Gas purification method

• US 6,471,749 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2000
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tooyama, Shigeo, Kawai, Masato, Nakamura, Morimitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Spitzer, Robert H.
• Application Number:
  US09/566,820
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 95/99, 951/00, 951/06, 951/17--23, 951/39
• US Class Current: 95/99
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/104 Alumina
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/106 Silica or silicates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/10 Nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/12 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/80 Water
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40056 Gases other than recycled product or process gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4006 Less than four
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/403 using three beds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/416 involving cryogenic temperature treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0423 Beds in columns
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/047 Pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/261 by adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2205/64 by pressure-swing adsorption [PSA] at the hot end
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2205/70 Heating the adsorption vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/04157 Afterstage cooling and so-called "pre-cooling" of the feed air upstream the air purification unit and main heat exchange line F25J3/04618 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/04169 by adsorption of the impurities adsorption in general B01D53/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/04181 Regenerating the adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/04775 : Air purification and pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 : of CO2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gas purification method for adsorbing and removing impurities by PSA method combined with heating, capable of removing water vapor and carbon dioxide in an economical and effective way. The present invention includes an adsorption step of adsorbing and removing water vapor first and then carbon dioxide by introducing the compressed feed gas into the adsorption column; a depressurization step of lowering the internal pressure of the adsorption column down to atmospheric pressure after the adsorption step; a heating step of heating and regenerating an adsorbent by introducing a purge gas not containing the impurities into the adsorption column after the depressurization step; and a repressurization step of elevating pressure by introducing a gas not containing the impurities into the adsorption column after the heating step; wherein the period of time of the adsorption step, the depressurization step plus the heating step and the repressurization step are set to be within the range of 10 to 40 min respectively.

Claims

1. A gas purification method for obtaining a purified gas by passing a feed gas containing water vapor and carbon dioxide as impurities through a plurality of adsorption columns which are packed with an adsorbent adsorbing the impurities and can be used switchably, and thus removing the impurities, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) an adsorption step of adsorbing and removing the water vapor first and then the carbon dioxide by introducing compressed said feed gas into the adsorption columns, said feed gas in the adsorption step being introduce into the adsorption columns at a temperature within a range of 30°

C. through 45°

C.;

(b) a depressurization step of lowering internal pressure of the adsorption columns down to atmospheric pressure after the adsorption step;

(c) a heating step of heating and regenerating the adsorbent by introducing a purge gas not containing the impurities into the adsorption columns after the depressurization step, said purge gas supplying heat to the adsorption columns in the heating step of 0.5 or more relative to heat supplied to the adsorption columns by the feed gas in the adsorption step; and

(d) without cooling after the heating step, a repressurization step of elevating pressure by introducing a gas not containing the impurities into the adsorption column;

wherein the respective periods of time of the respective steps (a), (b+c) and (d) are each set to be within the range of 15 to 25 min.

2. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the purge gas in the heating step is within a range of 0.2 to 0.5 relative to the amount of the feed gas in the adsorption step.

3. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the compressed feed gas is cooled by heat-exchanging with air or coolant water, prior to being introduced into the adsorption column.

4. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the compressed feed gas is cooled by being subjected to countercurrent feed gas-water contact with circulating coolant water, prior to being introduced into the adsorption column.

5. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the purified gas purified in the adsorption column is cooled to the temperature of 60°

C. or lower by heat-exchanging with air or coolant water.

6. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the compressed feed gas and the purge gas are heat exchanged so that the compressed feed gas is cooled and the purge gas is heated.

7. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the feed gas is a feed air of a cryogenic air separation plants, and the purge gas is an exhaust gas discharged from the cryogenic air separation plants.

8. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the adsorption column is packed with the water vapor adsorbent at an inlet side of the feed gas thereof and with the carbon dioxide adsorbent at an outlet side of the purified gas thereof, and the weight ratio of the water vapor adsorbent to the total adsorbent is 0.7 or less.

9. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the water vapor adsorbent is one or a combination of two or more types of adsorbents selected from a group consisting of activated alumina, silica gel and zeolite A.

10. The gas purification method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide adsorbent is zeolite.