Pressure swing adsorption tower system capable of improving CO purity of product gas
By installing a diversion tube at the top of the adsorption tower and filling the bottom with solid ceramic balls, and optimizing the pipeline components at the top and bottom of the tower, the problems of dead zones in the adsorption tower and residual gas in the pipelines were solved, and high-purity separation of the product gas CO was achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-03
AI Technical Summary
The adsorption tower has a lot of dead space, which can easily accumulate light component gases (hydrogen), resulting in a decrease in the purity of the product gas CO. The pipelines connected to the adsorption tower flow through different gases in multiple steps, and residual gases may enter the product gas, affecting its purity.
A diversion tube is installed at the top of the adsorption tower and solid ceramic balls are filled at the bottom. The layout of the pipeline components at the top and bottom of the tower is optimized to reduce dead zones and impurity residues. The structural design of the diversion tube and ceramic balls ensures uniform airflow distribution and avoids gas stagnation.
It significantly improved the purity of the product gas CO, reduced the residual amount of light component impurities, and ensured the purity of the product gas.
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Figure CN224071586U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) CO production technology, specifically relating to a PSA tower system that can improve the purity of CO in the product gas. Background Technology
[0002] Carbon monoxide is an important basic chemical raw material with a wide range of applications. It can be used to synthesize various chemical products such as ethylene glycol, formic acid, acetic acid, acetic anhydride, butanol, polycarbonate, toluene diisocyanate (TDI), dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Industrially, CO-rich gas sources mainly include water gas, semi-water gas, natural gas reforming gas, as well as various industrial tail gases such as calcium carbide furnace gas, raw coal gas, acetic acid tail gas, and yellow phosphorus tail gas. Using these industrial tail gases as feedstocks, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and separation methods can yield high-purity CO products. This is particularly suitable for medium-scale applications that are cost-sensitive and require continuous and stable production.
[0003] In the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) separation method, the adsorption tower first undergoes pressure equalization and pressurization steps to achieve pressure increase, followed by the introduction of feed gas. CO, as a heavy component, is selectively adsorbed onto the Cu-supported adsorbent. After adsorption, the adsorbent undergoes gradual depressurization and regeneration (specifically, the steps are pressure equalization and depressurization, product gas replacement, reverse venting, and vacuuming). During the reverse venting and vacuuming steps, the gas exiting the adsorption tower is the CO product gas. During the depressurization process, some light component impurities (mainly hydrogen) flow out from the top of the tower with the depressurized gas. Then, in the replacement step, a gas is introduced from the bottom of the tower to carry the remaining light component impurities out of the adsorption tower, preventing them from entering the product gas. However, a small amount of light component impurities may remain in the dead space within the adsorption tower. These light component impurities cannot flow out of the adsorption tower through the replacement step and ultimately enter the product gas with the reverse venting and vacuuming gas flow, thus contaminating the product gas.
[0004] In addition, the process of purifying carbon monoxide by pressure swing adsorption involves multiple steps. In the multi-tower pressure swing adsorption process, the same pipeline is used in multiple steps. After the gas flows through these pipelines in the previous step, a part of the gas will remain. This part of the gas will be incorporated into the next gas flow. If this part of the gas crosses with the product gas, it will affect the purity of the final product gas. Utility Model Content
[0005] The technical problem this invention aims to solve is that: due to the large amount of dead space inside the adsorption tower, light component gases (hydrogen) tend to accumulate, causing residual hydrogen to be discharged along with the CO on the adsorbent during desorption, resulting in a decrease in the purity of the product gas CO; when the pipeline connected to the adsorption tower performs multiple steps of the adsorption and desorption process, various different gases will flow through the pipeline, and the residue of these gases in the pipeline may enter the adsorption tower and mix with the product gas, or be mixed into the product gas during output, thereby reducing the purity of the product gas.
