초록 ▼

An improved gas separation vessel apparatus is provided. The gas separation vessel apparatus is adapted to separate oxygen and other process gases, and it employs both vertically-, or alternatively, horizontally-positioned vessels. The gas separation vessels disclosed contain removable radial-flow b

An improved gas separation vessel apparatus is provided. The gas separation vessel apparatus is adapted to separate oxygen and other process gases, and it employs both vertically-, or alternatively, horizontally-positioned vessels. The gas separation vessels disclosed contain removable radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassemblies, which may be replaced, substituted, or serviced with minimal system down time.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A highly energy-efficient, radial-flow gas separation vessel apparatus for pressure-or vacuum-swing separation of gaseous components from supplied mixture of feedstock gases during adsorption and desorption cycle operations, the gas separation vessel apparatus configured to enable rapid

I claim: 1. A highly energy-efficient, radial-flow gas separation vessel apparatus for pressure-or vacuum-swing separation of gaseous components from supplied mixture of feedstock gases during adsorption and desorption cycle operations, the gas separation vessel apparatus configured to enable rapid changes of adsorbent bed material used to separate the gas mixture, the gas separation vessel apparatus comprising: (a) a vessel assembly containing one or more cylindrical-shaped, radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassemblies, the vessel assembly having, (1) an outer shell, an inner surface, two ends, and at least one inlet connection, for supplying the feedstock mixture of gases to be separated during the gas separation apparatus's adsorption sequence of operation, (2) two closure means for sealing the vessel assembly's outer shell, one closure means secured to each of the ends of the vessel assembly's outer shell, and (3) at least one outlet connected to the vessel assembly outer shell through which adsorbent-selective gas desorbed from the adsorbent can be exhausted from the gas separation apparatus during the desorption sequence of operation; and (b) one or more axially-positioned and cylindrical-shaped radial-flow bed cartridge-type subassemblies designed for placement into the vessel assembly, each cartridge-type subassembly having two ends, an outer surface, and (1) a cylindrical perforated alloy metal cover sheet having two ends and an inner surface attached wire mesh or other synthetic media material, (2) an end cap on each end of the cartridge-type subassembly that is secured to the ends of the cylindrical cover sheet, (3) an adsorbent bed contained within the cartridge-type subassembly through which the feedstock gases flow radially inward during the adsorption sequence, and through which the adsorbent's desorbed gas or gases mixture flows radially outward during the desorption sequence, the adsorbent bed having a depth that is configured to minimize radial gas velocities to avoid fracturing or attrition degradation of individual adsorbent bed or pellet structures within the adsorbent bed and the resulting loss of overall adsorbent bed performance efficiencies during long-term gas separation operations; and (c) a central pipe having two ends and axially-positioned in the cartridge-type subassembly for collecting the gas flows exiting the adsorbent bed, at least one end of the central pipe connected to the outlet of the vessel subassembly. 2. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein each cartridge-type subassembly end cap provides an axial alignment-positioning means for serially connecting two or more axially-positioned radial-flow bed cartridge-type subassemblies together. 3. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 2, wherein the flows from one axially-positioned radial-flow bed cartridge-type subassembly is communicated to the adjacent axially-positioned radial-flow bed cartridge-type subassembly through a gas flow transition sealing means connected to the central pipe. 4. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein a cylindrical volumetric void space axially surrounds the outer surface of the radial-flow bed cartridge-type subassembly and is bounded axially by the end closure means. 5. The gas separation vessel apparants of claim 4, wherein the volumetric void space is configured to provide a low velocity gas distribution of gas flows around the outer circumference of the radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly, the distributed feed gas flowing radially inwardly into the subassembly's adsorbent bed during a vessel's adsorption sequence of operation, or an adsorbent-selected gas outwardly exhausted from a subassembly and distributed into the void space during a vessel's desorption sequence of operation. 6. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vessel assembly has a length and a diameter, and the vessel assembly preferably comprises a dimensional ratio of vessel assembly length to vessel assembly diameter that is greater than 2.0. 7. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein each radial-flow bed cartridge-type subassembly is designed to be installed and retained in place under a spring-compression means for either one or multiple series-positioned adjacent subassemblies within the radial-flow bed cartridge vessel assembly. 8. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein each end cap is configured to be secured with screwed compression means to each end of the subassembly outer perforated cover sheet material. 9. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas separation vessel apparatus has an axial length and a diameter, and the axial length of the gas separation vessel assembly apparatus is at least two times the diameter of the apparatus. 10. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas adsorption bed material contained within one or more radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly means is configured to be integrally removed from the vessel and replaced without altering the original construction integrity of the vessel. 11. The gas separation vessel assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vessel assembly and radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly is configured to be provided with intrinsically-safe electrical connecting means, which will enable future rapid vessel adsorbent bed adsorbent conversions to alternative adsorbent material. 12. A highly energy-efficient, radial-flow gas separation vessel apparatus for separating adsorbent selective and non-selective gases from a feedstock gas mixture, the gas separation vessel apparatus comprising: (a) a cylindrical outer shell having an inner and outer surface, two ends, an inner longitudinal axis, and at least one inlet nozzle attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical outer shell for supplying a flow into the gas separation apparatus of the feedstock gas mixture to be separated; (b) two closure means for sealing the cylindrical outer shell, one closure means secured to each of the ends of the cylindrical outer shell; (c) an outlet nozzle attached to one of the closure means through which the adsorbent non-selective separated gas or gases is discharged; and (d) a cartridge-type adsorption bed subassembly, having a longitudinal axis, and contained within the cylindrical outer shell, the adsorption bed subassembly having, (1) an outer cover sheet, having two ends, an outer surface, and an inner surface, each end of the cover sheet secured by an end cap, (2) a perforated or slotted inner central core pipe, having an outer and an inner surface, and generally centerline-positioned on the same internal axis centerline as that of the adsorption bed subassembly and in communication with the outlet nozzle, the perforated or slotted inner central core pipe configured to collect the flow of adsorbent non-selective separated gas mixture and direct the adsorbent non-selective separated gas mixture to the outlet nozzle for discharge, and (3) a molecular sieve adsorbent bed radially contained between an outer cover sheet's inner surface attached wire mesh or other synthetic media material and an outer surface of the wire mesh or other synthetic media material attached to the outer surface of the inner central core pipe. 13. The radial-flow gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 12, wherein a vessel assembly and radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly is configured specifically for a horizontal vessel assembly positioning, each radial-flow cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly generally centerline-positioned on the same inner horizontal axis centerline as that of the vessel assembly and comprising: (a) an outer perforated cover sheet, having an inner surface; (b) a perforated or slotted inner central core pipe having an inner and outer surface and oriented generally along the inner horizontal axis centerline as that of the subassembly's cylindrical outer cover sheet, the interior of the perforated or slotted central core pipe collecting flows of separated adsorbent non-selective gas, or gases therein, communicating these gases through one or both end caps attached to the ends of the cartridge-type subassembly's outer cover sheet; (c) at least one layer of porous wire mesh or other synthetic media material attached to the outer surface of the central core pipe and the inner surface of the subassembly perforated outer cover sheet; (d) a molecular sieve adsorbent bed axially contained between the two end caps of the cartridge subassembly and whose molecular sieve adsorbent composition is adapted to adsorb selected portions of the feed stock gas mixture; (e) a horizontal cylindrical adsorbent bed having two to twelve radially-partitioned horizontal adsorbent bed segments of preferred gas-selective adsorbent material radially-positioned between side-support plate partitions having, (1) one radial end connected to the inner surface of the outer perforated cover sheer material, (2) one radial end connected to the outer surface of the slotted or perforated central core pipe, and (3) one longitudinal end of a side-support plate partition in contact with the inner surfaces of each subassembly's end cap; (f) a horizontal cylindrical adsorbent bed material volume contained within each horizontal adsorbent bed segments approximately comprising or established by (1) the radial cross-sectional area between interior surfaces of adjacent side-support plate partitions; (2) the axial longitudinal distance between the subassembly's interior end cap surfaces; and (g) a horizontally-positioned cartridge-type subassembly wherein the radially gas flow adsorbent bed depth range can be configured with between one inch to forty inches over a range of small commercial to larger industrial gas volume flow rate applications. 14. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 12, wherein the adsorption bed vessel subassembly is configured such that more than one selective gas is separated from the feedstock gas mixture. 15. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the end closure means is removable. 16. The gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 12, wherein an adsorbent bed contained within the cartridge-type subassembly, through which the adsorbent's desorbed gas or gas mixture flows radially-outward during the desorption sequence, additionally including an ending desorption sequence's segment wherein a small quantity flow of purging gas passes radially-outward through the adsorbent bed. 17. A highly energy-efficient, radial-flow gas separation vessel apparatus for separating adsorbent selective and non-selective gases from a feedstock gas mixture, the gas separation vessel apparatus comprising: (a) a cylindrical outer shell having an inner and outer surface, two ends, and at least one outer shell attached inlet nozzle centerline positioned perpendicular to the axial centerline of the vessel assembly for supplying the flow into the cylindrical vessel assembly of the feedstock gas mixture to be separated; (b) two closure means for sealing the cylindrical outer shell, one removable closure means secured to one of the ends of the cylindrical outer shell, and a fixed closure means secured to the other end or near the other inner surface end of the vessel outer shell; (c) a gas outlet nozzle means, attached to or in flow communication with a fixed closure means of the cylindrical outer shell, the gas flow communication being that of adsorbent non-selective separated gas or gases to be discharged or evacuated from the vessel assembly; and (d) a cartridge-type adsorption bed subassembly contained within the cylindrical vessel assembly providing means for maintaining the subassembly's axial centerline position within the cylindrical vessel assembly, the adsorption bed subassembly having (1) an outer cover sheet, having two ends and an inner surface, each end of the cover sheet secured by an end cap, (2) a perforated or slotted inner central core pipe or tubing, having an outer and an interior surface, and oriented generally along the centerline axis of the cylindrical subassembly's outer cover sheet and in gas flow communication with the vessel assembly's gas outlet nozzle, the inner central core pipe or tubing configured to collect the flow of adsorbent non-selective separated gas mixture and direct the adsorbent non-selective separated gas mixture to the outlet nozzle for discharge or evacuation, and (3) a molecular sieve adsorbent bed radially contained between a subassembly's outer cover sheet's inner surface attached wire mesh or other synthetic media material and between an attached outer surface of the wire mesh or other synthetic media material attached to the outer surface of the inner central core pipe or tubing. 18. The radial-flow gas separation vessel apparatus of claim 17, wherein a vessel assembly and radial-flow bed cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly can be configured specifically for a vertical vessel assembly positioning, the radial-flow cartridge-type adsorbent subassembly generally centerline-positioned on the same vertical-axis centerline as that of the vessel assembly and comprising: (a) an outer perforated cover sheet, having an inner and outer surface; (b) a perforated or slotted inner central core pipe or tubing having an outer and an inner surface and oriented generally along the vertical axis of the subassembly's cylindrical outer cover sheet, the interior of the inner central core pipe or tubing collecting flows of separated adsorbent non-selective gas, or gases therein, communicating these gases through one of two end caps attached to the ends of the cartridge-type subassembly's outer cover sheet; (c) a molecular sieve adsorbent bed axially contained between the two end caps of the cartridge subassembly and whose molecular sieve adsorbent composition is adapted to adsorb selected portions of the feed stock gas mixture; (d) the vessel assembly comprising a range of vessel shell lengths between 2 feet and 10 feet and shell diameters between 1 foot and 4 feet depending on the gas separation application; (e) a vertical cylindrical adsorbent bed having at least one vertical segment or two or more vertical segments employing a horizontal circular intermediate adsorbent diaphragm bed partition comprising a diaphragm outwardly secured to the inner surface of the subassembly's outer perforated cover sheet, and inwardly secured to the outer surface of the subassembly's central inner core pipe or tubing; (f) at least one vertical cylindrical adsorbent bed segment radially contained between vertical surfaces comprising (1) a wire mesh or other synthetic media material secured to the inner surface of the subassembly's outer perforated cover sheet material, and (2) a wire mesh or other synthetic media material secured to the outer surface of the perforated central inner core pipe or tubing; and (g) a vertical-positioned cartridge-type subassembly wherein the vertical adsorbent bed depth range is selectively configured according to a desired commercial application.