Apparatus and system for swing adsorption processes related thereto

• US 10,220,346 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Fowler, Tracy A., Huntington, Richard A., Fulton, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, Jr., Frank M
• Application Number:
  US15/284,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20170113173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 95 96- 98, 95104, 95105, 95117, 95139, 95148, 96108, 96152
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/245 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/702 Hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/80 Water
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40003 Methods relating to valve switching
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40028 Depressurization
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40043 Purging
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0407 Constructional details of adsorbing systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0446 Means for feeding or distributing gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/047 Pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0473 Rapid pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

Provided are apparatus and systems for performing a swing adsorption process. This swing adsorption process may involve passing streams through adsorbent bed units to treat the feed stream to remove certain contaminants from the stream. In the method and system, active valves may be used with passive valves to manage the flow of the streams through the adsorbent bed units.

Claims

1. A process for removing contaminants from a feed stream, the process comprising:

a) performing one or more adsorption steps in an adsorbent bed unit, wherein each of the one or more adsorption steps comprise;

(i) opening one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves to pass a gaseous feed stream from a feed inlet conduit to an adsorbent bed disposed in an interior region of a housing of the adsorbent bed unit, (ii) exposing the gaseous feed stream to the adsorbent bed to separate one or more contaminants from the gaseous feed stream to form a product stream, and (iii) opening one or more passively-controlled product valves to conduct away the product stream from the interior region in the housing to a product conduit, wherein each of the one or more passively-controlled product valves operate in phase with at least one of the one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves;

b) performing one or more depressurization steps, wherein each of the one or more depressurization steps comprise conducting away at least a portion of the one or more contaminants in an output stream; and

c) repeating the steps a) to b) for at least one additional cycle, wherein cycle duration is for a period greater than 1 second and less than 600 seconds;

wherein opening the one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves further comprises linearly moving with a feed actuating mechanism at least one feed valve stem to provide a feed opening between a feed disk element coupled to the at least one feed valve stem and a feed seat that is inserted within a head of the housing of the adsorbent bed unit.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the opening one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves further comprise linearly moving a feed lift plate secured to a plurality of feed valve stems with a feed actuating mechanism to provide a plurality of feed openings, wherein each of the plurality of feed valve stems is secured to a feed disk element and each of the plurality of feed openings forms a gap between the feed disk element and an associated feed seat that is inserted within the head of the housing of the adsorbent bed unit.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein opening the one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves further comprise providing a first feed flow path for the gaseous feed stream through a first feed opening of the plurality of feed openings prior to providing a second feed flow path through a second feed opening of the plurality of feed openings.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the opening one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves further comprises moving the feed disk element away from the adsorbent bed to form a gap between the feed disk element and the associated feed seat.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising applying pressure on the feed disk element for each of the one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves based on a pressure differential between the feed inlet conduit and the interior region to hinder leakage from the one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves during the performing one or more depressurization steps.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein opening one or more passively-controlled product valves further comprise linearly moving with a product biasing mechanism at least one product valve stem to provide a product opening between a product disk element coupled to the at least one product valve stem and a product seat secured to the housing of the adsorbent bed unit.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the product biasing mechanism is configured to move linearly based on a pressure differential between the interior region and the product conduit exceeding a specific threshold.

8. The process of claim 6, wherein the opening one or more passively-controlled product valves further comprises moving the product disk element away from the adsorbent bed to form a gap between the product disk element and the product seat.

9. The process of claim 6, further comprising applying pressure on the product disk element for each of the one or more passively-controlled product valves from a product pressure differential between the interior region and the product conduit to hinder leakage from the one or more passively-controlled product valves during the performing one or more depressurization steps.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein opening one or more passively-controlled product valves further comprise moving a flexible strip to provide a product opening between the flexible strip and a product seat.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the performing one or more depressurization steps comprises performing one or more purge steps, wherein each of the one or more purge steps comprise passing a purge stream into the adsorbent bed unit to conduct away at least a portion of the one or more contaminants in a purge output stream.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more purge steps comprise:

(i) opening one or more actively-controlled purge vent poppet valves to conduct away the purge outlet stream from the adsorbent bed, (ii) exposing the purge stream to the adsorbent bed to separate the at least a portion of the one or more contaminants from the adsorbent bed to form the purge output stream, and (iii) opening one or more passively-controlled purge poppet valves to pass the purge stream to the interior region from a purge conduit.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the opening one or more passively-controlled product valves is within at least 80% of the time interval for the opening one or more actively-controlled feed poppet valves.

