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

• US 9,358,493 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Tammera, Robert F., Basile, Richard J., Frederick, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US13/979,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 961/08, 961/21, 961/52, 422/177, 422/180
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/20484 with one hydroxyl group
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/20489 with two or more hydroxyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/102 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/104 Alumina
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/106 Silica or silicates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/1085 characterized by a silicon-aluminium ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/204 Metal organic frameworks (MOF's)
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/25 Coated, impregnated or composite adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/308 Pore size
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/342 Monoliths
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/3425 Honeycomb shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/24 Hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/245 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/304 Hydrogen sulfide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/306 Organic sulfur compounds, e.g. mercaptans
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/308 Carbonoxysulfide COS
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40005 using rotary valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0407 Constructional details of adsorbing systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0473 Rapid pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/10 : comprising silica or silicate
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/18 : Synthetic zeolitic molecular sieves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/20 : comprising free carbon; comprising carbon obtained by carbonising processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/226 : Coordination polymers, e.g. metal-organic frameworks [MOF], zeolitic imidazolate frameworks [ZIF] preparation of metal complexes containing carboxylic acid moieties C07C51/418; MOF's per se C07F
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28 : characterised by their form or physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28042 : Shaped bodies; Monolithic structures
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/2805 : Sorbents inside a permeable or porous casing, e.g. inside a container, bag or membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28052 : Several layers of identical or different sorbents stacked in a housing, e.g. in a column
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3204 : Inorganic carriers, supports or substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3248 : the functional group or the linking, spacer or anchoring group as a whole comprising at least one type of heteroatom selected from a nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur, these atoms not being part of the carrier as such
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3257 : the functional group or the linking, spacer or anchoring group as a whole comprising at least one of the heteroatoms nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur together with at least one silicon atom, these atoms not being part of the carrier as such
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 : of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 : Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Abstract

Provided are encased parallel channel adsorbent contactor apparatus and systems and swing adsorption processes related thereto. Encased parallel channel adsorbent contactors are useful in swing adsorption processes. A plurality of the encased adsorbent contactors are loaded and sealed together in a swing adsorption vessel such that substantially an entire feed stream must pass through the channels of the contactors and not through stray gaseous stream paths between contactors.

Claims

1. A swing adsorption contactor system comprising:

a plurality of hollow rigid liners each having an inner surface and open axial ends, adjacent liners being fixedly connected to each other;

a monolith adsorbent contactor being disposed within each liner, each monolith adsorbent contactor having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the liner; and

a bonding agent being disposed in the space between the outer surface of the monolith adsorbent contactor and the inner surface of the liner to form a seal to prevent gaseous flow in the space.

2. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 1, wherein the monolith adsorbent contactor includes a stack of at least two monolith adsorbent contactors.

3. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 2, wherein the stack of at least two monolith adsorbent contactors are held together by tape about adjacent axial ends of the two monolith adsorbent contactors.

4. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 1, wherein each liner and monolith adsorbent contactor has a mating polygonal cross-section shape.

5. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 1, wherein the bonding agent is curable.

6. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 5, wherein the curable bonding agent is semi-rigid when cured.

7. A method of assembling a swing adsorption contactor system comprising the steps of:

fixedly connecting a plurality of hollow rigid liners to each other, wherein each of the liners has an inner surface and open axial ends;

placing a monolith adsorbent contactor within each liner, each monolith adsorbent contactor having an outer surface, wherein the placing step includes spacing the outer surface of each monolith adsorbent contactor from the inner surface of each liner;

placing a bonding agent in the space between the outer surface of the monolith adsorbent contactor and the inner surface of the liner to form a seal to prevent gaseous flow in the space, wherein the bonding agent is curable;

permitting the curable bonding agent to cure into a semi-rigid material; and

wherein the swing adsorption vessel has a housing that receives the plurality of hollow rigid liners, further comprising the step of;

placing a protective ring of wax within the housing at its base before the plurality of hollow rigid liners are placed within the housing so that the ring of wax deforms and seals the bottom of the space between the outer surface of the monolith adsorbent contactor and the inner surface of each liner.

8. The method of assembling a swing adsorption vessel according to claim 7, further comprising the step of placing a protective layer of wax on the top axial end of each monolith adsorbent contactor before the placing of a bonding agent step.

9. The method of assembling a swing adsorption vessel according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

melting both the protective layer of wax on the top axial end of each monolith adsorbent contactor and the protective ring of wax within the housing after the step of permitting the curable bonding agent to cure into a semi-rigid material.

10. A swing adsorption contactor system comprising:

a plurality of hollow rigid liners, each liner having an inner surface that defines an interior region, a first open axial end along a longitudinal axis, a second open axial end along the longitudinal axis opposite the first open axial end, and an outer surface external to the interior region, wherein at least one liner has integral stand-offs that project in the axial direction from each axial end of the liner;

a plurality of monolith adsorbent contactors, wherein one of the plurality of monolith adsorbent contactors is disposed within one of the plurality of liners, the one monolith adsorbent contactor having a body that defines at least one passage through the body along the longitudinal axis and an outer surface of the body; and

a bonding agent being disposed between the outer surface of the monolith adsorbent contactor and the inner surface of the liner to hinder gaseous flow between the monolith adsorbent contactor and the hollow rigid liner.

11. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 10, wherein the two or more of the plurality of monolith adsorbent contactors are stacked together along the same longitudinal axis within one of the plurality of hollow rigid liners.

12. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 11, wherein the stacked monolith adsorbent contactors are coupled via tape about adjacent ends.

13. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 10, further comprising two or more of the plurality of hollow rigid liners that are adjacent to each other being fixedly connected to each other.

14. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 13, wherein each liner has a mating polygonal cross-section shape.

15. The swing adsorption contactor system according to claim 10, wherein the bonding agent is semi-rigid when cured.

16. A method of assembling a swing adsorption contactor system comprising:

providing a plurality of hollow rigid liners, each hollow rigid liner having an inner surface that defines an interior region, a first open axial end along a longitudinal axis, a second open axial end along the longitudinal axis opposite the first open axial end, and an outer surface external to the interior region;

placing one of a plurality of monolith adsorbent contactors within one of plurality of hollow rigid liners, the one monolith adsorbent contactor having a body that defines at least one passage through the body along the longitudinal axis and an outer surface of the body;

bonding the one of the plurality of monolith adsorbent contactors with the one of plurality of hollow rigid liners via a bonding agent that is disposed between the outer surface of the monolith adsorbent contactor and the inner surface of the hollow rigid liner, wherein the bonding agent hinders the flow of fluids between the monolith adsorbent contactor and the hollow rigid liner;

curing bonding agent into a semi-rigid material; and

wherein the swing adsorption vessel has a housing that receives the plurality of hollow rigid liners, further comprising placing a protective ring of wax between the plurality of hollow rigid liners and the housing so that the protective ring of wax deforms and seals the region between the outer surface of the monolith adsorbent contactor and the inner surface of the liner.

17. The method of assembling a swing adsorption vessel according to claim 16, further comprising placing a protective layer of wax on the top axial end of each each monolith adsorbent contactor before the placing of a bonding agent step.

18. The method of assembling a swing adsorption vessel according to claim 17, further comprising melting both the protective layer of wax on the top axial end of each monolith adsorbent contactor and the protective ring of wax within the housing after curing the bonding agent.

19. The method of assembling a swing adsorption vessel according to claim 16, further comprising fixedly connecting two of more of the plurality of hollow rigid liners to each other.

20. The method of assembling a swing adsorption vessel according to claim 16, wherein fixedly connecting further comprises welding the outer surface of the two of more of the plurality of hollow rigid liners.