Pressure Swing Adsorption: Equilibrium Theory for Purification and Enrichment

In the modern industrial separation process, the pressure swing adsorption technology is widely used to separate and purify gases due to its low energy consumption, low cost, convenience, reliability, and environmental benignity. The basic elements of the design and application of the pressure swing adsorption process are adsorption isotherms at different temperatures for adsorbents. The dual-site Langmuir (DSL) adsorption equilibrium model is the mostly used model; however, this model is based on the assumption that the adsorption energy on the surface of an adsorbent is uniform and remains unchanged. Here, a grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) molecular simulation was used to calculate the CO2 adsorption equilibrium on MIL-101 (Cr) at 298 K. MIL-101 (Cr) was chosen, as it has more a general pore structure with three different pores. The calculation results showed that the adsorption energies with different adsorption pressures fitted a normal distribution and the relationship of the average adsorption energies, E with pressures had a linear form described as: E = aP + c. With this relationship, the parameter b = k·exp(E/RT) in the DSL model was modified to b = k·exp((aP + c)/RT), and the modified DSL model (M-DSL) was used to correlate the adsorption equilibrium data on CO2-MIL-101 (Cr), C2H4-HHPAC, CH4-BPL, and CO2-H-Mordenite, showing better correlations than those of the DSL model. We also extended the parameter qm in the M-DSL model with the equation qm = k1 + k2T to adsorption equilibrium data for different temperatures. The obtained model (M-TDSL) was checked with the abovementioned adsorption equilibrium systems. The fitting results also indicated that the M-TDSL model could be used to improve the correlation of adsorption equilibrium data for different temperatures. The linear relationship between the average adsorption energy and adsorption pressure could be further tested in other adsorption equilibrium models to determine its universality.

Download Full-text

Influence of the main operating parameters on the DRPSA process design based on the equilibrium theory

Adsorption ◽

10.1007/s10450-020-00274-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ester Rossi ◽

Giuseppe Storti ◽

Renato Rota

Keyword(s):

Pressure Swing Adsorption ◽

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

Pressure Ratio ◽

Complete Separation ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Design Parameters ◽

Reflux Ratio ◽

Gaseous Mixtures ◽

Pressure Swing

Abstract Among the adsorption-based separation processes for gaseous mixtures, those exploiting pressure variations, so-called Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) processes, are the most popular. In this work, we focus on the specific PSA configuration known as Dual Reflux-Pressure Swing Adsorption (DR-PSA) given its ability to achieve sharp separations. In the case of binary mixtures, an analytical approach based on Equilibrium Theory has been proposed to identify the operating conditions for complete separation under the assumption of linear isotherms. This same approach is not available when the separation is not complete. Accordingly, in this work we study the features of non-complete separations by solving numerically a general DR-PSA model with parameter values suitable to approach equilibrium conditions (no mass transport resistances, no axial mixing, isothermal conditions and no pressure drop), thus reproducing the analytical solution when complete separations are examined. Even for non-complete separations, triangularly shaped regions at constant purity can be identified on a plane whose axes correspond to suitable design parameters. Moreover, we found a general indication on how to select the lateral feed injection position to limit the loss in product purities when complete separation is not established, whatever is the composition of the feeding mixture. Finally, a sensitivity analysis with respect to pressure ratio, light reflux ratio and heavy product flowrate is proposed in order to assess how to recover product purities according to the specific degrees of freedom of a DR-PSA apparatus.

Download Full-text