Renewable adsorption separation column

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of separation equipment, in particular to a reproducible adsorption separation column, which comprises a barrel, the barrel is fixedly connected with an upper end cover and a lower end cover, the upper end cover is provided with a feed port, and the lower end cover is provided with a discharge port. A regenerant inlet is formed close to the lower end of the barrel; a plurality of box bodies filled with different adsorbents are arranged in the cylinder body, micropores are densely distributed on the box bodies, and the regenerant inlet and the regenerant outlet are respectively connected with an outlet and an inlet of the circulating pump. Compared with the prior art, the adsorbent regeneration device can be used for conveniently and efficiently realizing adsorbent regeneration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of separation equipment technology, specifically to a regenerable adsorption separation column. Background Technology

[0002] In today's adsorption separation field, adsorption columns, as core equipment, are widely used in the separation processes of various mixtures. In chemical production scenarios, for gas separation, conventional adsorption columns are mostly filled with a single adsorbent, such as silica gel or activated alumina, which captures specific gas molecules through physical adsorption to achieve preliminary separation of the mixed gas. In liquid purification, adsorption columns filled with ion exchange resins are often used, which remove impurity ions from the liquid and improve the liquid purity through ion exchange reactions. In the environmental protection field, activated carbon adsorption columns are a common configuration for treating wastewater and waste gas, utilizing the porous structure of activated carbon to adsorb organic pollutants in wastewater and harmful gases in waste gas.

[0003] However, existing adsorption columns face numerous challenges in the adsorbent regeneration process. Taking thermal regeneration as an example, traditional adsorption columns suffer from uneven heat transfer due to structural limitations, leading to overheating and deactivation of some adsorbents and resulting in poor regeneration. Furthermore, thermal regeneration consumes enormous amounts of energy, significantly increasing production costs. While chemical regeneration can restore adsorbent activity to some extent, the waste liquid generated after regeneration is cumbersome to treat and can easily cause secondary pollution. When the adsorbent becomes saturated, frequent replacement becomes unavoidable if efficient regeneration is not possible. This not only drastically increases consumable costs but also makes the disposal of waste adsorbents a thorny issue, adding to the environmental burden.

[0004] Existing conventional adsorption columns fall short when dealing with complex mixtures. In complex gas mixtures containing multiple gases with similar properties, the single adsorbent in conventional columns struggles to accurately distinguish and adsorb them, resulting in low separation purity. When treating complex wastewater, which often contains heavy metal ions and various organic pollutants, conventional adsorption columns cannot simultaneously and efficiently adsorb all types of pollutants, failing to meet increasingly stringent environmental emission requirements. Furthermore, the components in complex mixtures may interfere with each other, further reducing the adsorption selectivity of conventional adsorption columns and hindering the efficient separation of multiple target substances—a situation that contradicts the growing demand for refined separation across various industries. Therefore, developing a regenerable adsorption separation column with high-efficiency separation capabilities is of paramount practical significance and urgency for advancing adsorption separation technology, reducing production costs, and improving environmental benefits. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a regenerable adsorption separation column to solve the problems of existing adsorption columns, such as the difficulty in regenerating the adsorbent and poor separation effect on complex mixtures. To achieve the above objective, this invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A regenerable adsorption separation column includes a cylindrical body fixedly connected to an upper end cover and a lower end cover. The upper end cover has a feed inlet, and the lower end cover has a discharge outlet. Unlike existing technologies, a regenerator outlet is located near the upper end of the cylindrical body, and a regenerator inlet is located near the lower end of the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body contains multiple boxes filled with different adsorbents. The boxes are densely covered with micropores. The regenerator inlet and regenerator outlet are respectively connected to the outlet and inlet of a circulation pump.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper and lower end caps each extend concentrically inward from their centers; the box body consists of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, with the lower ends of the inner and outer cylinders connected by an annular bottom wall and the upper ends connected by multiple spokes to abut against the annular bottom walls of adjacent box bodies; the uppermost box body is covered with an annular lid, and the inner cylinder, outer cylinder, annular bottom wall, and annular lid are all densely covered with micropores. The inner hole of the annular lid and the inner cylinder of the box body are slidably engaged with the guide rods. There are abutting springs between the annular lid and the upper end cap, and between the annular bottom wall of the lowermost box body and the lower end cap; the circulating pump drives the regenerant to agitate the multiple box bodies in a pressure-fluctuating flow manner.

[0008] Furthermore, the regenerant inlet is arranged at an angle, allowing the regenerant liquid flow to directly impact the annular bottom wall of the lowest chamber.