[0006] This utility model provides a pressure swing adsorption tower system that can improve the purity of CO product gas. It includes an adsorption tower, a top pipeline assembly, and a bottom pipeline assembly. The top of the adsorption tower is provided with a top airflow distributor and a guide tube. The guide tube is a frustum-shaped structure with a smaller top and a larger bottom. The top opening of the guide tube is connected to the bottom of the top airflow distributor, and the bottom opening of the guide tube is connected to the inner wall of the adsorption tower, so that the airflow passing through the top of the tower flows through the guide tube, reducing the volume of gas contained in the top of the tower. The bottom of the adsorption tower is filled with solid ceramic balls.
[0007] The top of the adsorption tower is connected to the top pipeline assembly. In the direction away from the adsorption tower, the top pipeline assembly includes, in sequence, a pre-adsorption outlet pipe, a pressure equalization outlet pipe, a pressure equalization inlet pipe, an adsorption tail gas outlet pipe, and a displacement outlet pipe. This allows the displacement gas discharged from the adsorption tower to pass through each pipeline before being discharged through the displacement outlet pipe, and to carry away as much of the light component gas remaining in the top pipeline assembly as possible during discharge.
[0008] The bottom of the adsorption tower is connected to the bottom pipeline assembly. In the direction away from the adsorption tower, the bottom pipeline assembly includes, in sequence, a vacuum exhaust pipe, a reverse exhaust pipe, a displacement inlet pipe, a raw material gas inlet pipe, and a pre-adsorption inlet pipe.
[0009] Optionally, the adsorption tower includes a tower top, a tower body, and a tower bottom from top to bottom. The tower top and the tower bottom are both hollow semi-ellipsoids. The top of the tower body is sealed to the tower top, and the bottom of the tower body is sealed to the tower bottom. The tower body is cylindrical.
[0010] The height of the diversion tube is lower than the height of the tower top, and the bottom opening of the diversion tube is connected to the inner wall of the tower top. The diversion tube is connected to the tower top by several vertical support rods to stabilize the position of the diversion tube. The top of the support rod is connected to the inner wall of the tower top, and the bottom of the support rod is connected to the upper surface of the diversion tube wall. The support rods are evenly arranged inside the tower top.
[0011] Alternatively, the interior of the drainage tube may be filled with solid ceramic balls, preferably with a diameter of 3 mm.
[0012] Optionally, the bottom of the column reboiler is provided with a column bottom airflow distributor for uniformly distributing the gas entering the column reboiler from the bottom; the length of the short half-axis of the column reboiler is slightly greater than the height of the column bottom airflow distributor. Preferably, the ratio of the short half-axis to the long half-axis of the column reboiler is 1:(2-4), which can minimize the gas volume space of the column reboiler and minimize the probability of dead zones.
[0013] Optionally, the top surface of the tower top is connected to a tower top gas pipeline for inputting or discharging gas to the tower top. A first valve is provided on the tower top gas pipeline for controlling the opening and closing of the tower top gas pipeline. One end of the tower top gas pipeline is connected to the tower top, and the other end is connected in parallel to the various pipelines of the tower top pipeline assembly through the first valve.
[0014] The pre-adsorption outlet pipe is closest to the first valve, and the displacement outlet pipe is furthest from the first valve. The equalization outlet pipe, equalization inlet pipe, and adsorption tail gas outlet pipe are arranged sequentially between the pre-adsorption outlet pipe and the displacement outlet pipe. Each pipe in the tower top pipeline assembly is equipped with a corresponding valve.
[0015] Optionally, the bottom surface of the column bottom is connected to a column bottom gas pipeline for inputting or discharging gas to the column bottom. A second valve is provided on the column bottom gas pipeline for controlling the opening and closing of the column bottom gas pipeline. One end of the column bottom gas pipeline is connected to the column bottom, and the other end is connected in parallel to each pipeline of the column bottom pipeline assembly through the second valve.
[0016] The pipe closest to the second valve is the vacuum outlet pipe, and the pipe furthest from the second valve is the pre-adsorption inlet pipe. The reverse release pipe, the displacement inlet pipe, the vacuum pipeline, the third valve, and the raw material gas inlet pipe are arranged in sequence between the vacuum outlet pipe and the pre-adsorption inlet pipe. Each gas pipe and pipeline in the bottom pipeline assembly is equipped with a corresponding valve.
