a pressure difference of 50 kPag, wherein the steel relative surface roughness exceeds 0.5 microns root mean square (RMS), or more preferably is greater than 1.0 microns RMS. This is a considerable improvement in the ability to maintain low leakage rates, despite the relative surface roughness being several orders of magnitude worse than that typical in the prior art.

[0138] The flatness or planarity requirements of the sealing surface are reduced by the ability to adapt a portion of the sealing system to manufacturing imperfections of the large toroidal sealing face. In addition, seal wear is accommodated by the flexibility of the seal wear element in combination with a drive system that distributes uniform force to the opposite side of the sliding contact side of the wear-resistant sealing element.

[0139] Although the ID and OD peripheral seal assemblies constrain movement of the wearable seal elements in a radial direction, the wearable seals are able to move in the direction of the seal's axis of rotation or in a circumferential direction.

[0140] The energizing or urging element can be integrated into the ID or OD perimeter seal assembly and can be fixed against rotation but free to grow in the direction of the rotational axis or circumferential direction of the annulus.

[0141] Refer to Fig.11 In an embodiment, the sealing system includes an ID peripheral seal 140, an OD peripheral seal 141 and a plurality of radial seal assemblies 142 for separating and preventing mixing of different gas flows, which are introduced into the sealing surface and the sealing surface opening through the conduit connector 132, and the sealing surface and the sealing surface opening are connected to the fluid of each adsorbent container fixed to the rotating assembly 120, or otherwise isolate each adsorbent container in the plurality of adsorbent containers from each other.

[0142] In an embodiment, the adsorbent gas separator can have a multi-stream selector valve, wherein the sealing system (moving sealing surface, ID and OD seals and radial sealing assembly) includes a sealing surface on the annulus and a sealing assembly on the stator side for providing a sealing function, characterized in that the maximum leakage allowed is, for example, less than 1% of the inflow (incoming process gas flow), or more preferably less than 0.1% of the inflow. When the annulus or rotating assembly 120 rotates, the sealing surface remains in contact with the stator at a fixed angular position on the stator side and can move in the direction of the rotation axis due to defects in the manufacture of the annulus, deflection of the annulus under mechanical load, and deformation caused by thermal growth of the annulus. To this end, the stator side sealing assembly (ID and OD seals, radial sealing assembly) can be flexible and push toward the sealing surface. For large machines with an outer diameter of about 15 meters, the flexible sealing wear element on the stator side is designed to accommodate up to 2000 micron pitch (the change in height of the rotating torus at a fixed radial distance from the center of rotation) per meter displacement of the annular sealing surface through rotation and 10000 micron pitch per full revolution of the annulus. This is achieved by applying a multi-segment wear-resistant sealing element, which can move independently, to which the distributed force is applied using an inflatable bladder that adopts the shape of the rotating sealing surface on the annulus. The flatness requirement is no longer limited to the typical maximum sealing surface slope (or pitch) of 1 micron / meter as in conventional contact seals of the prior art. This flatness constraint can be further relaxed when the size of the selector valve or the annular adsorption gas separator increases in diameter, wherein the maximum pitch is limited by the flexibility of the wear-resistant sealing element and the expansion range of the inflatable bladder, ranging from a maximum of 4000 microns / meter and 20000 microns / full revolution. For a torus structure, the number of support points increases as the diameter increases.

[0143] In an embodiment, the sealing system can include at least one inflatable bladder as an energizing element or pushing force for the ID seal and / or OD seal. The sealing force is regulated and maintained by controlling the pressure of the fluid inside the bladder, thereby creating a compliant sealing surface that can follow the shape of the rotor. Preferably, the fluid used in the bladder is air, but any suitable fluid can be used.

[0144] In yet another embodiment, the sealing system can include a radially oriented seal, such as a wiper seal, capable of limiting gas leakage to less than 10 liters per minute per meter of seal circumference at a pressure differential of 50 kPa for use in separating different gas streams in a carbon capture machine (e.g., an adsorption gas separator) and preventing gas from flowing into or out of adjacent flow modules. The leakage rate is significantly reduced from a typical 100 to 1000 liters per minute per meter compared to previous seals used on prior art air preheaters.

[0145] To ensure proper function, the distribution of openings in the annular sealing surface requires sufficient area, which is flat in the case of an annular shaped sealing surface, or a curved smooth surface in the case of a frustoconical sealing surface, to engage multiple scraper seals simultaneously and distribute the pressure difference from the adjacent process streams to each scraper seal. For example, when the pressure difference between stream A (e.g., a multi-component feed stream) and stream B of a steam stream is 40 kPa, when 10 scraper seals are connected in series (in the circumferential direction) to provide a sealing function, the average pressure difference across each scraper seal will be 4 kPa.

