Multi-Stage Helium Recovery Process for Variable Off-Gas Compositions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods are inadequate for recovering helium from off-gases of varying composition, particularly in semiconductor fabrication plants, as they lack flexibility and efficiency in handling different components and concentrations, leading to helium wastage.
Innovation Solution
A multi-stage preconditioning process followed by cryogenic separation and purification, where off-gas streams are treated in a series of units to remove or convert non-helium components, optimizing the recovery of helium from off-gases with diverse compositions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single-stage preconditioning method is used for helium recovery, then the process is simple, but it cannot effectively handle off-gases with varying compositions and concentrations of components
Solution Approach 1:
The preconditioning process is divided into multiple sequential stages, each designed to remove or convert specific components from the off-gas stream. This segmentation allows the system to handle varying compositions effectively by addressing different contaminants in dedicated stages rather than attempting to handle all components simultaneously in a single stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-stage preconditioning system provides dynamic adaptability to handle varying off-gas compositions. Each stage can be optimized for specific component ranges, and the sequential arrangement allows the system to adapt to different input conditions while maintaining a manageable overall complexity through modular design.
2Productivity
If helium is recovered from all off-gas streams, then helium recovery rate increases, but the cost and complexity of processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recovery system processes different off-gas streams through segmented stages, allowing selective treatment based on composition. This enables high recovery rates by directing appropriate streams to appropriate stages while avoiding unnecessary processing of streams that don't require full treatment, thus balancing productivity with complexity management.
Solution Approach 2:
Different stages of the preconditioning process are designed with local quality optimizations for specific component types and concentration ranges. This allows the system to achieve high overall recovery efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity by tailoring each stage's capabilities to its specific function rather than requiring all stages to handle all possible scenarios.
3Manufacturing precision
If high-purity helium is recovered through extensive purification, then the purity of recovered helium increases, but the operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-stage preconditioning process performs preliminary removal and conversion of contaminants before the final purification stage. By addressing bulk contaminant removal in earlier stages, the system reduces the burden on the final purification stage, achieving high helium purity while minimizing the energy and cost requirements of the most expensive purification operations.
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 approach enables cost-effective recovery of high-purity helium from off-gases with varying compositions, reducing operational costs and minimizing helium wastage by adapting the preconditioning process to the specific composition of each off-gas stream.
Implementation Method 1
a cryogenic separation unit which receives the preconditioned off-gas from the preconditioning unit and which cryogenically separates a helium-enriched gas fraction from said preconditioned off-gas
Implementation Method 2
a purification unit which receives the helium-enriched gas fraction received from the cryogenic separation unit and which purifies said helium-enriched gas fraction so as to obtain purified helium gas
Data Source
AI summary
A process for recovery of helium from one or more than one helium-containing off-gas streams comprises preconditioning off-gas through a multi-stage preconditioning device, cryogenically separating a helium-enriched gas fraction from the preconditioned off-gas received from the preconditioning device a cryogenic separation device, and purifying the helium-enriched gas fraction received from the cryogenic separation device using a purification device so as to obtain purified helium gas with a higher helium content than the helium-enriched gas.