[0017] Alternatively, the vacuum line is connected to a vacuum pump for evacuating gas from the bottom pipeline assembly to reduce residual process gases.
[0018] The pressure swing adsorption tower system described in this utility model has the following beneficial effects:
[0019] (1) By constructing the internal structure of the top and bottom of the adsorption tower, the dead zone volume in the adsorption tower is reduced, the light component impurities remaining in the adsorption tower are minimized, and the purity of the product gas is improved.
[0020] (2) By optimizing the layout of the gas pipelines (top pipeline assembly and bottom pipeline assembly) connected to the adsorption tower, the common length of pipelines for impurity gases is reduced, thereby reducing the pollution of product gas by residual impurities in the pipelines. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the adsorption tower structure in the embodiment;
[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the top of the tower;
[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a tower pot;
[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the adsorption tower and the top and bottom piping assemblies.
[0025] Among them, 1-Adsorption tower, 2-Top gas flow distributor, 3-Drawer tube, 4-Pre-adsorption outlet pipe, 5-Equalizing outlet pipe, 6-Equalizing inlet pipe, 7-Adsorption tail gas outlet pipe, 8-Displacement outlet pipe, 9-Vacuum outlet pipe, 10-Reverse release outlet pipe, 11-Displacement inlet pipe, 12-Raw material gas inlet pipe, 13-Pre-adsorption inlet pipe, 14-Support rod, 15-Bottom gas flow distributor, 16-Top gas pipeline, 17-Bottom gas pipeline, 18-First valve, 19-Second valve, 20-Third valve, 21-Vacuum pipeline, 22-Vacuum pump. Detailed Implementation
[0026] This embodiment provides a pressure swing adsorption tower system that can improve the purity of CO in the product gas, such as... Figures 1-4 As shown, the adsorption tower includes an adsorption tower 1, a top pipeline assembly, and a bottom pipeline assembly. The top of the adsorption tower is equipped with a top airflow distributor 2 and a guide tube 3. The guide tube 3 is a frustum-shaped structure with a smaller top and a larger bottom. The top opening of the guide tube 3 is connected to the bottom of the top airflow distributor 2, and the bottom opening of the guide tube 3 is connected to the inner wall of the adsorption tower, so that the airflow passing through the top of the tower flows through the guide tube 3, reducing the volume of gas contained in the top of the tower. The bottom of the adsorption tower is filled with solid ceramic balls.
[0027] The top of the adsorption tower is connected to the top pipeline assembly. In the direction away from the adsorption tower, the top pipeline assembly includes, in sequence, a pre-adsorption outlet pipe 4, a pressure equalization outlet pipe 5, a pressure equalization inlet pipe 6, an adsorption tail gas outlet pipe 7, and a displacement outlet pipe 8. This allows the displacement gas discharged from the adsorption tower to pass through each pipeline before being discharged through the displacement outlet pipe 8. During discharge, the residual light component gas in the top pipeline assembly is carried away as much as possible.
[0028] The bottom of the adsorption tower is connected to the bottom pipeline assembly. In the direction away from the adsorption tower, the bottom pipeline assembly includes, in sequence, a vacuum exhaust pipe 9, a reverse exhaust pipe 10, a displacement inlet pipe 11, a raw material gas inlet pipe 12, and a pre-adsorption inlet pipe 13.
[0029] Optionally, the adsorption tower is an axial bed, that is, the gas flow inside the tower flows along the axial direction of the tower body. The adsorption tower includes a tower top, a tower body and a tower bottom from top to bottom. The tower top and the tower bottom are both hollow semi-rotating ellipsoids. The top of the tower body is sealed to the tower top, and the bottom of the tower body is sealed to the tower bottom. The tower body is cylindrical.
[0030] The height of the diversion cylinder 3 is lower than the height of the tower top. The bottom opening of the diversion cylinder 3 is connected to the inner wall of the top of the tower. The diversion cylinder 3 is connected to the top of the tower by several vertical support rods 14 to stabilize the position of the diversion cylinder 3. The top of the support rods 14 is connected to the inner wall of the tower top, and the bottom of the support rods 14 is connected to the upper surface of the cylinder wall of the diversion cylinder 3. The support rods 14 are evenly arranged inside the top of the tower.
