Oxygen enrichment process

US6004378A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• BAYER HEALTHCARE LLC · DE

Inventors

• Gerhard Reiss · Krefeld, DE
• Lothar Puppe · Burscheid, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 24, 1992
• Grant date: Dec 21, 1999
• Expiry date: Feb 24, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C01B2210/0062
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

In an adsorptive alternating pressure process for the enrichment of air with oxygen using a molecular sieve zeolite in an adsorber, wherein adsorbed components are desorbed under a pressure below the pressure at which air separation and N.sub.2 adsorption is effected and, after desorption, the molecular sieve adsorber is at least partly returned to the air separation pressure with oxygen gas produced in countercurrent to the air separation gas flow, the improvement which comprises cooling product gas and covering the molecular sieve adsorber with the cooled product gas.