Segmented Sorbent Bed Structure for Low-Pressure Gas Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas separation technologies face challenges in achieving low pressure drop while maintaining high mass transfer rates, especially for trace components like CO2 in air, due to the large air volumes required for capture, which leads to high energy consumption and economic inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A particulate sorbent bed structure with loose amine-modified sorbent material arranged in stacked layers between flexible fabric sheets, forcing gas flow through the sorbent material to enhance mass transfer and minimize pressure drop, allowing for efficient CO2 capture from air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional packed bed columns or fluidized beds are used for gas separation, then mass transfer contact between sorbent and gas stream is achieved, but pressure drop increases significantly (several thousand Pascal up to several bars)
Solution Approach 1:
The sorbent bed is segmented into multiple thin layers (each a few millimeters thick) separated by distributor plates with channels. This segmentation allows the gas flow to be distributed across multiple interfaces between channels and sorbent layers, maintaining mass transfer efficiency while reducing the overall pressure drop compared to a single thick packed bed.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a conventional one-dimensional packed bed configuration to a multi-layered structure with horizontal distributor channels. This dimensional change creates multiple flow paths and contact interfaces, improving mass transfer while distributing pressure drop across multiple thin layers rather than one thick bed.
2Quantity of substance
If large air volumes are passed through capture systems to extract CO2 from atmosphere, then sufficient CO2 capture is achieved, but energy requirements for air pumping increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The capture system is divided into multiple thin sorbent layers separated by distributor plates. This segmentation creates numerous gas-sorbent interfaces that enhance mass transfer rates, allowing CO2 to be captured more efficiently from large air volumes at lower pressure drops, thereby reducing air pumping energy requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses porous sorbent materials with high surface area to volume ratio in thin layers. These porous materials provide extensive active sites for CO2 adsorption within the thin layer structure, enabling efficient CO2 capture from atmospheric air at low pressure drops and reducing the energy needed to move large air volumes through the system.
3Stress or pressure
If sorbent material is arranged in short packed beds (0.5 to 2.5 cm length), then pressure drop is reduced, but mass transfer contact area decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single short packed bed, the invention segments the sorbent into multiple thin layers separated by distributor plates with channels. This creates multiple mass transfer interfaces between the gas flow and sorbent material, compensating for the reduced thickness of individual layers and maintaining overall mass transfer rates while keeping pressure drop low.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a horizontal dimension to mass transfer by incorporating distributor plates with channels that distribute gas flow across the sorbent layers. This creates multiple two-dimensional contact interfaces, effectively increasing the total mass transfer area despite the limited thickness of individual sorbent layers.
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
The structure achieves significant increases in mass transfer rates and maintains low pressure drop, making the CO2 capture process more economically viable by reducing energy requirements and enabling compact, efficient sorbent bed designs.
Implementation Method 1
a portion of the CO2 contained in the air is chemically bound at the amine functionalized surface of the sorbent
Implementation Method 2
Gas separation by adsorption has many different applications in industry
Data Source
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Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
A gas separation unit for the separation of a first gas, preferably carbon dioxide, from a mixture containing said first gas as well as further gases different from the first gas, preferably air, is proposed, for use in a cyclic adsorption/desorption process and using a loose particulate sorbent material for gas adsorption. In the unit, particulate sorbent material is arranged in at least two stacked layers (5), and each layer (5) comprises two sheets (6) of a flexible fabric material which is gas permeable but impermeable to the loose particulate sorbent material. The sheets (6), which are either mounted on a stiff frame structure (7) or which are self-supporting, are arranged essentially parallel defining an inlet face (17) of the layer (5) and an outlet face (18) of the layer, are arranged with a distance in the range of 0.5- 2.5 cm, and are enclosing a cavity in which the particulate sorbent material is located. The unit has a gas inlet side or gas inlet manifold through which an inflow of gas mixture (1) enters the unit and a gas outlet side or gas outlet manifold through which a gas outflow (2) exits the unit, the gas pathway between the inflow (1) and the outflow (2) being confined in the unit to pass through at least one layer (5). Said layers (5) are arranged in the unit such that the inflow (1) passes through the inlet face (17), subsequently through the particular sorbent material located in the cavity of the respective layer (5), subsequently to exit the respective layer (5) through the outlet face (18) to form the gas outflow (2). The layers are arranged such that inlet faces (17) of adjacent layers (5) are facing each other enclosing gas inlet channels (3) and such that outlet faces (18) are facing each other enclosing gas outlet channels (4), and the mean distance between inlet faces (17) and/or outlet faces (18) defining said channels (3, 4), measured in a direction essentially perpendicular to a main gas inflow direction and a main gas outflow direction, respectively, is in the range of 0.5-5 cm. Further the length of the inlet face (17) and/or of the outlet face (18) in a direction parallel to the main gas inflow direction (1) and the main gas outflow direction (2), respectively, is at least ten times larger than distance (d) between the sheets (6) in the layer (5).