New Pressure Swing Adsorption Processes

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal Title: New Pressure Swing Adforption Processes Proposal Number: CTS-0327089 Principal Investigator: Phillip Wankat Institution: Purdue University The objective of this project is to develop a local equilibrium theory for a novel pressure swing adsorption (PSA) scheme, based on a distillation design. Extensive simulations of the process will be done with a commercial simulator. Detailed computer simulations will be done for a number of different PSA processes to determine the range of applicability of the new procedure. Research in this proposal builds on prior work in the patent and open literature to develop improved PSA processes to increase the recovery of the weakly adsorbed component and purity of the strongly adsorbed component. Potentially, these processes have significant advantages compared to current processes. The proposed research will use detailed simulations to delineate separation problems for which the new processes are an improvement compared to existing processes. The new procedure for reducing compression will be included in these new cycles. This project is also designed to have a broader impact. In addition to being educationally beneficial for the graduate students, new methods to teach graduate and eventually undergraduate students adsorption will be developed. An advanced adsorption simulator for both PSA and temperature swing adsorption will be introduced into a graduate level chemical engineering elective using a computer laboratory as part of the lecture course. The results of successful research will be new PSA designs that are ready for pilot plant testing before commercialization.