[0146] In an embodiment, due to the different sealing mechanisms adopted, lower forces can be applied to the radial seal assembly, that is, the circumferential seals are driven by inflatable air bags, while the radial seals are not. Therefore, it is expected that the wear rate of those wiper seals will be significantly lower than the wear rate of the circumferential ID and OD seals, which are in continuous contact with the moving sealing surface. The positioning of the radial sealing surface can be fixed relative to the stator support structure using adjustable bolts or gaskets, or can be attached to a motor-driven linear actuator. When the significant pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the flow in contact with the radial seal plate is greater than 10kPa, it will not be appropriate to use pressure control through an air piston to, for example, adjust the force applied to the wiper blade, because the force toward or away from the annular surface due to the pressure difference will be greater than the force applied to the seal.

[0147] The air piston can be used in combination with a sliding pin or bar or wheel to control the position of the radial seal assembly relative to the rotor sealing face independently of the force applied to the wiper seal. In this case, the control pressure can be adjusted independently for each radial seal depending on the gas flow pressure near the radial seal. The same replacement schedule for the ID and OD peripheral seal wear elements and radial seal wipers is envisioned at 2 to 5 year intervals.

[0148] The wear rate of multi-segment seal materials used in the inner and outer peripheral seals was measured on a test rig with a 6" diameter PTFE disk in contact with a steel counterface at a rotational rate of 180 rpm (approximately 0.5 m / s linear velocity) and an applied compressive pressure of 5 psi (-30 kPa) with a surface counterface roughness of 1-10 microns RMS. Wear rates of 8-10 microns per day were measured for the PTFE seals in continuous operation under the above test conditions. Many years of service life for the seal wear element can be achieved when 10 mm or more of wear seal thickness can be removed while remaining within the range of motion in the rotational axis direction permitted by the inner diameter (ID) and outer diameter (OD) peripheral seal assembly.

[0149] For example, a 50mm high PTFE element can be formed as a ring with an inflatable bladder, allowing 20mm of travel in the direction of the axis of rotation. Once 10mm of the wear seal is removed, 10mm of travel margin remains to compensate for the moving seal pitch.

[0150] The sealing system described herein provides a solution for sealing large rotating machines, particularly carbon capture machines or other gas separation machines, with improved economies of scale for larger sized units. Due to its modular and scalable design, it is the largest seal currently available in the industry and has unique features that distinguish it from conventional prior art sealing designs. The present invention provides significant features as described above to improve the performance of sealing fluid flows in terms of operational flexibility, lower operating energy (operating cost) and separation efficiency of fluid flows, particularly for larger scale fluid flows.

[0151] In an embodiment, the linear velocity of the moving opposing surfaces or moving sealing surfaces in the adsorptive gas separator can be between 0.2 and 4 m / s.

[0152] The sorbent wheel can have a substantially cylindrical shape, with a small inner diameter (ID) and a large outer diameter (OD). When the sorbent wheel rotates on the shaft about the axis, there is a large speed difference, proportional to the ratio of OD / ID. The speed difference creates significant challenges for sliding seals, such as differences in the wear rate of the sealing surface along the outer diameter relative to the sealing surface along the inner diameter, and / or different friction forces on different sections of the seal perimeter.

[0153] Embodiments of the adsorbent gas separator have a torus or loop configuration, wherein the structure or container surrounding the adsorbent is configured in a shape wherein the OD / ID ratio is small relative to, for example, an adsorbent wheel configured in a cylindrical shape having a larger OD / ID ratio. This can significantly reduce the difference in seal face travel speed between components located near the inner diameter of the adsorbent gas separator and components located near the outer diameter of the adsorbent gas separator.

[0154] In an embodiment, the ratio between the outer diameter of the annulus and the inner diameter of the annulus can be less than 1.5.

[0155] In embodiments where the adsorbent vessels move along a loop path, the maximum velocity ratio between the seal opposing faces moving at a designed maximum operating velocity and the seal opposing faces moving at a designed minimum operating velocity can be less than 2 meters per second.

[0156] In embodiments where the sorbent vessel moves along a loop passage, the vessel passage can include one or more linear segments or passages connected with one or more curved segments or passages, for example, a loop passage arranged in an oblong shape.

[0157] In one aspect, one or more steps of an adsorptive gas separation process with minimal allowable or desired leakage of process gas flow and / or product gas flow between stationary elements and moving elements can be located on a linear segment or pathway rather than a curved segment or pathway. In another aspect, stationary elements (e.g., conduits) used in one or more steps of an adsorptive gas separation process with minimal allowable or desired leakage of process gas flow and / or product gas flow between stationary elements and moving elements can be located on a linear segment or pathway rather than a curved segment or pathway.

