Patent · US Expired

Gas separation process

US4732596A · kind A · utility

22Cited by
7References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 28, 1987
Grant dateMar 22, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 28, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S62/932
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

Hydrogen and carbon monoxide are each separately recovered in high yield from a multicomponent gas stream containing these compounds together with carbon dioxide and a zero to minor amount of one or more gaseous components from the group consisting of nitrogen, methane, water vapor and C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 hydrocarbons, by a process wherein the multicomponent gas stream, such as that obtained by steam methane reforming, is initially treated in a pressure swing adsorption unit to remove water and CO.sub.2, and the obtained effluent freed of CO.sub.2 and water is then further subjected to (1) cryogenic fractionation to condense CO and to (2) hydrogen purification by selective adsorption (in either order) to recover high purity carbon monoxide and essentially pure hydrogen. The CO.sub.2 -laden adsorbent is regenerated by purging with a H.sub.2 O and CO.sub.2 -free waste gas stream from the hydrogen purification adsorbent bed or from the cryogenic fractionation or from both of these.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.