Apparatus and system for swing adsorption processes related thereto

• US 9,751,041 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2015
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US15/079,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20160332106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 95 96-105, 95114, 95115, 96108, 96144, 96146
• 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 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/204 Metal organic frameworks (MOF's)
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/342 Monoliths
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/24 Hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/304 Hydrogen sulfide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40013 Pressurization
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40028 Depressurization
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40043 Purging
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40086 by using a purge gas B01D2259/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4062 using six beds
• 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 having an adsorbent bed unit for use in a cyclical swing adsorption process. The process is utilized to remove contaminants from a gas feed streams. The adsorbent bed unit includes an assembly of thermal polygon contactors with each of the thermal polygon contactors having one or more internal channels and two or more of the thermal polygon contactors form one or more external channels. The external channels having adsorbent coating that is utilized to remove contaminants from a gas feed streams.

Claims

1. An adsorbent bed unit for a cyclical swing process comprising:

a housing having an interior region;

an assembly of thermal polygon contactors disposed in the interior region, each of the thermal polygon contactors having one or more internal channels within each of the thermal polygon contactors and one or more external channels formed between two or more of the thermal polygon contactors in the assembly of thermal polygon contactors, wherein at least one external surface for each of the thermal polygon contactors has an adsorbent coating; and

wherein the adsorbent bed unit is configured to isolate direct fluid communication between fluids in the one or more internal channels and fluids in the one or more external channels.

2. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1, further comprising a feed distribution component coupled to one or more of the thermal polygon contactors, wherein the feed distribution component is configured to:

provide fluid communication between a feed secondary fluid zone and the one or more internal channels;

provide fluid communication between a feed primary fluid zone and the one or more external channels; and

isolate direct fluid communication between the one or more external channels and the one or more internal channels.

3. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 2, further comprising a product distribution component coupled to one or more of the thermal polygon contactors, wherein the product distribution component is configured to:

provide fluid communication between a product secondary fluid zone and the one or more internal channels;

provide fluid communication between a product primary fluid zone and the one or more external channels; and

isolate direct fluid communication between the one or more external channels and the one or more internal channels.

4. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 3, wherein the one or more of the feed distribution component and the product distribution component is coupled to the one or more of the thermal polygon contactors via a weld.

5. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1, further comprising one or more spacing elements associated with one of the thermal polygon contactors and configured to provide structure for a portion of the one or more external channels.

6. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 5, wherein the one or more spacing elements have a height between 25 micrometers to 500 micrometers.

7. The adsorbent bed unit of claims 1, wherein the housing is configured to maintain a pressure from 0 bar a to 100 bar a within the interior region.

8. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1, wherein the one or more internal channels and the one or more external channels are configured to have a ratio of total internal channels area to total external channels area in the range between 0.5 and 3.0.

9. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1, wherein the one or more internal channels and the one or more external channels are configured to have a ratio of total internal channels area to total external channels area in the range between 0.8 and 1.2.

10. The adsorbent bed unit of claim 1, wherein one or more internal channels and one or more external channels are configured to provide substantially parallel and isolated fluid flow along the axial length of the thermal polygon contactors.

11. A method of manufacturing an adsorbent bed unit, comprising:

fabricating a plurality of thermal polygon contactors, wherein each of the plurality of thermal polygon contactors comprises one or more internal channels within each of the thermal polygon contactors and wherein at least one external surfaces for each of the thermal polygon contactors has an adsorbent coating;

securing two or more of the plurality of thermal polygon contactors to each other to form an assembly of thermal polygon contactors, wherein one or more external channels are formed between two or more of the thermal polygon contactors;

constructing an adsorbent bed unit housing, wherein the an adsorbent bed unit housing has an interior region; and

disposing the assembly of contactors into the adsorbent bed unit housing.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more internal channels and one or more external channels are configured to provide substantially parallel and isolated fluid flow along the axial length of the thermal polygon contactors.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein fabricating the plurality of thermal polygon contactors, further comprises:

forming a body portion into a polygon shape having a first end and a second end, wherein the body portion is configured to provide the one or more internal channels through an axial length from the first end to the second end, wherein the one or more internal channels provide one or more enclosed fluid flow passages from a first opening at a first end of the body portion along the axial length of the body portion to a second opening at a second end of the body portion;

disposing an adsorbent coating on at least one external surface of the body portion;

forming a first end portion coupled to the first end of the body portion; and

forming a second end portion coupled to the second end of the body portion.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the adsorbent coating comprises one or more of alumina, microporous zeolites, carbons, cationic zeolites, high silica zeolites, highly siliceous ordered mesoporous materials, sol gel materials, ALPO materials, SAPO materials, MOF materials and ZIF materials.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising disposing a liner around a portion of the assembly of thermal polygon contactors.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling a feed distribution component to one or more of the thermal polygon contactors at a first end of the assembly of thermal polygon contactors, wherein the feed distribution component is configured to:

provide fluid communication between a feed secondary fluid zone and the one or more internal channels;

provide fluid communication between a feed primary fluid zone and the one or more external channels; and

isolate direct fluid communication between the one or more external channels and the one or more internal channels.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling a product distribution component to one or more of the thermal polygon contactors at a second end of the assembly of thermal polygon contactors, wherein the product distribution component is configured to:

provide fluid communication between a product secondary fluid zone and the one or more internal channels;

provide fluid communication between a product primary fluid zone and the one or more external channels; and

isolate direct fluid communication between the one or more external channels and the one or more internal channels.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising disposing a sealing component between the housing and the assembly of thermal polygon contactors, wherein the sealing component is configured to prevent fluids from passing between the housing and the assembly of thermal polygon contactors.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming one or more spacing elements for each of the thermal polygon contactors and configured to provide structure for a portion of the one or more external channels.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more spacing elements have a height between 25 micrometers to 500 micrometers.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more internal channels and the one or more external channels are configured to have a ratio of total internal channels area to total external channels area in the range between 0.5 and 3.0.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more internal channels and the one or more external channels are configured to have a ratio of total internal channels area to total external channels area in the range between 0.8 and 1.2.

23. A cyclical swing adsorption process for removing contaminants from gas feed streams comprising the steps of:

a) passing a gaseous feed stream through an adsorbent bed unit having an assembly of thermal polygon contactors to separate one or more contaminants from the gaseous feed stream to form a product stream, wherein the assembly of thermal polygon contactors have one or more internal channels within each of the thermal polygon contactors and one or more external channels formed between two or more of the thermal polygon contactors in the assembly of thermal polygon contactors, wherein at least one external surface for each of the thermal polygon contactors have an adsorbent coating; and

wherein the adsorbent bed unit is configured to isolate direct fluid communication between fluids in the one or more internal channels and fluids in the one or more external channels;

b) interrupting the flow of the gaseous feed stream;

c) performing a depressurization step, wherein the depressurization step reduces the pressure within the adsorbent bed unit;

d) performing a purge step, wherein the purge step reduces the pressure within the adsorbent bed unit and wherein the purge step involves passing a purge stream to a through one or more of the external channels;

e) performing a re-pressurization step, wherein the re-pressurization step increases the pressure within the adsorbent bed unit ; and

f) repeating the steps a) to e) for at least one additional cycle, wherein the gaseous feed stream and the purge stream are passed through the one or more external passages and one or more of the steps a) to e) are performed while a fluid is passed through the one or more internal channels to manage the temperature adsorbent coating during the respective step.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more internal channels and the one or more external channels are configured to have a ratio of total internal channels area to total external channels area in the range between 0.5 and 3.0.

25. The method of claim 23, herein the one or more internal channels and the one or more external channels are configured to have a ratio of total internal channels area to total external channels area in the range between 0.8 and 1.2.