[0158] In another aspect of the present invention, a gas distribution system for an adsorption gas separator includes a conduit, a diffuser, and a plurality of stationary sealing surfaces having channels for fluid flow, and at least one multi-flow selector valve, each of which is assembled from a plurality of discrete sections, such as sealing surfaces and moving relative panels. The plurality of discrete moving relative panels can be arranged substantially adjacent to each other to produce a semi-continuous moving relative panel assembly. In an embodiment, each moving relative panel can contact and slide against a continuous stationary sealing surface, wherein both the relative panel and the sealing surface have channels, and the C of the channels v equal to or greater than 500,000, or at least one of the opposing panels and / or the sealing surface comprises a plurality of channels which, when combined, provide a C v Greater than or equal to 75,000, 100,000, 250,000, 500,000, 700,000, or 1,000,000.

[0159] Such a big C v Suitable for accommodating large gas flows through the sealing surfaces, opposing panels and individual adsorbent vessels without causing increased pressure drops.

[0160] In embodiments, the multi-stream selector valve can have a large Cv, such as equal to or greater than about 500,000, wherein the leakage rate is less than about 2% of the flow rate of the process gas stream or the product gas stream when operating under the design operating conditions, and / or is manufactured from repeated sections that can be easily manufactured, transported, and assembled at the operating site. In some embodiments, the leakage rate of a key step of the gas separation process (e.g., recovering a purified product stream or recovering a second product stream) can be less than about 0.5% of the flow rate of the purified product stream or the second product stream, preferably less than about 0.25%.

[0161] In an embodiment, the multi-flow selector valve has a substantially equal (ie, less than 2% difference) sum of inlet flow rates and sum of outlet flow rates in a full revolution of the annulus.

[0162] In an embodiment, the moving opposing face element can include a plurality of plates for creating or forming a channel by being arranged adjacent to and aligned with each other. A flexible or rigid fluid connector can be attached to one side of one or more opposing panels and one side of the adsorbent container. The connector can direct a gas flow (e.g., a product flow or a process flow) to flow from the multi-selector valve to the appropriate adsorbent container.

[0163] The opposite panel can be attached to a support structure of the container, such as a support frame, or to a support structure of a static gas distribution conduit or piping element. In the latter case, the opposite panel can be driven from the motion structure by guide pins.

[0164] The sealing surface can be slidably matched with the opposite face element or plate, wherein the sealing surface and the opposite face plate can work together to provide a sealing perimeter between the contact element and the sliding surface, the sealing perimeter having a gap equal to or less than about 0.2 mm, or preferably equal to or less than about 0.1 mm. The gap at the joint between adjacent elements (e.g., adjacent sealing surfaces or adjacent opposite face elements) can be reduced or minimized so that there is only a low leakage rate at the periphery of the wetted flow volume through the multi-flow selector valve. The adjacent elements can be assembled to each other in a "tongue and groove" configuration to reduce or largely eliminate any leakage along the joint between the adjacent elements. Due to the difficulty in designing large machines with tight compliance, the control of the relative positioning of the sealing surface and the opposite face plate is locally controlled for each section by any suitable urging device, which is used to apply a controlled amount of force so that at least one of the sealing surface or the opposite face plate is driven and / or moved toward each other.

[0165] Since the multi-stream selector valve integrated in the adsorption separation machine rotates continuously and must maintain high reliability, a wear-resistant sealing element that can move independently of the rotor and stator is integrated so that there is no gap between the moving sealing surface on the rotor and the stator in the event of gradual wear of the material over a period of time.

[0166] Low friction materials can also be used for the operation of multi-flow selector valves to ensure that the selector valve can operate continuously without any liquid fluid lubrication. Excessive friction may result in excessive energy being expended to rotate the valve and excessive heat being generated at the interface between the rotor and stator.

[0167] In an embodiment, the wear-resistant sealing element can be made of Teflon (PTFE).

[0168] In embodiments, the sealing surface or counter panel can be rigidly supported to a structure or track, and the corresponding sealing surface or counter panel is pneumatically urged toward the rigidly supported sealing surface or counter panel. In embodiments, one or both counter surface elements and the sealing surface can move in a direction perpendicular to the sliding plane, independent of movement of the sorbent container in the same direction.

