Apparatus and systems having an adsorbent contactor and swing adsorption processes related thereto

• US 9,034,078 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Wanni, Amar S., Nadarajah, Chithranjan, Frederick, Jeffrey W., Sundaram, Narasimhan
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US13/950,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20140060322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 95/8, 95/90, 951/48, 95/96, 95/97, 961/08, 961/21, 961/31, 961/45, 961/52, 228/184, 228/193, 294/60
• US Class Current: 95/90
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/342 Monoliths
• 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: B01D 53/0476 Vacuum pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49888 Subsequently coating

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described for swing adsorption processes. The method includes obtaining different plates, wherein the plates have gaseous openings and a utility fluid opening. Then, the gaseous openings are substantially oriented along a common axis for gaseous openings and the plates are diffusion bonded. Once diffusion bonded, the gaseous openings within the module are wash coated with an adsorbent material.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an adsorbent contactor, comprising:

obtaining two or more plates, wherein each of the two or more plates have a plurality of gaseous openings and at least one utility fluid opening;

aligning the two or more plates, wherein the plurality of gaseous openings are substantially oriented along a common axis for each of the plurality of gaseous openings;

diffusion bonding the aligned plates to form a module; and

wash coating the plurality of gaseous openings within the module with an adsorbent material.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising photo-chemical etching the two or more plates to form the plurality of gaseous openings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein diffusion bonding involves applying a substantial and uniform pressure across the plates inside an oven heated to approximately 70% of the melting point of the plate material.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising repeating the method to provide another module and stacking the modules, wherein the plurality of gaseous openings of each of the modules are substantially oriented along the common axis for each of the plurality of gaseous openings.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a seal mechanism for the stack of modules.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising machining each of the modules to form at least one groove;

and disposing a gasket in the at least one groove.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising laser welding the modules into the stack of modules.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising cleaning the module with a high-pressure jet of air, nitrogen, or steam to remove contaminants from the plurality of gaseous openings prior to the wash coating.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gaseous openings of the module are substantially oriented along the common axis that is in a direction perpendicular to the diffusion-bonded interfaces between the two or more plates.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one utility fluid opening of the module are substantially oriented along the common axis that is in a direction parallel to the diffusion-bonded interfaces between the two or more plates.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the module has a high area density in the range of 1500 to 3500 m²/m³.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the module has a thickness in the range of 20 mm to 200 mm.

13. A method of fabricating a swing adsorption vessel, comprising:

obtaining two or more plates, wherein each of the two or more plates have a plurality of gaseous openings and at least one utility fluid opening;

aligning the two or more plates, wherein the plurality of gaseous openings are substantially oriented along a common axis for each opening;

diffusion bonding the aligned plates to form a module; and

wash coating the plurality of gaseous openings within the module with an adsorbent material; and

disposing the module within a housing.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising photo-chemical etching the two or more plates to form the plurality of gaseous openings.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein diffusion bonding involves applying a substantial and uniform pressure across the plates inside an oven heated to approximately 70% of the melting point of the plate material.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising repeating the method to provide another module and stacking the modules, wherein the plurality of gaseous openings of each of the modules are substantially oriented along the common axis for each opening.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming a seal mechanism for the stack of modules.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising machining each of the modules to form at least one groove;

and disposing a gasket in the at least one groove.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising laser welding the modules into the stack of modules.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of gaseous openings of the module are substantially oriented along the common axis that is in a direction perpendicular to the diffusion-bonded interfaces between the two or more plates.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one utility fluid opening of the module is substantially oriented along the common axis that is in a direction parallel to the diffusion-bonded interfaces between the two or more plates.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising securing one or more baffles between at least one of the modules to manage the flow path of the utility fluid through the modules.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising securing one or more manifolds between at least one of the modules to manage the flow path of the utility fluid through the modules.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising securing one or more baffle arrangements to an inlet nozzle and an outlet nozzle, respectively, to provide a utility fluid flow path into one module and out of the one module or another module.

25. A method of processing a gaseous stream to remove contaminants, comprising:

a) passing a gaseous stream through a swing adsorption vessel to remove contaminants from the gaseous stream, wherein the swing adsorption vessel has a plurality of stacked modules having a plurality of gaseous openings with an adsorbent material disposed within the plurality of gaseous openings and configured to adsorb at least a portion of the contaminants in the gaseous stream, and wherein each module is formed from two or more plates that are diffusion bonded together;

b) passing a utility fluid through the swing adsorption vessel, wherein the plurality of stacked modules have at least one utility fluid opening and wherein the utility fluid and the gaseous stream are maintained separate from each other;

c) stopping the flow of the gaseous stream through the swing adsorption vessel; and

d) performing one or more of a depressurization step, a blow-down step, and a repressurization step.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

e) determining whether production is complete;

f) if production is not complete;

repeating steps a) to e); and

g) if production is complete, regenerating the adsorbent material in the swing adsorption vessel.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein regenerating the adsorbent material in the swing adsorption vessel comprises:

i) removing the swing adsorption vessel from operation;

ii) removing the plurality of stacked modules from the swing adsorption vessel;

iii) separating the plurality of stacked modules;

iv) removing the adsorbent material from each of the modules;

v) disposing adsorbent material within the plurality of gaseous openings; and

vi) reassembling the plurality of stacked modules into the swing adsorption vessel.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein removing the adsorbent material from each of the modules comprises applying a high-pressure steam toward the gaseous opening.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein separating the plurality of stacked modules comprises removing the laser welded portion of modules secured together.