Pressure swing adsorption process for high recovery of high purity gas

摘要

An improved pressure swing adsorption process and system for producing a high recovery of a highly purified product gas, such as argon, from a feed gas stream containing the product gas and impurity gases employs first and second adsorption stages with beds for adsorbing impurity gases. The system and process provides for sequential steps of: feed pressurization; simultaneous feed pressurization and product pressurization; adsorption; adsorption and purge; adsorption in the absence of purge; pressure equalization between beds; evacuation and depressurization of adsorbent bed; evacuation with product purge; evacuation without purge; and pressure equalization between beds.