[0169] In an embodiment, an adsorbent gas separator can include: a rotating torus for supporting a plurality of adsorbent containers, each container containing an adsorbent contactor; a set of conduits and conduit connectors; a support structure for a drive and a wheel, the support structure supporting the rotating torus and positioning the set of conduits and conduit connectors to form a stator assembly; a sealing assembly, the sealing assembly including a flexible wear-resistant sealing component that contacts and rubs against the moving torus sealing surface. The adsorbent gas separator can be fluidly connected to at least a conduit for conveying a feed stream, a conduit for conveying a regeneration stream, a conduit for conveying a product stream, and a conduit for conveying a waste stream. The adsorbent gas separator can also include a conduit for conveying a conditioning stream. In an embodiment, the adsorbent gas separator can also include an electrical connector and a control system for adjusting the rotational speed of the torus. Embodiments of the adsorbent gas separator also include connectors and devices to monitor the performance of the separation system by measuring at least one of the gas composition, gas temperature, gas density, and gas pressure.

[0170] In embodiments, the solid adsorbent contained in each adsorbent vessel is capable of selective adsorption capability for at least one of the feed stream components.

[0171] In embodiments where the sorbent container moves along the loop path, the sorbent container can transfer a large load to the support structure, and the support structure can deflect greater than 1 mm in some embodiments, greater than 10 mm in other embodiments, and greater than 30 mm in some embodiments. The applied force is due to the weight of the container and sorbent in the vertical direction and fluid friction and fluid head loss in the direction of flow between the inlet and outlet of the sorbent container or the opposing face element.

[0172] In embodiments where the adsorbent vessel moves along a loop pathway, a first set of rails or tracks can be used to guide the movement of the adsorbent vessel and associated structural elements, while a second set of rails or tracks and optionally a third set of rails or tracks can be used to guide the movement of the opposing face element. The distance between the center of the adsorbent vessel and the center of the opposing face element can vary along the loop or pathway traveled by the vessel and the opposing face. An expansion joint or flexible joint can be arranged between the opposing face element and one or more fluid ports (e.g., inlet ports and outlet ports) of the adsorbent vessel to provide a continuous flow pathway for process flow into and out of the moving adsorbent vessel.

[0173] In embodiments where the adsorbent vessels move along a loop path, the conduit diffusion element or diffuser each surrounds and directs the process gas flow to or from one or more adsorbent vessels. In certain embodiments, the movement can be to and / or from four (4) adsorbent vessels, in other embodiments, to and / or from three (3) adsorbent vessels, in some embodiments, to and / or from two (2) adsorbent vessels, and in some embodiments, to and / or from one (1) adsorbent vessel.

[0174] In an embodiment, multiple diffusers can be connected to a common or single conduit fluid for surrounding and directing a process stream or a product stream. Preferred embodiments of a multi-stream selector valve or adsorption separation machine can include multiple openings across the sealing surface in contact with the inlet stream, the number of the multiple openings being at least twice the number of inlet streams connected to the selector valve. Since the radial sealing element tends to close only a single opening at a time, this allows uninterrupted flow between the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit as the annulus rotates. In an embodiment, the selector valve can be provided with two (2) to twenty (20) inlet streams.

[0175] In embodiments where the adsorbent vessels move in a loop or circular path, the offsets from the device balance to the flow connection of the adjacent diffuser are repeated in the same sequence to enable the separation process to be performed multiple times in each traveling loop of the adsorbent bed. This arrangement enables greater freedom in the duct system compared to duct systems including larger diffuser sections, because the various sealing surfaces attached to the ends of the diffusers can be located on a set of opposing face elements of different heights, pitches, and rolls.

[0176] In an embodiment, the moving annulus sealing surface of the multi-flow selector valve can have a Mohs hardness greater than 4, preferably greater than 6, while the hardness of the wear-resistant stator sealing component is less than 3 Mohs scale. Preferably, the moving annulus sealing surface can include steel, while the wear-resistant stator sealing component includes Teflon.

[0177] The multi-stream selector valve can be fluidly connected to an inlet fluid flow and / or an outlet fluid flow having an average fluid velocity measured at the sealing surface opening, typically in the range of 0.2 to 20 m / s. An embodiment can include providing inlet and outlet flows that may be on multiple selector valves that will be connected at least periodically through the annulus so as to enable continuous flow through at least a portion of the adsorbent container through the annulus. The operation of the valve can be implemented such that the average values ​​of the inlet flow and the outlet flow are substantially equal over one rotation cycle of the annulus. The arrangement of the multi-stream selector valve components including the conduit transition portion and the radial sealing assembly on the annulus surface can cover at least 350 degrees of the annulus angular surface. The multi-stream selector valve can include a wear-resistant sealing element that is free to move more than 10 mm, preferably more than 20 mm, in the direction of the axis of rotation. This enables or otherwise allows the wear-resistant element to be lost by wear up to this amount of material while maintaining an effective seal, and in addition, it can accommodate defects in the planarity of the annulus. The seal system's wear member can lose up to 60% of its thickness and still maintain an effective seal because the inflatable bladder and support grooves filled with pressurized gas or liquid are designed to accommodate this range of motion and corresponding loss of seal wear member material. In an embodiment, the multi-stream selector valve and seal system can have an inner diameter equal to or greater than 4 meters.

