PSA PLANT USING VALVES HAVING LONG AND HETEROGENEOUS OPERATING TIMES

摘要

The invention relates to a PSA, especially VSA, plant for separating a gas stream, operating in a production cycle and comprising at least one adsorber, preferably two or three adsorbers, and several valves having long and heterogeneous operating times. More specifically, the average operating time (.mu.) of the valves is such that: 0.5 s < .mu. < 2 s and the operating time (.DELTA.t) of each of the valves is such that: .mu. - x < .DELTA.t < .mu. + x, with 0.1 s < x < 0.5 s. The invention also relates to the use of such a PSA plant for producing a gas stream rich in oxygen, in nitrogen or in hydrogen, particularly a stream comprising more than 80% oxygen, which is then sent to an oxygen-consuming plant chosen from a combustion furnace, a paper-pulp manufacturing unit and a water treatment unit.