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A pressure swing adsorption process and system including at least two adsorption beds and a segregated storage adsorption bed which is isolated from direct communication with the feed gas stream. During the process the pressures in the adsorption beds are equalized from the feed ends thereof at the

A pressure swing adsorption process and system including at least two adsorption beds and a segregated storage adsorption bed which is isolated from direct communication with the feed gas stream. During the process the pressures in the adsorption beds are equalized from the feed ends thereof at the end of adsorption in one of the beds and after pressurization of the other bed. The segregated storage adsorption bed is pressure equalized with a depressurizing adsorption bed and then after purging of the bed the segregated storage adsorption bed is equalized with that adsorption bed during repressurizing thereof. A pair of flow control valves are connected in a gas flow path connected to the outlets of the adsorption beds, each valve being located adjacent a corresponding one of the beds and allowing unrestricted flow away from the corresponding bed and controlled flow toward that bed. A reservoir connected to the system output conduit stores product gas for use during a system malfunction or for augmenting system function.

대표청구항 ▼

In a pressure swing process for fractionating at least one component from a gaseous mixture by selective adsorption in each of at least two adsorption zones by sequentially passing the gaseous mixture from a feed stream through a first adsorption zone until the first zone is about saturated while si

In a pressure swing process for fractionating at least one component from a gaseous mixture by selective adsorption in each of at least two adsorption zones by sequentially passing the gaseous mixture from a feed stream through a first adsorption zone until the first zone is about saturated while simultaneously purging and then pressurizing a second adsorption zone and then passing the gaseous mixture from the feed stream through the second adsorption zone until the second zone is about saturated while simultaneously purging and then pressurizing the first adsorption zone, the improvement comprising withdrawing gas from one of said adsorption zones at the end of the adsorption operation therein in a direction countercurrent to feed flow and directly introducing the withdrawn gas along with the gaseous mixture from the feed stream into the other of said adsorption zones in a direction cocurrent with feed flow and after pressurization thereof to equalize the pressures in said adsorption zones from the feed ends thereof. In a system for fractionating at least one component from a gaseous mixture by pressure swing adsorption including a first adsorption bed having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, at least one additional adsorption bed having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, means for connecting said gas inlets of said adsorption beds to a feed gas stream, a product outlet and output conduit means for coupling said gas outlets of said adsorption beds to said product outlet, the improvement comprising: (a) a reservoir; (b) first reservoir conduit means connected to said output conduit means and to said reservoir, said first conduit means including flow control means allowing gas flow only in one direction from said output conduit means to said reservoir; (c) second reservoir conduit means connected to said reservoir and to said output conduit means, said second conduit means including valve means for controlling flow of product gas from said reservoir to said output conduit; and (d) valve means in said output conduit between said second reservoir conduit and said adsorption beds and control means operatively connected to said reservoir conduit valve means and to said output conduit valve means for opening said reservoir valve means in response to closure of said output valve means for supplying product gas from said reservoir to said product outlet.