47 results about "Vacuum swing adsorption" patented technology

An oxygen concentrator for providing ambulatory oxygen containing a vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) oxygen separator powered by a power pack. The separator has a plurality of nitrogen-selective adsorbent beds, each operating in VSA cycles including feed, evacuation and repressurization phases. The concentrator also contains a reservoir for storing oxygen-rich product gas produced by the VSA oxygen separator.

An oxygen concentrator comprises an oxygen reservoir and adsorbent columns that each have an inlet, an outlet, and a bed of adsorbent material. The concentrator also comprises an air inlet, an exhaust outlet, and a vacuum pump for pumping nitrogen rich gas from one of the column inlets to the exhaust outlet. A product control pump pumps oxygen rich gas from one of the column outlets to the oxygen reservoir. A control valve controls flow in and out of the columns by selectively connecting the air inlet to one column inlet, connecting the vacuum pump to another column inlet, and connecting the product control pump to a column outlet. A motor drives the vacuum pump and control valve to produce vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) cycles in which oxygen-rich product gas is separated and accumulated in the reservoir.

The present invention provides for a process for purifying carbon monoxide-containing gas streams that contain impurities such as hydrocarbons by using a cryogenic adsorption process. Preferably this process is a temperature swing adsorption process at cryogenic temperatures below −75° C. Alternatively, the carbon monoxide-containing gas streams may be purified using the cryogenic adsorption process with membrane separation units or vacuum swing adsorption units or cryogenic distillation.

The concentrator separates one gas (i.e. oxygen) from a gas mixture (i.e. air) through the process of vacuum swing adsorption (VSA). An adsorber material is located within an adsorber bed. The adsorber bed has an inlet and an outlet. A valve is located downstream of the outlet. A pump, such as a blower, is provided upstream of the adsorber bed to drive a mixed gas into the adsorber bed. The adsorber material selectively adsorbs an undesirable gas (i.e. nitrogen) leaving a desirable gas (i.e. oxygen) from the mixture to pass through the outlet and through the valve. The pump is reversible. When the adsorber material becomes saturated, the pump is reversed and a vacuum is drawn on the adsorber bed. The valve is closed while the pump is operating in this reverse direction. After the adsorber material has desorbed the undesirable gas, the pump again reverses and the cycle is repeated.

A gas recovery apparatus and method for reclaiming and concentrating volatile organic compounds from the effluent of a semiconductor manufacturing operation is described. Vacuum Swing Adsorption is used to treat effluent containing volatile organic compounds to reversibly capture and subsequently release the volatile organic compounds, followed by recycle and/or cogeneration of the captured volatile organic compounds.

A mixed gas is separated with collection of at least one constituent gas. An inlet leads to a blower or other gas compression element through a valve. This blower feeds a chamber which contains media which selectively adsorbs the constituent gas to be collected, such as nitrogen from air. An exhaust from the chamber leads to an exhaust through a check valve. The blower can be reversed after nitrogen has been adsorbed within the chamber to desorb nitrogen and deliver nitrogen back through the blower. The inlet valve is closed after blower reversing and a separate diversion pathway is opened so that nitrogen is delivered from the blower to a nitrogen collection region. A variant system also includes an oxygen collection region on a side of the chamber opposite the blower for collection of both nitrogen and oxygen separated from air simultaneously, or collection of other constituent gases.

The present invention relates to various processes for recovering high purity gaseous hydrogen and high purity gaseous carbon dioxide from the gas stream produced using steam hydrocarbon reforming, especially steam methane reforming, utilizing a H₂ pressure swing adsorption unit followed by either a CO₂ vacuum swing adsorption unit or a CO₂ vacuum swing adsorption unit in combination with an additional CO₂ pressure swing adsorption unit. By using an uncoupled H₂ PSA and CO₂ VSA unit it is possible to produce high purity H₂ and high purity CO₂. The present invention further relates to a process for optimizing the recovery of CO₂ from waste gas streams produced during the hydrogen purification step of a steam hydrocarbon reforming/H₂ pressure swing adsorption unit utilizing either a CO₂ vacuum swing adsorption unit or a CO₂ vacuum swing adsorption unit in combination with a CO₂ pressure swing adsorption unit. The present invention even further relates to the apparatus necessary to carry out the various processes of the present invention.

The present invention provides for a method to make a multiple layered adsorber bed to adsorb and remove water, siloxanes, hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, and carbon-dioxide from Biogas sources such as landfill gas. This bed can be operated by a pressure swing or vacuum swing adsorption process.

An oxygen separator for separating oxygen from ambient air utilizing a vacuum swing adsorption process has a mass of less than 2.3 kg. A carrier is mountable on a person to support the oxygen separator for ambulatory use.

An oxygen concentrator comprises a vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) gas separation system which includes a cartridge containing a mass of adsorbent material for producing oxygen, a drive which activates the gas separation system, and a power source comprising a mass. A ratio of the mass of the power source to a flow rate of oxygen produced by the oxygen concentrator is between 0.047 and 0.29 kg/LPM·hr.

The invention provides vacuum swing adsorption processes that produce an essentially carbon monoxide-free hydrogen or helium gas stream from, respectively, a high-purity (e.g., pipeline grade) hydrogen or helium gas stream using one or two adsorber beds. By using physical adsorbents with high heats of nitrogen adsorption, intermediate heats of carbon monoxide adsorption, and low heats of hydrogen and helium adsorption, and by using vacuum purging and high feed stream pressures (e.g., pressures of as high as around 1,000 bar), pipeline grade hydrogen or helium can purified to produce essentially carbon monoxide -free hydrogen and helium, or carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and methane-free hydrogen and helium.

The present invention provides for a method for purifying a carbon monoxide-containing gas stream that contains hydrocarbon impurities, such as methane, by using a cryogenic temperature swing adsorption method, at cryogenic temperatures below -75 DEG C. The carbon monoxide-containing gas stream may be pre-purified by membrane separation or vacuum swing adsorption or cryogenic distillation.

A pressure or vacuum swing adsorption process for separating water from solvent utilizing molecular sieves and regenerating the molecular sieve by passing non-condensable recycled gas along the molecular sieve, capturing the recycled gas and using the recycled gas again to repeat regeneration of the molecular sieve.