초록 ▼

A chemical reaction is performed with separation of the product(s) and reactant(s) by pressure swing adsorption (PSA), using an apparatus having a plurality of adsorbers cooperating with first and second valve assemblies in a PSA module. The PSA cycle is characterized by multiple intermediate pressu

A chemical reaction is performed with separation of the product(s) and reactant(s) by pressure swing adsorption (PSA), using an apparatus having a plurality of adsorbers cooperating with first and second valve assemblies in a PSA module. The PSA cycle is characterized by multiple intermediate pressure levels between higher and lower pressures of the PSA cycle. Gas flows enter or exit the PSA module at the intermediate pressure levels as well as the higher and lower pressure levels, entering from compressor stage(s) or exiting into exhauster or expander stages, under substantially steady conditions of flow and pressure. The PSA module comprises a rotor containing the adsorbers and rotating within a stator, with ported valve faces between the rotor and stator to control the timing of the flows entering or exiting the adsorbers in the rotor. The reaction may be performed within a portion of the rotor containing a catalyst.

대표청구항 ▼

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. Apparatus for conducting a chemical reaction which has a gas phase reactant component and a gas phase product component, one of the reactant and the product components being a more rea

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. Apparatus for conducting a chemical reaction which has a gas phase reactant component and a gas phase product component, one of the reactant and the product components being a more readily adsorbed component and the other being a less readily adsorbed component under pressure increase over an adsorbent material, the apparatus comprising: (a) a rotary module for pressure swing adsorption separation of a gas mixture containing the reactant and product components, the rotary module comprising a stator and a rotor with an axis of rotation, the stator and rotor being mutually engaged in fluid communication across a first rotary valve surface and a second rotary valve surface both centred on the axis of rotation; the stator having a plurality of first function compartments each opening into the first rotary valve surface in an angular sector thereof, and a plurality of second function compartments each opening into the second rotary valve surface in an angular sector thereof, the rotor having a plurality of angularly spaced adsorber elements wherein the adsorbent material contacts flow paths extending in a flow direction between a first end communicating by a first aperture to the first valve surface and a second end communicating by a second aperture to the second valve surface, and with means to rotate the rotor such that each of the first apertures is opened in fluid communication to the first function compartments by rotation of the rotor bringing apertures sequentially into the angular sector of each first function compartment, while each of the second apertures is opened in fluid communication to the second function compartments by rotation of the rotor bringing the apertures sequentially into the angular section of each second function compartment so as to achieve cycling of the pressure in each adsorber element between an upper pressure and a lower pressure, (b) compression and expansion means cooperating with a feed function compartment to generate flow in each flow path directed from the first end to the second end of the flow path at substantially the upper pressure, and cooperating with an exhaust function compartment to generate flow in each flow path directed from the second end to the first end of the flow path at substantially the lower pressure, (c) a reaction space in which the reaction is conducted, the reaction space communicating with the flow paths, and (d) means to provide the reactant component to the apparatus, and to deliver the product component from the apparatus. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the reaction space is external to the rotary module and communicates to a function compartment thereof, and fluid communication between the reaction space and each flow path is established as an aperture of that flow path is opened sequentially to the said function compartment. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the reaction space is within a flow path of the rotary module, and each such flow path has a similar reaction space therein. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, with means to stimulate the chemical reaction to proceed in the reaction space. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, in which the means to stimulate the chemical reaction is a heterogeneous catalyst. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the reaction is exothermic, and the reactant component is a less readily adsorbed component while the product component is a more readily adsorbed component. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, with compressor means for withdrawing gas enriched in the more readily adsorbed component from the first valve face, compressing that gas to an increased pressure, and refluxing that gas to the first valve face and thence the flow paths at the increased pressure, so as to increase the concentration of the more readily adsorbed component adjacent the first valve face. