PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION .2. EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF A NONLINEAR TRACE COMPONENT ISOTHERMAL SYSTEM

The recently developed mathematical model for simulation of a PSA system has been extended to a nonlinear Langmuir equilibrium system. The pressure swing adsorption separation of a small concentration of ethylene from helium has been studied experimentally on 4A and 5A molecular sieves. In the 4A system mass transfer is controlled by intracrystalline diffusion and is slow, whereas in the 5A system mass transfer is very much faster and is controlled by macropore diffusion. With rate and equilibrium parameters derived from experimental breakthrough curves, the theoretical model provides a good representation of the experimentally observed behavior of both PSA systems.