Vacuum swing adsorption for air fractionation.

摘要

The water content of a gas rich in nitrogen obtained by vacuum swing adsorptive fractionation of ambient air, is removed in a companion drying system operated in association with the air fractionation system but at independent cycle time period, wherein water-laden nitrogen from the air fractionation system is passed through a dessicant bed of solid water-retaining adsorbent in said drying system while withdrawing dry nitrogen therefrom, and the adsorbed water is subsequently removed from said dessicant adsorbent by regeneration thereof with effluent obtained in rinsing the air fractionating column with desorbed process nitrogen.