[0178] In an embodiment, the seal wear element can be formed as a ring around the inner and outer peripheries of the annular sealing face, and the seal wear element can have a flexural modulus of less than 0.4 GPa, and can be bent by applying a force of less than 4 psi (-30 kPa) to the element face on the face opposite to the face contact to conform to the sealing face of the rotor so that the seal element deflects up to 2 mm per meter of seal element length. The wear resistant sealing element can be a segment of the inner and outer periphery of the annular face, and can include multiple layers of wear resistant sealing elements that are arranged in a concentric manner once formed into a ring.

[0179] The multiple concentric element configuration of the wearable sealing element enables greater flexibility of the wearable sealing element by facilitating deformation of the wearable sealing element in a direction perpendicular to the bending radius. Compressible elements can be included in the wearable sealing elements to further increase their flexibility.

[0180] In an embodiment, the width of the radial sealing element is greater than the width of the opening through the annular sealing surface, preferably equal to or greater than the width formed by the 360 ​​degree angular segment divided by the number of containers fixed to the annular surface or the number of openings through the sealing surface connected to the adsorbent container. This enables the radial seal to be formed intermittently in the direction of rotation at the leading and trailing edges of the opening in the sealing surface to prevent fluid from flowing between conduits carrying different flows. In an embodiment, the radial sealing element can be formed by a plate supporting a plurality of wiper seals arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the tangential movement of the annular surface during rotation.

[0181] In an embodiment, the wiper seal of the multi-flow selector valve can have a short axis that can be inclined by 10 to 40 degrees relative to the axis of rotation.

[0182] In an embodiment, a method of operating an adsorptive gas separator for separating a first component from a multi-component fluid stream comprises:

[0183] a. Provide an annular adsorption gas separator;

[0184] b. transmitting power from a plurality of motors to the annulus so as to move a plurality of selective absorption containers;

[0185] c. so that the plurality of containers are fluidly connected to the feed stream conduit and the first product stream conduit;

[0186] d. directing the multi-component fluid stream as a feed stream to a plurality of the vessels so that the first component is adsorbed on the adsorbent of the plurality of the selective absorption vessels and forms a first product stream depleted of the first component relative to the feed stream, recovering a first product stream from the plurality of the vessels, and directing the first product stream into the first product stream conduit;

[0187] e. fluidly connecting the adsorbent of the plurality of containers to the first regeneration flow conduit and the second product flow conduit; and

[0188] f. directing a first regeneration stream to the plurality of containers, desorbing the first component from the second container and forming a second product stream enriched in the first component relative to the feed stream, recovering the second product stream from the plurality of containers, and directing the second product stream to the second product stream conduit.

[0189] In yet another embodiment, the method of operating an adsorptive gas separator further comprises:

[0190] g. so that the adsorbent of the plurality of containers is fluidly connected to the second regeneration flow conduit and the third product flow conduit;

[0191] h. allowing a second regeneration stream to enter so as to contact the adsorbent of the plurality of containers and form a third product stream, recovering the third product stream from the plurality of containers, and directing the third product stream into the third product stream conduit;

[0192] i. connecting the adsorbent of the plurality of containers to the conditioning flow conduit and the fourth product flow conduit; and

[0193] j. Entering a conditioning stream to contact the adsorbent of the plurality of vessels and form a fourth product stream, recovering the fourth product stream from the plurality of vessels, and directing the fourth product stream into the fourth product stream conduit.

[0194] In yet another embodiment, the method of operating an adsorptive gas separator further comprises repeating steps b through f.

[0195] In yet another embodiment, the method of operating an adsorptive gas separator further comprises repeating steps b through j.

[0196] In yet another embodiment, a method of operating a novel adsorptive gas separator purifies a multi-component fluid stream from at least one of an industrial process gas stream, a commercial process gas stream, and a combustion gas stream, and the first component is an acid gas component, carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen, or oxygen.

