초록 ▼

Pressure swing adsorption gas separations are conducted inside an open loop Stirling cycle apparatus which may operate as an engine, refrigerator or heat pump. Adsorbent surfaces are associated with the thermal regenerators of the Stirling cycle apparatus, so that a preferentially adsorbed gas fract

Pressure swing adsorption gas separations are conducted inside an open loop Stirling cycle apparatus which may operate as an engine, refrigerator or heat pump. Adsorbent surfaces are associated with the thermal regenerators of the Stirling cycle apparatus, so that a preferentially adsorbed gas fraction is concentrated by parametric pumping into a colder end of an engine or into a warmer end of a refrigerator or heat pump, while a less readily adsorbed gas fraction is concentrated into warmer end of an engine or into colder end of a refrigerator or heat pump. Flow control means are provided to introduce the feed gas into the working space of the apparatus and to remove separated product fractions. Feed gases may be chemically reactive within a portion of the working space, with reactant and product species of the reaction separated by the apparatus to drive the reaction off equilibrium. Engine embodiments of the invention may then convert the heat of an exothermic reaction to mechanical power, while heat pump embodiments may supply heat to an endothermic reaction.

대표청구항 ▼

A process for separating components of a gas mixture containing first and second components, the process including the steps of: (a) providing a working volume having a flow path for the gas mixture, (b) providing in the flow path an adsorbent material within an adsorbent bed and a thermal regenerat

A process for separating components of a gas mixture containing first and second components, the process including the steps of: (a) providing a working volume having a flow path for the gas mixture, (b) providing in the flow path an adsorbent material within an adsorbent bed and a thermal regenerator to cooperate with the adsorbent bed to produce an adsorbent/regenerator combination, (c) providing in the flow path first and second spaces disposed adjacent opposite ends of the adsorbent/regenerator combination, and maintaining the spaces at different temperatures so as to expose the regenerator combination to a thermal gradient, (d) introducing the gas mixture into the working volume, the first component of the gas mixture being more readily adsorbed in the adsorbent material then the second component, and cyclically reversing direction of flow of the gas mixture along the flow path, including the adsorbent/regenerator combination and the first and second spaces in series therewith, so that direction of the flow alternates between opposite ends of the flow path, (e) cyclically varying the total pressure of the gas mixture between upper and lower pressure limits within the working volume, so as to subject the gas flow to cyclical reversals of pressure, temperature and direction flow, and simultaneously co-ordinating a phase relationship between the cyclic pressure variations and the cyclic flow reversals relative to the adsorbent bed, such that the first component is preferentially adsorbed and immobilized by increased pressure on the adsorbent bed when the gas flows in one direction, and the first component is preferentially desorbed when the pressure is decreased and the flow is reversed, (f) removing from adjacent one end of the adsorbent bed a first gas fraction enriched in the first component, and removing from adjacent the opposite end of the adsorbent bed a second gas fraction depleted in the first component, while also achieving conversion between thermal energy and compression energy in the gas mixture. An apparatus for separating first and second gas components from a gas mixture, the apparatus including: (a) a body having an internal working volume having first and second spaces, and a flow path interconnecting the first and second spaces, (b) an adsorbent bed and a thermal regenerator provided in the flow path, the bed containing an adsorbent material which is selectively more adsorbent of the first component than the second component, the thermal regenerator cooperating with the adsorbent bed to produce an adsorbent/regenerator combination to receive gas flow which passes along the flow path, (c) means to maintain the first and second spaces at different temperatures so as to expose the regenerator combination to a thermal gradient, (d) inlet means to admit the gas mixture into working volume, and outlet means to discharge gas from adjacent opposite ends of the adsorbent bed, (e) volume displacement means associated with the first and second spaces, and reciprocating means cooperating with the volume displacement means so as to reciprocate the volume displacement means within the body to produce cyclic variations in total pressure and cyclic reversals in direction of flow of the gas past the adsorbent bed, the reciprocating means determining a phase relationship between the cyclic variations of pressure in the gas and directions of flow of the gas, so that the gas flow along the flow path is subjected to cyclical reversals of temperature combined with cyclical reversals of pressure and direction of flow so that flow of a first gas fraction under reduced pressure past the adsorbent bed towards one space is enriched in the first more readily adsorbed component, while reverse flow of a second gas fraction under increased pressure past the adsorbent bed towards the opposite space is depleted in the first more readily adsorbed component.