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the reaction is endothermic, and the reactant component is a more readily adsorbed component while the product component is a less readily adsorbed component. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, with pressure let-down means for withdrawing gas enriched in the less readily adsorbed component from the second valve face, expanding that gas to a reduced pressure not less than the lower pressure, and refluxing that gas to the second valve face and thence the flow paths at the reduced pressure, so as to increase the concentration of the more readily adsorbed component adjacent the second valve face. 10. Rotary module for conducting a chemical reaction which has a gas phase reactant component and a gas phase product component and for separating the product component from the reactant component by pressure swing adsorption, one of the reactant and the product components being a more readily adsorbed component and the other being a less readily adsorbed component under pressure increase over an adsorbent material, the rotary module comprising a stator and a rotor with an axis of rotation, the stator and rotor being mutually engaged in fluid communication across a first rotary valve surface and a second rotary valve surface both centred on the axis of rotation; the stator having a plurality of first function compartments each opening into the first rotary valve surface in an angular sector thereof, and a plurality of second function compartments each opening into the second rotary valve surface in an angular sector thereof, the rotor having a plurality of angularly spaced flow paths each extending in a flow direction between a first end communicating by a first aperture to the first valve surface and a second end communicating by a second aperture to the second valve surface with the adsorbent material contacting a flow channel within each flow path and with a reaction space for conducting the chemical reaction within each flow path; with means to rotate the rotor such that each of the first apertures is opened in fluid communication to the first function compartments by rotation of the rotor bringing the apertures sequentially into the angular sector of each first function compartment, while each of the second apertures is opened in fluid communication to the second function compartments by rotation of the rotor bringing the apertures sequentially into the angular sector of each second function compartment so as to achieve cycling of the pressure in each adsorber element between an upper pressure and a lower pressure established by compression and expansion means cooperating with the function compartments. 11. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein the function compartments also include a plurality of pressurization compartments for subjecting the flow paths to a plurality of incremental pressure increases between the upper and lower pressures. 12. The rotary module of claim 11, wherein the pressurization compartments include feed pressurization compartments opening into the first rotary valve surface for delivering the gas mixture to the flow paths at incrementally different pressures intermediate between the upper and lower pressures. 13. The rotary module of claim 11, wherein the pressurization compartments include light reflux return compartments opening into the second rotary valve surface for delivering gas enriched in a less readily adsorbed component to the flow paths at a plurality of incrementally different pressures. 14. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein the function compartments also include a plurality of blowdown compartments for subjecting the flow paths to a plurality of incremental pressure decreases between the upper and lower pressures. 15. The rotary module of claim 14, wherein the blowdown compartments include light reflux exit compartments opening into the second stator valve surface for removing gas enriched in a less readily adsorbed component as cocurrent blowdown from the flow paths at a plurality of incrementally different pressures. 16. The rotary module of claim 14, wherein the blowdown compartments include countercurrent blowdown compartments opening into the first stator valve surface for removing gas enriched in a more readily adsorbed component from the flow paths at a plurality of incrementally different pressures. 17. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein the function compartments are disposed around the respective valve surfaces for conveying gas to and from the flow paths in a common predetermined sequence for each flow path, the sequence comprising the steps of (1) supplying the gas mixture at the upper pressure from a first function compartment as a feed compartment to the flow path first end while removing gas enriched in a less readily adsorbed component as a light product gas at substantially the upper pressure from the flow path second end to a second function compartment as a light product compartment, (2) releasing gas enriched in a less readily adsorbed component from the second end as light reflux gas so as to reduce the pressure in the flow path to an intermediate pressure level, (3) releasing gas enriched in a more readily adsorbed component from the first end as a countercurrent blowdown gas so as to reduce the pressure in the flow path from an intermediate pressure level, (4) removing gas enriched in a more readily adsorbed component as a heavy product gas at the lower pressure from the first end to a first function compartment as a heavy product compartment, and (5) supplying light reflux gas at a pressure intermediate the upper and lower pressure to a light reflux return compartment and thence to the second end. 18. The rotary module of claim 10, with the sequence also including after step (5) a step (6) supplying the gas mixture at an intermediate pressure less than the upper pressure to a feed pressurization compartment and thence to the first end. 19. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein each function compartment is shaped to provide uniform gas flow through the corresponding sector of the first or second rotary valve face. 20. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein each of the function compartments simultaneously communicates with apertures to at least two angularly spaced adsorber elements so as to provide substantially uniform gas flow at substantially steady pressure through each of the function compartments. 21. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein dead volume associated with the first and second apertures is substantially zero. 22. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein flow channels in a flow path are provided as a plurality of substantially identical parallel passages through the adsorbent material. 23. The rotary module of claim 22, wherein the adsorbent material is supported in thin sheets, the sheets being laminated with spacers therebetween, and the flow channels are established by the spacers between adjacent pairs of the sheets. 24. The rotary module of claim 23, further comprising fluid sealing means cooperating with the stator to limit fluid leakage between function compartments in each of the first and second rotary valve sealing faces, and to substantially prevent fluid leakage from or into each of the first and second rotary valve faces. 25. The rotary module of claim 24, wherein the rotor has a first rotor face for engaging the fluid sealing means in the first rotary valve surface and a second rotor face for engaging the fluid sealing means in the second rotary valve surface, the first rotor face being penetrated by the first apertures and the second rotor face being penetrated by the second apertures, for cyclically exposing each adsorber element to a plurality of discrete pressure levels between the upper and lower pressures. 26. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein an adsorber element in each flow path is formed from a plurality of adsorber sheets, each said sheet including a reinforcement material, an adsorbent material deposited therein, a binder for securing the adsorbent material, and a spacer provided between each adjacent pair of adsorbent sheets for providing the flow channel therebetween. 27. The rotary module of claim 26, wherein the reinforcement material is selected from a mineral or glass fiber matrix such as a woven or non-woven glass fiber scrim, a metal wire matrix such as a wire mesh screen, or a metal foil such as an anodized aluminum foil. 28. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein the adsorbent material comprises a zeolite. 29. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein the reaction space is a zone of the adsorber element with a heterogeneous catalyst contacting the flow channels therein. 30. The rotary module of claim 26, wherein the reaction space is a zone of the adsorber element with a heterogeneous catalyst contacting the flow channels therein. 31. The rotary module of claim 30, in which the adsorbent material in at least one of the zones is active as a heterogeneous catalyst. 32. The rotary module of claim 26, wherein the adsorber elements include a pair of opposite ends, and each said aperture is disposed immediately adjacent to a respective one of the opposite ends. 33. The rotary module of claim 10, with the rotor having an annular volume containing the adsorber elements, with the flow direction being axial with respect to the axis of rotation, and with the first rotor face being a circular annular end surface of the rotor and the second rotor face being a circular annular end surface of the rotor, the first and second rotor faces being substantially normal to the axis of the rotation. 34. The rotary module of claim 10, with the rotor having an annular volume containing the adsorber elements, with the flow direction being substantially radial with respect to the axis of rotation, and with the first rotor face being an external cylindrical surface of the rotor and the second rotor face being an internal cylindrical surface of the rotor. 35. The rotary module of claim 23, further comprising a catalyst supported on the sheets. 36. The rotary module of claim 27, in which the adsorber element is contained in a jacket with heat transfer surfaces to contact an external heat transfer fluid. 37. The rotary module of claim 36, in which the reinforcement material is metallic and is in thermal conduction contact to the jacket. 38. The rotary module of claim 37, in which the reinforcement material is a metal foil and wherein the spacer between each adjacent pair of adsorbent sheets is a metal foil with the flow channels etched therein according to a photolithographic pattern, and the jacket is in part formed by diffusion bonding of the adjacent edges of the adsorbent sheet foils and the interleaved spacer foils to achieve fluid sealing integrity. 39. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reaction space includes a catalyst. 40. The rotary module of claim 10, wherein the reaction space includes a catalyst.