[0197] Example:

[0198] Embodiment 1:

[0199] An adsorbent machine structure with an outer diameter of 14 meters and an inner diameter of approximately 11 meters was designed and constructed, including a rotating torus with a thickness of approximately 1.2 meters, in order to verify the design and predictive finite element analysis level of flatness of the annulus sealing surface. Both the upper and bottom sides of the annulus rotating around a vertical axis are sealing surfaces with 48 openings to allow the inlet and outlet gas flows to be connected to multiple adsorbent containers supported within the annulus. The adsorbent gas separator is manufactured as 8 torus segments, which are bolted together on site and supported by 8 wheels arranged under the inner diameter of the cantilever track. The effect of the motorized wheels and the impact of defects in the level of flatness of the annulus on the vertical force distribution on the supporting wheels and the drive wheels were tested. The above Fig.13 , 14 and 15 show, respectively, a picture of the machine before the adsorbent beds and ducts are installed, the variation of forces during one revolution of the annulus at a selected wheel, and the measured values ​​of flatness along the circular passage on the bottom sealing surface.

[0200] Embodiment 2:

[0201] The composite wear resistant sealing element is formed from three stacked layers arranged in a concentric manner around a 6" diameter cylindrical support.

[0202] The three layers from ID to OD are: Teflon 5mm, carbon rope filler 15mm and Teflon 5mm. The assembly is pressed against a steel surface with a roughness of 1 micron RMS using a force of 50 kPa, and the composite wear-resistant seal assembly is rotated at 180 rpm for 415 hours, while the seal thickness reduction and wear mass loss are periodically monitored, and the leakage rate across the seal is measured.

[0203] The leakage rate remained within specifications of less than 10 L / min per m of seal length (approximately 8 L / min), while the wear rate was measured to be approximately 8 microns / day (~3 mm / year).

[0204] Embodiments disclosed herein allow for a variety of setup options that can accommodate desired changes in gas separation processes and associated process cycles. The process cycle is determined at least in part by the fraction of the bed exposed to a particular process stream and the cycle duration. A modular approach enables a set of common building blocks for adsorption gas separators to be used to address a variety of design applications. For example, different adsorbent materials can be used depending on the partial pressure of the component to be concentrated. Each adsorbent material will have a unique set of preferred operating conditions, including, for example, a supply step duration, a regeneration step duration, and an adjustment step duration, so as to increase the effectiveness and / or efficiency of the gas separation process. The ability to adjust the number of adsorbent contactor beds for each process step will be very advantageous, while facilitating large-scale production of these machines by using the same design building blocks in different variations of machines deployed on site.

[0205] Another important design feature illustrated in the various figures is a diffuser designed to distribute the gas flow to a limited number of parallel adsorbent vessels. Multiple diffusers may be employed and fluidly connected to one or more conduits to supply process streams, such as a feed stream and / or a second regeneration stream.

[0206] The example design also enables allocation of different process and product streams for gas separation processing such that the adsorbent performs one or an integer number of processing cycles as the adsorbent vessel completes a single loop of an adsorptive gas separator.

[0207] In addition, the multi-segment design of the mating sealing surfaces and counter-face elements will reduce the undesirable effects of thermal expansion and deformation of the support structure by providing additional degrees of freedom for expansion. For example, expansion joints can be arranged between each opposing panel and / or element, thereby reducing the risk of stress accumulation in some areas.

[0208] The moving or powered elements of the adsorption gas separator may be exposed to a process stream whose temperature varies between ambient temperature and about 100°C, or between ambient temperature and several hundred degrees Celsius. Due to exposure to the process stream and the heat generated by the friction of the sliding seal surfaces, the operating temperature of the moving elements is expected to reach temperatures significantly above ambient temperature. As a result, some elements of the support structure are able to thermally expand significantly more than some other elements of the support structure. These differences in operating temperatures are accommodated in embodiments of the designs described herein by enabling some elements to expand and not overly constraining such expansion.

Claims

1. A rotating torus comprising: An annulus having at least one substantially flat or frustoconical shape, the annulus being suitable for use as an interface for at least one sliding seal or at least one sealing surface integrated in an adsorptive gas separator or a multi-stream selector valve, wherein at least one circular track is operably connected to the inner diameter of the annulus, and a set of wheels are arranged in fixed positions and distributed in angular increments along the inner diameter for contacting the at least one circular track, The set of wheels is adapted to provide a reaction force to a static load of the torus, and at least one wheel in the set of wheels is adapted to provide power for rotating the torus without being driven or supported by the central shaft.

2. The rotating torus of claim 1, wherein: The annulus also includes an outer diameter and has an outer diameter to inner diameter ratio of less than 1.

5.

3. The rotating torus of claim 1, wherein: The annulus further includes a protrusion for operatively connecting with the at least one circular track.