[0009] Furthermore, the circulating pump is a pulse pump, which periodically changes the pump's output flow rate to create pressure fluctuations in the regenerant flow within the pipeline.

[0010] Furthermore, a flow regulating valve is installed on the outlet pipe of the circulating pump. By periodically adjusting the opening of the flow regulating valve, the flow rate of the regenerant changes, thereby achieving pressure fluctuation flow.

[0011] Furthermore, a pressure buffer is installed on the pipeline between the circulating pump and the regenerant inlet. The pressure buffer contains an elastically deformable diaphragm. When the regenerant flows into the pressure buffer, it causes the diaphragm to undergo elastic deformation, resulting in pressure fluctuations in the regenerant during the process of the diaphragm recovering its deformation.

[0012] Furthermore, a rotary throttle valve is provided at the regenerant inlet. This rotary throttle valve rotates at a certain period, periodically changing the flow cross-sectional area of ​​the regenerant, thereby causing the regenerant to flow with pressure fluctuations.

[0013] Furthermore, an additional bowl-shaped end cap is fixed to the outside of the upper and lower end caps, and the additional end cap forms a sandwich with the upper or lower end cap. The inlet or outlet is fixed in the center of the additional end cap, and the upper or lower end cap has a pair of through holes communicating with the sandwich.

[0014] Furthermore, the outer casing of the cylinder is equipped with a heating wire for heating the regenerant inside the cylinder.

[0015] Furthermore, the inner wall of the cylinder is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped protrusions along the axial direction, and the outer wall of the outer cylinder is provided with strip-shaped grooves that are adapted to the strip-shaped protrusions, and the strip-shaped protrusions and the strip-shaped grooves are slidably engaged.

[0016] Furthermore, both the inlet and outlet are equipped with detachable filter covers, the mesh size of which is smaller than the pore size of the micropores on the box body.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] Highly efficient processing of complex mixtures: The cylinder is equipped with multiple boxes filled with different adsorbents, which can perform graded adsorption on various target substances with different properties in complex mixtures, such as different pollutants or components to be separated in gases and liquids. Through the synergistic effect of different adsorbents, the precise separation of multi-component mixtures is achieved, significantly improving separation efficiency and purity, and solving the problem of poor selectivity of traditional single adsorbents for separating complex components.

[0019] Convenient and efficient adsorbent regeneration: A closed-loop resorbent circulation system is constructed through the coordination of the resorbent inlet, outlet, and circulation pump. During the circulation process, the resorbent can regenerate the saturated adsorbent through physical elution such as dissolution and desorption, or chemical reactions such as neutralization and complexation. This avoids the problems of uneven heat transfer, high energy consumption, and easy deactivation of adsorbents in traditional thermal regeneration methods. At the same time, it reduces the treatment cost of chemical regeneration waste liquid, realizes the reuse of adsorbents, and reduces the frequency of consumable replacement and waste generation.

[0020] Structural optimization enhances performance: The box body is designed with dense micropores to ensure that the fluid to be separated medium or regenerator is evenly distributed in the cylinder, increasing the contact area between the adsorbent and the medium and improving adsorption and regeneration efficiency; the circulating pump drives the regenerator flow, and the regeneration process can be adjusted by controlling parameters such as flow rate and pressure, so that the regenerator can act more fully on each layer of adsorbent, further optimizing the regeneration effect.

[0021] Environmental and economic advantages: It reduces reliance on a single high-energy-consuming regeneration method and lowers energy consumption in the production process; by regenerating and reusing adsorbents, it significantly reduces the generation of waste adsorbents and lowers the burden of environmental treatment; at the same time, it avoids the consumable costs caused by frequent replacement of adsorbents, thus combining environmental benefits and economic value. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view.

[0024] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0025] Figure 4 and 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the lower end cover of this utility model from different perspectives.

[0026] Figure 6 and 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of the box body of this utility model from different perspectives.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the annular box cover of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] A regenerable adsorption separation column includes a cylindrical body 1, which is fixedly connected to an upper end cover 2 and a lower end cover 3. The upper end cover 2 is provided with a feed inlet 21, and the lower end cover 3 is provided with a discharge outlet 31. A regenerator outlet 11 is provided near the upper end of the cylindrical body 1, and a regenerator inlet 12 is provided near the lower end of the cylindrical body 1. The cylindrical body 1 contains a plurality of boxes 4 filled with different adsorbents. The boxes 4 are densely covered with micropores. The regenerator inlet 12 and the regenerator outlet 11 are respectively connected to the outlet and inlet of a circulation pump.

