GAS SEPARATION BY PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION - A PORE-DIFFUSION MODEL FOR BULK SEPARATION

An experimental and theoretical study is performed for bulk separation of gas mixture by pressure swing adsorption, a process widely used commercially for gas purification. By cycling the pressure of a bed of activated carbon between 3 and up to 500 psig (0. 021 to 3. 445 MPa), at the ambient temperature, a 50/50 H//2/CH//4 mixture is separated into two products with well over 90% purity and recovery at high throughputs. All process characteristics can be predicted by a pore-diffusion model. A fundamental understanding of the function of each step in the cyclic process is given.