14. The process of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more heating steps after performing the one or more adsorption steps, wherein each of the one or more heating steps comprises passing a heating stream at a heating temperature into the adsorbent bed.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the gaseous feed stream is a hydrocarbon containing stream having greater than one volume percent hydrocarbons based on the total volume of the feed stream.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein the gaseous feed stream is provided at a feed pressure in the range between 50 bar absolute (bara) and 150 bara and at a feed temperature in the range between 0°

F. and 200°

F.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein the cycle duration is greater than 2 seconds and less than 180 seconds.

18. A swing adsorption system for removing contaminants from a gaseous feed stream, the system comprising:

an adsorbent bed unit configured to separate contaminants from a gaseous feed stream and to output a product stream in a swing adsorption process, wherein the adsorbent bed unit comprises;

a housing forming an interior region;

an adsorbent bed disposed within the interior region;

one or more actively-controlled poppet valves, wherein each of the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves is configured to provide a first fluid flow passage through an opening in the housing via the actively-controlled poppet valve between the interior region and a first location external to the interior region;

an actuating mechanism coupled to the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves, wherein the actuating mechanism is configured to linearly move at least one active valve stem associated with at least one active disk element for each of the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves to provide an opening between an active disk element coupled to at least one active valve stem and an associated active seat that is inserted within a head of the housing of the adsorbent bed unit;

and

one or more passively-controlled valves, wherein each of the one or more passively-controlled valves is configured to provide a second fluid flow passage through an opening in the housing via the passively-controlled valve between the interior region and a second location external to the interior region and wherein each of the one or more passively-controlled valves operate in phase with at least one of the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves.

19. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein each of the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves are disposed directly adjacent to the adsorbent bed and within the interface cross-sectional area.

20. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein each of the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves comprise an active valve stem coupled to an active disk element;

and

further comprising;

a lift plate secured to the active valve stems; and

an actuating mechanism coupled to the lift plate, wherein the actuating mechanism is configured to provide a plurality of active openings, wherein each of the plurality of active openings forms an active gap between the active disk element and the associated active seat that is inserted within the head of the housing of the adsorbent bed unit.

21. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves comprise a first actively-controlled poppet valve and a second actively-controlled poppet valve;

wherein the first actively-controlled poppet valve is configured to provide a first feed flow path for a stream through a first active opening prior to providing a second flow path through a second opening associated with the second actively-controlled poppet valve.

22. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein the one or more actively-controlled poppet valves is configured to move the active disk element away from the adsorbent bed to form a gap between the active disk element and the associated active seat.

23. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein each of the one or more passively-controlled valves further comprise a biasing mechanism associated with at least one passive valve stem and configured to provide a passive opening between a passive disk element coupled to the at least one passive valve stem and a passive seat secured to the housing of the adsorbent bed unit.

24. The swing adsorption system of claim 23, wherein the biasing mechanism is configured to move linearly based on a pressure differential between the interior region and a conduit exceeding a specific threshold.

25. The swing adsorption system of claim 23, the one or more passively-controlled valves are configured to move the passive disk element away from the adsorbent bed to form a gap between the passive disk element and the passive seat.

26. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein the one or more passively-controlled valves comprise a reed valve.

27. The swing adsorption system of claim 18, wherein the housing further comprises a first head and a second head secured to a body portion, wherein one or more actively-controlled poppet valves and the one or more passively-controlled valves are secured to one of the first head and the second head.

28. The swing adsorption system of claim 27, wherein the first head has a plurality of compartments formed by a structural element to isolate fluids in the different compartments from other compartments.

29. The swing adsorption system of claim 28, wherein the structural element is radially formed through the first head.

30. The swing adsorption system of claim 28, wherein the structural element is circularly formed through the first head.