[0030] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0031] I. Separation process medium inflow: The gas / liquid mixture to be separated enters the cylinder 1 from the feed port 21 of the upper end cover 2 and contacts each layer of the box 4 during the downward flow.

[0032] Staged adsorption: The box 4 is filled with different types of adsorbents such as activated carbon, ion exchange resin, silica gel, etc., which selectively adsorb target substances with different properties in the mixture, such as heavy metal ions, organic pollutants, and specific gas molecules.

[0033] For example, the upper chamber can be filled with resin that has a strong adsorption capacity for macromolecular organic matter, while the lower chamber can be filled with chelating adsorbents for heavy metal ions, thereby achieving layer-by-layer separation of multiple components.

[0034] Purification and discharge: The medium treated by each layer of adsorbent is discharged from the discharge port 31 of the lower end cover 3, completing the separation process.

[0035] II. Regeneration Process

[0036] Regenerant circulation: When the adsorbent is saturated, start the circulation pump to drive the regenerant into the cylinder through the regenerant inlet 12 at the bottom of the cylinder, using the appropriate solvent selected according to the type of adsorbent, such as water, acid, alkali or organic solvent.

[0037] Elution process: The regenerator flows from bottom to top or top to bottom through each layer of the box 4 according to the circulation direction. Through physical processes such as dissolution and desorption or chemical processes such as ion exchange and complexation reaction, the target substances on the surface and in the pores of the adsorbent are eluted, forming a waste liquid containing the eluent.

[0038] The microporous structure of box 4 ensures uniform penetration of the regenerant and full contact with the adsorbent, thereby improving elution efficiency.

[0039] Waste liquid discharge: The regenerated waste liquid carrying the eluent is discharged from the regener outlet 11 at the top of the cylinder and enters the subsequent treatment process such as recycling and purification. The regener is re-entered into the system by the circulation pump to form a closed regeneration loop, which can be reused or replaced with fresh regener.

[0040] III. Core Mechanism

[0041] Synergistic effect of multiple adsorbents: By using specific adsorbents filled in different boxes, the multi-components in complex mixtures can be treated in a graded manner, avoiding the selectivity limitations of a single adsorbent.

[0042] Closed-loop regeneration system: The regenerant inlet 12, outlet 11 and circulation pump form a closed loop. The regeneration effect can be flexibly adjusted by controlling the regenerant flow rate, pressure and number of cycles, which is more efficient and energy-saving than traditional single regeneration.

[0043] Uniform fluid distribution: The microporous design of the box and the cylindrical structure ensure uniform flow of the separation medium and regenerator within the column, maximizing the contact area between the adsorbent and the fluid and improving separation and regeneration efficiency.

[0044] In another preferred embodiment, the upper end cover 2 and the lower end cover 3 extend concentrically inward from their centers; the box body 4 is composed of an inner cylinder 41 and an outer cylinder 42, the lower ends of the inner cylinder 41 and the outer cylinder 42 are connected by an annular bottom wall 43, and the upper ends are connected by multiple spokes 44 to abut against the annular bottom walls of adjacent box bodies 4; the uppermost box body 4 is covered with an annular box cover 5, and the inner cylinder 41, the outer cylinder 42, the annular bottom wall 43 and the annular box cover 5 are densely covered with micropores. The inner hole of the annular box cover 5 and the inner cylinder 41 of the box body 4 are slidably engaged with the guide rods 32. There are abutting springs 6 between the annular box cover 5 and the upper end cover 2, and between the annular bottom wall 43 of the lowermost box body 4 and the lower end cover 3; the circulating pump drives the regenerant to agitate the multiple box bodies 4 in a pressure fluctuation flow manner. The concentric guide rods extending from the upper and lower end caps, combined with the sliding connection between the inner cylinder and the annular cover and the spring abutment design, allow the box to oscillate along the direction of the guide rods when the regenerant pressure fluctuates, enhancing the dynamic contact effect between the adsorbent and the regenerant. The structural design of the spokes and the annular bottom wall ensures the strength of the box and promotes the removal of blockages in the pores of the adsorbent through oscillation, improving the elution efficiency. At the same time, the elastic support of the springs prevents the box from excessively impacting the cylinder, ensuring structural stability and the uniformity of the regeneration process.