[0031] Optionally, the interior of the diversion cylinder 3 is filled with solid ceramic balls, preferably with a diameter of 3 mm. The tower body below the diversion cylinder 3 is filled with adsorption packing material, which can support the ceramic balls inside the diversion cylinder 3 and prevent them from falling into the tower body. Alternatively, a filter screen is provided below the diversion cylinder 3 to separate the ceramic balls.
[0032] In traditional adsorption towers, the top of the tower is equipped with a top airflow distributor 2. All gases entering and exiting the top of the tower pass through the top airflow distributor 2. A dead zone is formed in the space between the top airflow distributor 2 and the top wall of the tower. Especially near the top wall of the top airflow distributor 2, process gases from different process steps inevitably remain in these positions.
[0033] This invention improves the space at the top of the tower by dividing it into upper and lower parts using a guide tube 3. The upper part is the space between the guide tube 3 and the top of the tower, which only accommodates several support rods 14 and does not accommodate various process gases in the pressure swing adsorption process. The lower part is the internal space of the guide tube 3 and is connected to the tower body. Gases entering from the top airflow distributor 2 and gases exiting from the tower body must pass through the guide tube 3. That is, the gas only passes through the internal space of the guide tube 3 and then through the top airflow distributor 2, preventing the gas from entering the upper part of the space. This effectively reduces the volume of gas to be contained at the top of the tower, avoiding the dead zone where gas enters. On the other hand, the guide tube 3 is a regular frustum shape with no dead zone. Neither rising nor falling airflow will stagnate in the guide tube 3, thus greatly avoiding the problem of gas residue in the dead zone at the top of the tower causing a decrease in product gas purity.
[0034] Optionally, the distance between the bottom of the guide tube and the top surface of the solid adsorbent inside the tower is not less than 5 cm, so that after the gas leaves the solid adsorbent, it has a certain distance or time to be rectified before entering the guide tube. The distance between the guide tube and the top surface of the adsorbent is much greater than the diameter of the ceramic ball. The ceramic ball inside the guide tube helps the airflow to be evenly distributed on the cross-section of the guide tube, avoiding the formation of dead corners. The solid ceramic ball filling inside the guide tube can further reduce the empty space in the lower part.
[0035] The diversion tube 3 has a simple structure and low cost, making it suitable for upgrading and modifying existing adsorption towers, and it has great market promotion value.
[0036] Optionally, the bottom of the column reboiler is provided with a column bottom airflow distributor 15 for uniformly distributing the gas entering the column reboiler from the bottom; the length of the short half-axis of the column reboiler is slightly greater than the height of the column bottom airflow distributor 15. Preferably, the ratio of the short half-axis to the long half-axis of the column reboiler is 1:(2-4), which can minimize the gas volume space of the column reboiler and minimize the probability of dead zones.
[0037] Optionally, the top surface of the tower top is connected to the tower top gas pipeline 16 for inputting or discharging gas to the tower top. The tower top gas pipeline 16 is equipped with a first valve 18 for controlling the opening and closing of the tower top gas pipeline 16. One end of the tower top gas pipeline 16 is connected to the tower top, and the other end is connected in parallel to the various pipelines of the tower top pipeline assembly through the first valve 18.
[0038] The pre-adsorption outlet pipe 4 is closest to the first valve 18, and the displacement outlet pipe 8 is furthest from the first valve 18. The equalization outlet pipe 5, the equalization inlet pipe 6, and the adsorption tail gas outlet pipe 7 are arranged sequentially between the pre-adsorption outlet pipe 4 and the displacement outlet pipe 8. Each pipe of the tower top pipeline assembly is equipped with a corresponding valve.
