FTrPSA Hydrogen Purification for Semiconductor Waste Gas
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The semiconductor industry faces challenges in recycling and purifying waste hydrogen due to its complex composition, which includes toxic and explosive impurities, making it difficult to reuse in the manufacturing process, and existing methods struggle to effectively treat and recycle normal-pressure waste hydrogen at room temperature.
Innovation Solution
A method combining physical adsorption and chemisorption techniques through full temperature range pressure swing adsorption (FTrPSA), involving pretreatment, temperature swing adsorption (TSA) coarse desorption, chemisorption fine desorption, and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) purification to remove impurities and achieve high-purity hydrogen recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional purification methods (palladium membrane, metal getter) are used, then high-purity hydrogen can be obtained, but the methods have strict limitations on trace impurities in feed gas and require complex pre-treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operating parameters of the purification system by implementing multi-stage pressure swing adsorption with varying pressure levels (first stage at 0.3-1.0 MPa, second stage at 1.0-3.0 MPa) and temperature adjustments, allowing effective purification without strict pre-treatment requirements. This parameter optimization enables the system to handle complex waste hydrogen compositions while achieving electronic-grade purity
Solution Approach 2:
The purification process is segmented into multiple stages: first-stage PSA for bulk impurity removal, second-stage PSA for trace impurity removal, and optional metal gettering for ultra-trace purification. Each stage targets specific impurity ranges, dividing the complex purification task into manageable segments that collectively achieve high purity without requiring overly complex pre-treatment
2Ease of manufacture
If waste hydrogen is directly discharged after simple treatment, then handling complexity is reduced, but resource waste increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements hydrogen recovery and recycling by capturing waste hydrogen from semiconductor manufacturing processes and purifying it through multi-stage PSA to electronic-grade purity (99.99999%). The purified hydrogen is then reused in the same manufacturing processes, creating a closed-loop system that recovers valuable hydrogen resources while maintaining operational simplicity through automated PSA cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The PSA system operates with automatic cycle control, where the adsorption and desorption processes are self-regulating based on pressure differential. The system uses its own internal pressure fluctuations to drive the purification cycles without requiring complex external control mechanisms, achieving both simplicity and high recovery efficiency
3Productivity
If multi-stage purification processes are implemented, then hydrogen purity and yield are improved, but energy consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-stage PSA system operates through periodic cycles of adsorption and desorption at different pressure levels. The first stage operates at 0.3-1.0 MPa for bulk impurity removal, followed by the second stage at 1.0-3.0 MPa for trace impurity removal. These periodic pressure swings enable high recovery yield (70-85%) while maintaining reasonable energy consumption through efficient cycle management
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts operating parameters including pressure levels, cycle times, and flow rates to optimize the balance between purification effectiveness and energy consumption. The dynamic pressure swing between adsorption and desorption phases allows the system to achieve high productivity while minimizing energy input through efficient use of pressure differential
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method achieves a high yield of electronic-grade hydrogen (70-85%) by effectively desorbing and purifying critical impurities, extending adsorbent service life, and optimizing energy consumption, while ensuring safety and environmental sustainability.
Implementation Method 1
full temperature range pressure swing adsorption (FTrPSA)
Implementation Method 2
pressure swing adsorption (PSA) purification
Data Source
AI summary
Through the procedures of pretreatment, temperature swing adsorption (TSA) coarse desorption, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) purification and hydrogen purification, the hydrogenous waste gas from various procedures in the manufacturing process of semiconductor (especially silicon wafer), including the off-gas from chemical vapor deposition (CVD), doping (diffusion and ion implantation), photolithography and cleaning, the combusted and washed discharged gas of the off-gas in other procedures after field treatment and centralized treatment, or the hydrogenous waste gas entering the hydrogen discharge system are purified to meet the standard for the electronic grade hydrogen required for the manufacturing process of semiconductor, the recycling of hydrogen resources is realized, and the yield of hydrogen is greater than or equal to 70-85%. The present invention solves the technical difficulty the normal-pressure waste hydrogen recovered in the manufacturing process of semiconductor can't be returned to the manufacturing process of semiconductor for reuse.