[0045] In another preferred embodiment, the regenerant inlet 12 is arranged at an angle, allowing the regenerant liquid flow to directly impact the annular bottom wall 43 of the lowest layer box 4. By arranging the regenerant inlet at an angle, the regenerant liquid flow directly impacts the annular bottom wall of the lowest layer box at a specific angle. By changing the direction of the liquid flow and the point of impact, the oscillation amplitude of the box under the spring and guide rod structure is significantly increased. The impact force of the liquid flow is converted into the reciprocating vibration kinetic energy of the box, strengthening the dynamic contact between the adsorbent and the regenerant. Especially for adsorbents at the bottom layer where contaminants easily accumulate, this effectively promotes the removal of blockages from the pores, solving the problem of insufficient impact force caused by traditional vertical feeding. This ensures that each layer of the box receives more thorough oscillatory elution during the regeneration process, further improving the overall regeneration efficiency.

[0046] In another preferred embodiment, the circulating pump is a pulse pump. By periodically changing the pump's output flow rate, the regenerant experiences pressure fluctuations within the pipeline. Using a pulse pump as the circulation power source, the periodic adjustment of the output flow rate creates regular pressure fluctuations, causing the regenerant to flow in a pulsed manner within the pipeline and cylinder. This drives the casing to oscillate synchronously, breaking the liquid film boundary layer on the adsorbent surface and enhancing mass transfer. This method offers advantages such as high control precision and fast response speed, allowing for flexible adjustment of the pulse frequency and amplitude according to the adsorbent type, adapting to different regeneration process requirements.

[0047] In another preferred embodiment, a flow regulating valve is installed on the outlet pipeline of the circulating pump. By periodically adjusting the opening of this flow regulating valve, the flow rate of the regenerant changes, thereby achieving pressure fluctuations. Installing a flow regulating valve on the outlet pipeline of the circulating pump and periodically changing the valve opening to achieve dynamic changes in the regenerant flow rate, thus inducing pressure fluctuations within the pipeline, results in a low-cost, highly compatible structure that can be integrated with existing pump systems. Through automated control, the period and amplitude of flow rate changes can be precisely adjusted, meeting the regeneration intensity requirements of different adsorbents while avoiding the impact of sudden pressure changes on the equipment, thus improving system stability.

[0048] In another preferred embodiment, a pressure buffer is installed on the pipeline between the circulating pump and the regenerant inlet 12. The pressure buffer contains an elastically deformable diaphragm. When the regenerant flows into the pressure buffer, the diaphragm undergoes elastic deformation, causing pressure fluctuations during the diaphragm's recovery process. By installing a pressure buffer with an elastic diaphragm between the circulating pump and the regenerant inlet, and utilizing the volume change generated during diaphragm deformation and recovery to induce regenerant pressure fluctuations, this method achieves passive pressure regulation through a mechanical structure, eliminating the need for complex electrical control systems. It features stable operation and easy maintenance. The diaphragm material can be selected based on the corrosiveness of the regenerant, ensuring long-term reliability, making it particularly suitable for explosion-proof or high-precision control scenarios.

[0049] In another preferred embodiment, a rotary throttle valve is provided at the regenerant inlet 12. This rotary throttle valve rotates at a certain period, periodically changing the flow cross-sectional area of ​​the regenerant, thereby causing the regenerant to flow with pressure fluctuations. By providing a rotary throttle valve at the regenerant inlet and changing the flow cross-sectional area through periodic rotation, the regenerant generates periodic pressure fluctuations. This design can achieve precise frequency control through gear or motor drive, forming a stable pressure fluctuation cycle, suitable for regeneration processes requiring regular oscillations. Simultaneously, the mechanical structure of the throttle valve facilitates disassembly and maintenance, reducing equipment maintenance costs.

[0050] In another preferred embodiment, a bowl-shaped additional end cap 33 is fixedly connected to the upper end cap 2 and the lower end cap 3. The additional end cap 33 forms a sandwich with the upper end cap 2 or the lower end cap 3. The inlet 21 or the outlet 31 is fixedly located at the center of the additional end cap 33. The upper end cap 2 or the lower end cap 3 has a pair of through holes 34 communicating with the sandwich. The upper end cap and the lower end cap are connected to the bowl-shaped additional end cap to form a sandwich. The inlet / outlet is centrally located. With the multiple through holes on the end cap, the medium to be separated is evenly distributed in the sandwich before entering the cylinder. A radial flow field is formed through the through holes, avoiding the fluid deviation problem caused by traditional center feeding. This ensures that the medium and the adsorbent in each layer of the box are in uniform contact, improving the stability and efficiency of the separation process. It is especially suitable for the treatment of high viscosity or easily stratified fluids.