[0039] Optionally, the bottom surface of the column bottom is connected to the column bottom gas pipeline 17 for inputting or discharging gas to the column bottom. The column bottom gas pipeline 17 is provided with a second valve 19 for controlling the opening and closing of the column bottom gas pipeline 17. One end of the column bottom gas pipeline 17 is connected to the column bottom, and the other end is connected in parallel to each pipeline of the column bottom pipeline assembly through the second valve 19.
[0040] The vacuum exhaust pipe 9 is closest to the second valve 19, and the pre-adsorption inlet pipe 13 is furthest from the second valve 19. Between the vacuum exhaust pipe 9 and the pre-adsorption inlet pipe 13, the reverse release pipe 10, the displacement inlet pipe 11, the vacuum pipeline 21, the third valve 20, and the raw material gas inlet pipe 12 are arranged in sequence. Each gas pipe and pipeline in the bottom pipeline assembly of the tower is equipped with a corresponding valve.
[0041] Optionally, the vacuum line 21 is connected to a vacuum pump 22 for evacuating gas from the bottom pipeline assembly to reduce residual process gas; a regeneration vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum outlet pipe 9.
[0042] The pressure swing adsorption tower system described in this invention is used to separate and extract CO from the feed gas using the following method:
[0043] (1) Adsorption: The raw gas is fed into the adsorption tower through the raw gas inlet pipe 12. The CO in the raw gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent, and the remaining gas is discharged from the adsorption tail gas outlet pipe 7 connected to the top of the adsorption tower.
[0044] (2) Pressure equalization: After the adsorption tail gas is discharged, the adsorption tower is connected to another adsorption tower that has completed regeneration and is in a low-pressure state through the pressure equalization outlet pipe 5, so that the pressure of this adsorption tower is reduced, which can carry out the light component impurity gas in the dead zone of this adsorption tower and increase the pressure of the other adsorption tower.
[0045] After pressure equalization, close the second valve 19 and the third valve 20, and open the valve on the vacuum line 21 and the vacuum pump 22 to evacuate the pipeline between the second valve 19 and the third valve 20. Extract the raw material gas remaining in the pipeline section between the second valve 19 and the third valve 20, as well as the pipeline section connecting the vacuum outlet pipe 9, the reverse release pipe 10, and the replacement inlet pipe 11 to the bottom gas pipeline 17, to prevent this part of the raw material gas from entering the adsorption tower in subsequent steps. Then close the valve on the vacuum line 21 and the vacuum pump 22, and open the second valve 19 to prepare for the replacement step.
[0046] (3) Replacement: A portion of the product gas CO is introduced into the adsorption tower through the replacement inlet pipe 11 to further replace the light component impurity gas in the dead zone of the adsorption tower, so that the adsorbent bed space is filled with high concentration of CO, and the gas that is replaced is discharged through the replacement outlet pipe 8; then, the first valve 18 is closed to isolate the gas pipeline 16 at the top of the tower from the pipeline assembly at the top of the tower.
[0047] Through step (3), the replacement inlet pipe 11 and above, the adsorption tower, the tower top gas pipe 16 and the tower top pipe assembly are all filled with product gas CO.
[0048] (4) Reverse release: After the replacement is completed, open the valve on the reverse release pipe 10, and the CO gas in the adsorption tower is discharged from the reverse release pipe 10 to the reverse release buffer tank to obtain high-purity product gas CO. The pressure of the adsorption tower is reduced to atmospheric pressure.
[0049] (5) Vacuuming: After the reverse release is completed, in order to regenerate the adsorbent completely, the adsorption tower is evacuated by a regeneration vacuum pump and a vacuum outlet pipe 9, so that the CO adsorbed by the adsorbent is completely desorbed. After the product gas CO passes through the bottom gas pipeline 17, it is directly discharged through the vacuum outlet pipe 9, avoiding the product gas from passing through other pipelines of the bottom pipeline assembly.
[0050] Through this embodiment, based on actual testing results from industrial equipment, when the content of light components (hydrogen) in the raw gas is around 60%, the hydrogen content in the CO product gas of the copper molecular sieve adsorbent process is reduced to below 100 ppm.