4. The rotating torus of claim 3, wherein: The projection has a cantilever cross-section.

5. The rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The annulus also includes a substantially vertical axis of rotation, The wheels are evenly distributed along the inner diameter. The set of wheels also includes: at least two wheels with motors attached for providing power; and at least 4 supporting wheels for a torus with an inner diameter of 4 meters, at least 8 supporting wheels for a torus with an inner diameter of 10 meters, at least 12 supporting wheels for a torus with an inner diameter of 20 meters, and at least 16 supporting wheels for a torus with an inner diameter of 30 meters.

6. A rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The at least one sealing surface also includes a plurality of openings, each opening having a surface area to enable fluid to flow through the at least one sealing surface of the annular surface, wherein the sum of the surface areas of the plurality of openings is at least 30% and at most 90% of the surface area of ​​the at least one sealing surface.

7. The rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: The outer diameter surface has a plurality of openings for inserting a plurality of adsorbent containers therethrough into the annular surface.

8. A rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The inner diameter is greater than 4 m and less than 50 m.

9. A rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The dimension of the annulus in the direction of the axis of rotation is between 0.5 m and 2.5 m.

10. The rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: An assembly of multiple torus segments that are positioned and attached to form the torus.

11. The rotating torus of claim 8, wherein: When the annulus rotates so as to achieve a displacement of one meter in a circular direction around the rotation center of the annulus, the rotating annulus achieves a displacement of less than 2 mm in the direction of the annulus rotation axis at the sealing surface.

12. A rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The annular surface also includes two opposing sealing surfaces.

13. The rotating torus of claim 10, wherein: The torus also includes at least 4 torus segments that are combined and attached to form a 360 degree torus.

14. An adsorption gas separator comprising: A rotating torus according to any one of claims 1 to 13; a plurality of vessels comprising adsorbent contactors; multiple catheters and catheter connectors; a support structure for the drive and wheel, the support structure supporting the annulus and positioning the conduit and conduit connector for forming a stator assembly; as well as A sealing assembly comprising a flexible wear-resistant sealing member, said sealing assembly being subjected to friction, The adsorptive gas separator is adapted to be connected to at least a conduit for conveying a feed stream, a conduit for conveying a regeneration stream, a conduit for conveying a product stream, and a conduit for conveying a waste stream.

15. The adsorptive gas separator according to claim 14, further comprising: A conduit for delivering a regulated flow.

16. The adsorptive gas separator according to claim 14 or 15, further comprising: Electrical connections and a control system for regulating the rotational speed of the annulus.

17. The adsorptive gas separator according to claim 16, further comprising: A monitoring device is used to measure at least one performance parameter of the separator: gas composition, gas temperature, gas density and gas pressure.

18. An adsorptive gas separator for separating a first component from a multi-component fluid stream, the adsorptive gas separator comprising: a. A torus according to any one of claims 1 to 13; b. a plurality of containers, wherein the plurality of containers rotate together with the annulus and each contain an adsorbent for adsorbing the first component from the multi-component fluid stream; c. a sealing assembly having a conduit connector, inner and outer peripheral seals, and a radial seal; d. a plurality of motors for transmitting power to the plurality of containers; e. a first process flow conduit for directing the multi-component fluid flow as a feed flow to the plurality of containers, wherein the feed flow conduit is substantially stationary; f. a first product stream conduit for guiding a first product stream recovered from said plurality of containers, wherein said first product stream conduit is substantially stationary; g. a second process flow conduit for directing a first regeneration flow to said plurality of containers, wherein said first regeneration flow conduit is substantially stationary; and h. A second product stream conduit for directing a second product stream recovered from the plurality of vessels, wherein the second product stream conduit is substantially stationary.

19. The adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 18, further comprising: Two sealing surfaces are located on opposite sides of the annulus, wherein the two sealing surfaces are each in contact with a sealing system having a conduit connector and a gas distribution system connecting conduits that traverse a plurality of containers arranged within the annulus.

20. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein: Each of the plurality of containers is in the shape of a rectangular prism.

21. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein: The plurality of vessels each contain a contactor having a solid adsorbent having selective adsorption capacity for at least one of the feed stream components.

22. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein: The conduit is rated and sized to conduct the feed flow and / or the first regeneration flow at a pressure equal to or less than 100 kPa(g).

23. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein: The opening through the sealing face and / or the opposing face comprises a flow coefficient value or Cv value equal to or greater than 75,000, 100,000, 250,000, 500,000, 700,000 or 1,000,000.

24. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 23, wherein: Each of the adsorptive gas separators is sized to be transported on a flatbed truck having maximum dimensions of 12 m in length, 2.9 m in height and 2.4 m in width.

25. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein: The weight of the annular structure supporting the plurality of containers is less than twice the weight of the plurality of containers loaded with adsorbent fixed to the rotating annular structure.

26. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein: The force exerted on the annulus by the head loss across the adsorbent contactor of at least one of the feed stream, the first regeneration stream, and the conditioning stream is less than 20,000 Pa, preferably less than 10,000 Pa, in the direction of flow.

27. An adsorption gas separator comprising: a) a rotating assembly for rotating about an axis, the rotating assembly having:

1. A torus-shaped structure having an inner side located on the inner periphery of the rotating component, an outer side located on the outer periphery of the rotating component, a first span located between the inner side and the outer side, and a second span located between the inner side and the outer side, 2. a plurality of containers attached within the torus-shaped structure, surrounding a solid adsorbent, the plurality of containers having inlets and outlets in fluid communication with the solid adsorbent, 3. At least one protrusion attached to the inner side of the torus-shaped structure; b) a stationary component having a plurality of drive wheels connected to a plurality of motors for transmitting power for moving the toroidal structure around the axis, and c) at least one sealing system for directing process flow through the plurality of vessels and directing product flow from the plurality of vessels, the at least one sealing system comprising a rotor sealing face and a stator-side wearable seal assembly, Wherein, the stationary component is located inside the inner side of the toroidal structure.

28. The adsorptive gas separator of claim 27, wherein: The torus-shaped structure further includes an outer diameter and an inner diameter, and a ratio of the outer diameter to the inner diameter is less than 1.

5.

29. The adsorptive gas separator according to claim 27 or 28, further comprising: a first plurality of conduits, wherein the first plurality of conduits are adapted to convey a fluid and are located proximate the first span; and a second plurality of conduits, wherein the second plurality of conduits are adapted to convey a fluid and are located proximate the second span, wherein the first and second pluralities of conduits are stationary and in fluid communication with the inlets and the outlets of the plurality of vessels.

30. An adsorptive gas separator according to claim 27, 28 or 29, wherein: The plurality of containers may be transferred from the outside of the torus-shaped support structure.

31. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 27 to 30, wherein: The at least one protrusion is a cantilever.

32. An adsorptive gas separator according to any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein: The plurality of drive wheels are adapted to carry a weight greater than 50% of the weight of the rotating assembly.

33. A method of operating an adsorptive gas separator for separating a first component from a multi-component fluid stream, the method comprising: a. Providing an adsorption gas separator as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 32; b. transmitting power from the plurality of motors to the annulus to move the plurality of containers; c. so that the plurality of containers are fluidly connected to the feed stream conduit and the first product stream conduit; d. directing the multi-component fluid stream as a feed stream to the plurality of containers, adsorbing the first component onto the adsorbent of the plurality of containers to form a first product stream depleted of the first component relative to the feed stream, recovering the first product stream from the plurality of containers, and directing the first product stream into the first product stream conduit; e. connecting the adsorbent of the plurality of containers to the first regeneration flow conduit and the second product flow conduit; as well as f. directing a first regeneration stream to the plurality of containers, desorbing the first component from the plurality of containers to form a second product stream enriched in the first component relative to the feed stream, recovering the second product stream from the plurality of containers, and directing the second product stream to the second product stream conduit.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising: a. so that the adsorbent of the plurality of containers is fluidly connected to the second regeneration flow conduit and the third product flow conduit; b. contacting a second regeneration stream with the adsorbent of the plurality of containers to form a third product stream, recovering the third product stream from the plurality of containers, and directing the third product stream into the third product stream conduit; c. connecting the adsorbent of the plurality of containers to the conditioning flow conduit and the fourth product flow conduit; as well as d. entering a conditioning stream to contact the adsorbent of the plurality of vessels to form a fourth product stream, recovering the fourth product stream from the plurality of vessels, and directing the fourth product stream into the fourth product stream conduit.

35. A method according to any one of claims 33 to 34, wherein: The multi-component fluid stream is at least one of an industrial process gas stream, a commercial process gas stream, and a combustion gas stream, and the first component is an acid gas component, carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen, or oxygen.

36. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 35, further comprising: The plurality of containers are moved along a track, wherein the plurality of containers are moved with one to three degrees of freedom, in particular with one to two degrees of freedom, relative to the track when engaged.

37. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 36, further comprising: The annulus with the plurality of containers is caused to move in a substantially horizontal plane in a path or loop of a substantially circular path.

38. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 37, further comprising: The moving of the plurality of containers is a substantially continuous motion at a substantially continuous speed over one complete rotation and / or at a substantially constant speed within 10% of the average rotational speed.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein: The rotation speed of the annulus is between 0.5 rpm and 10 rpm.

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