[0051] In another preferred embodiment, the outer casing of the cylinder 1 is provided with a heating wire for heating the regenerant inside the cylinder.

[0052] In another preferred embodiment, both the inlet 21 and the outlet 31 are equipped with removable filter covers, the mesh size of which is smaller than the pore size of the micropores on the box body 4. Heating wires are coiled around the outside of the cylinder to heat the regenerant, allowing for precise temperature control within the cylinder. This meets the requirements of adsorbent thermal regeneration or temperature-sensitive elution processes, such as increasing temperature to promote adsorbent desorption. With the aid of a temperature sensor and controller, a discretionary design can be implemented to automate the heating process, avoiding heat loss and unevenness issues associated with traditional external heating equipment. This improves regeneration efficiency while reducing energy consumption and broadens the range of adsorbent types applicable to the equipment, such as zeolites and molecular sieves, which require high-temperature regeneration.

[0053] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A renewable adsorption separation column comprising a cylinder (1) fixedly connected with an upper end cover (2) and a lower end cover (3), the upper end cover (2) is provided with a feed inlet (21), and the lower end cover (3) is provided with a discharge outlet (31), characterized in that, A regenerator outlet (11) is provided near the upper end of the cylinder (1), and a regenerator inlet (12) is provided near the lower end of the cylinder (1). The cylinder (1) contains multiple boxes (4) filled with different adsorbents. The boxes (4) are densely covered with micropores. The regenerator inlet (12) and the regenerator outlet (11) are respectively connected to the outlet and inlet of the circulation pump.

2. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 1, characterized in that The upper end cover (2) and the lower end cover (3) extend concentrically inward from their centers; the box body (4) consists of an inner cylinder (41) and an outer cylinder (42), the lower ends of the inner cylinder (41) and the outer cylinder (42) are connected by an annular bottom wall (43), and the upper ends are connected by multiple spokes (44) to resist the annular bottom walls of adjacent box bodies (4); the uppermost box body (4) is covered with an annular box cover (5), the inner cylinder (41) and the outer cylinder (42) are connected by annular bottom walls (43) and annular bottom walls (44) (43) ...4) (43) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) (44) ( The cylinder (42), the annular bottom wall (43) and the annular box cover (5) are densely covered with micropores. The inner hole of the annular box cover (5) and the inner cylinder (41) of the box body (4) are slidably engaged with the guide rod (32). There are abutting springs (6) between the annular box cover (5) and the upper end cover (2) and between the annular bottom wall (43) of the lowest box body (4) and the lower end cover (3). The circulating pump drives the regenerant to agitate the multiple boxes (4) in a pressure fluctuation flow manner.

3. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 2, wherein, The regenerant inlet (12) is arranged at an angle, and the regenerant liquid flow can directly impact the annular bottom wall (43) of the lowest box (4).

4. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 2, wherein, The circulating pump is a pulse pump, which periodically changes the pump's output flow rate to create pressure fluctuations in the regenerant flow within the pipeline.

5. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 2, wherein, A flow regulating valve is installed on the outlet pipe of the circulating pump. By periodically adjusting the opening of the flow regulating valve, the flow rate of the regenerant changes, thereby achieving pressure fluctuation flow.

6. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 2, wherein, A pressure buffer is provided on the pipeline between the circulating pump and the regenerant inlet (12). The pressure buffer contains an elastically deformable diaphragm. When the regenerant flows into the pressure buffer, it causes the diaphragm to undergo elastic deformation, resulting in pressure fluctuations in the regenerant during the process of the diaphragm recovering its deformation.

7. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 2, wherein, A rotary throttle valve is provided at the regenerant inlet (12). The rotary throttle valve rotates at a certain period to periodically change the flow cross-sectional area of ​​the regenerant, thereby causing the regenerant to flow with pressure fluctuations.

8. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 1 wherein, The upper end cover (2) and the lower end cover (3) are fixedly connected to a bowl-shaped additional end cover (33). The additional end cover (33) and the upper end cover (2) or the lower end cover (3) form a sandwich. The inlet (21) or outlet (31) is fixed at the center of the additional end cover (33). The upper end cover (2) or the lower end cover (3) has a pair of through holes (34) communicating with the sandwich.

9. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 1 wherein, The outer plate of the cylinder (1) is equipped with a heating wire for heating the regenerant inside the cylinder.

10. A regenerable adsorption separation column according to claim 1, wherein, A detachable filter cover is installed at both the feed inlet (21) and the discharge outlet (31), and the mesh diameter of the filter cover is smaller than the diameter of the micropores on the box body (4).

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