Claims
1. A pressure swing adsorption tower system capable of improving the purity of CO in product gas, characterized in that, The system includes an adsorption tower, a top piping assembly, and a bottom piping assembly. The top of the adsorption tower is equipped with a top airflow distributor and a guide tube. The guide tube is a frustum-shaped structure, smaller at the top and larger at the bottom. The top opening of the guide tube connects to the bottom of the top airflow distributor, and the bottom opening of the guide tube connects to the inner wall of the adsorption tower, so that the airflow passing through the top of the tower flows through the guide tube, reducing the volume of gas contained at the top of the tower. The bottom of the adsorption tower is filled with solid ceramic balls. The top of the adsorption tower is connected to the top pipeline assembly. In the direction away from the adsorption tower, the top pipeline assembly includes, in sequence, a pre-adsorption outlet pipe, a pressure equalization outlet pipe, a pressure equalization inlet pipe, an adsorption tail gas outlet pipe, and a displacement outlet pipe, so that the displacement gas discharged from the adsorption tower can pass through each pipeline and then be discharged through the displacement outlet pipe. The bottom of the adsorption tower is connected to the bottom pipeline assembly. In the direction away from the adsorption tower, the bottom pipeline assembly includes, in sequence, a vacuum exhaust pipe, a reverse exhaust pipe, a displacement inlet pipe, a raw material gas inlet pipe, and a pre-adsorption inlet pipe.
2. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adsorption tower comprises, from top to bottom, a tower top, a tower body, and a tower bottom. Both the tower top and the tower bottom are hollow semi-ellipsoids. The top of the tower body is sealed to the tower top, and the bottom of the tower body is sealed to the tower bottom. The tower body is cylindrical. The height of the diversion tube is lower than the height of the tower top, and the bottom opening of the diversion tube is connected to the inner wall of the tower top. The diversion tube is connected to the tower top by several vertical support rods to stabilize the position of the diversion tube. The top of the support rod is connected to the inner wall of the tower top, and the bottom of the support rod is connected to the upper surface of the diversion tube wall. The support rods are evenly arranged inside the tower top.
3. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inside of the drainage tube is filled with solid ceramic balls.
4. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the column is equipped with a bottom airflow distributor to uniformly distribute the gas entering the column from the bottom; the length of the short half-axis of the column is slightly greater than the height of the bottom airflow distributor.
5. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The ratio of the short half-axis to the long half-axis of the column pot is 1:(2-4), which can minimize the gas volume space in the column pot and reduce the probability of dead zones.
6. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top surface of the tower top is connected to the tower top gas pipeline, which is used to input or discharge gas to the tower top. The tower top gas pipeline is equipped with a first valve, which is used to control the opening and closing of the tower top gas pipeline. One end of the tower top gas pipeline is connected to the tower top, and the other end is connected in parallel to the various pipelines of the tower top pipeline assembly through the first valve. The pre-adsorption outlet pipe is closest to the first valve, and the displacement outlet pipe is furthest from the first valve. The equalization outlet pipe, equalization inlet pipe, and adsorption tail gas outlet pipe are arranged sequentially between the pre-adsorption outlet pipe and the displacement outlet pipe. Each pipe in the tower top pipeline assembly is equipped with a corresponding valve.
7. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the column bottom is connected to the column bottom gas pipeline for inputting or discharging gas to the column bottom. The column bottom gas pipeline is equipped with a second valve for controlling the opening and closing of the column bottom gas pipeline. One end of the column bottom gas pipeline is connected to the column bottom, and the other end is connected in parallel to the various pipelines of the column bottom pipeline assembly through the second valve. The pipe closest to the second valve is the vacuum outlet pipe, and the pipe furthest from the second valve is the pre-adsorption inlet pipe. The reverse release pipe, the displacement inlet pipe, the vacuum pipeline, the third valve, and the raw material gas inlet pipe are arranged in sequence between the vacuum outlet pipe and the pre-adsorption inlet pipe. Each gas pipe and pipeline in the bottom pipeline assembly is equipped with a corresponding valve.
8. The pressure swing adsorption tower system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The vacuum line is connected to a vacuum pump and is used to evacuate the bottom pipeline assembly to reduce the residual process gas.