EP0390392A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Separation of gas mixtures
Assignee: BOC Group Ltd
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Filing: 1990-03-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-03-19
Abstract
Abstract Air is separated in a vessel 16 housing membranes 20. The air is pre-dried by means a vessel 6 housing membranes 8 relatively permeable to water vapour. The waste permeate gas from the vessel 16 is used to purge the permeate side of the membranes 8 in the drier vessel 6 and thus facilitates drying of the air. In an alternative embodiment, drying is effected by pressure swing adsorption and the waste permeate gas from the vessel 16 is used as a purge gas in the regeneration of the sorbent.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Ernest Garrett
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 17:12
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D53/00; B01D53/26; B01D53/268; B01D53/22; B01D53/225; B01D53/226; B01D53/229; B01D2253/00; B01D2253/10; B01D2253/104; B01D2257/00; B01D2257/80; B01D2259/00; B01D2259/40; B01D2259/40001; B01D2259/402; B01D53/02; B01D53/04; B01D53/047; B01D53/261
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour, wherein water vapour is extracted by a first body of sorbent from a compressed stream of the gas mixture while a second body of sorbent is being regenerated, the resulting water depleted stream is then separated by membranes to produce a permeate gas enriched in one main component and a pressurised product stream enriched in another main component, and a stream of permeate gas is employed to help desorb water from the sorbent being regenerated, and repeatedly substituting a regenerated body of sorbent for a body of sorbent charged with water and vice versa.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour, wherein water vapour is extracted by a first body of sorbent from a compressed stream of the gas mixture while a second body of sorbent is being regenerated, the resulting water depleted stream is then separated by membranes to produce a permeate gas enriched in one main component and a pressurised product stream enriched in another main component, and a stream of permeate gas is employed to help desorb water from the sorbent being regenerated, and repeatedly substituting a regenerated body of sorbent for a body of sorbent charged with water and vice versa.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour wherein water vapour is separated by preliminary membranes from a compressed stream of the gas mixture and the resulting water-depleted stream is then separated by further membranes to produce a dry permeate gas enriched in one main component and a pressurised product stream enriched in the other main component, wherein a stream of the dry permeate gas is passed over the preliminary membranes on their permeate side whereby to lower the partial pressure of water vapour on the permeate side of the preliminary membranes and thereby facilitate separation of the water vapour from the pressurised gas mixture.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour wherein water vapour is separated by preliminary membranes from a compressed stream of the gas mixture and the resulting water-depleted stream is then separated by further membranes to produce a dry permeate gas enriched in one main component and a pressurised product stream enriched in the other main component, wherein a stream of the dry permeate gas is passed over the preliminary membranes on their permeate side whereby to lower the partial pressure of water vapour on the permeate side of the preliminary membranes and thereby facilitate separation of the water vapour from the pressurised gas mixture.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 2, in which the preliminary membranes and the further membranes both extend in the general direction of flow of the gas mixture to be separated.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 2, in which the preliminary membranes and the further membranes both extend transversely to the flow of the gas mixture to be separated.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 4, in which both sets of membranes are located in the same vessel as one another.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
136 words
Apparatus for separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour, comprising first and a second sorbent vessels each adapted to contain sorbent for sorbing water vapour from a pressurised gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour; valve means operable to select through which of the vessels a pressurised stream of the gas mixture flows; a vessel for separating a gas mixture by membranes to produce a permeate gas enriched in one main component and a pressurised product stream enriched in another main component, and valve means operable to place the product gas side of the membrane vessel in communication with the selected sorbent vessel and for placing and to place the permeate side of the membrane vessel in communication with the sorbent vessel containing sorbent being regenerated.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
136 words
Apparatus for separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour, comprising first and a second sorbent vessels each adapted to contain sorbent for sorbing water vapour from a pressurised gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour; valve means operable to select through which of the vessels a pressurised stream of the gas mixture flows; a vessel for separating a gas mixture by membranes to produce a permeate gas enriched in one main component and a pressurised product stream enriched in another main component, and valve means operable to place the product gas side of the membrane vessel in communication with the selected sorbent vessel and for placing and to place the permeate side of the membrane vessel in communication with the sorbent vessel containing sorbent being regenerated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
130 words
Apparatus for separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour, comprising a preliminary membrane separation vessel having an inlet for a pressurised gas stream, comprising at least two main components and water vapour, and containing membranes adapted to separate water vapour from the gas mixture, wherein the preliminary membrane vessel has an outlet for pressurised gas mixture communicating with an inlet to a main membrane gas separation vessel containing membranes adapted to effect separation as between two main components of the gas mixture, wherein the main vessel has on its permeate side an outlet which communicates with an inlet on the permeate side of the preliminary membrane vessel, there also being an outlet for moist gas from the membrane side of the said preliminary vessel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
130 words
Apparatus for separating a gas mixture comprising at least two main components and water vapour, comprising a preliminary membrane separation vessel having an inlet for a pressurised gas stream, comprising at least two main components and water vapour, and containing membranes adapted to separate water vapour from the gas mixture, wherein the preliminary membrane vessel has an outlet for pressurised gas mixture communicating with an inlet to a main membrane gas separation vessel containing membranes adapted to effect separation as between two main components of the gas mixture, wherein the main vessel has on its permeate side an outlet which communicates with an inlet on the permeate side of the preliminary membrane vessel, there also being an outlet for moist gas from the membrane side of the said preliminary vessel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the preliminary membranes and the further membranes both extend in what in use is the general direction of flow of the gas mixture to be separated.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the preliminary membranes and the further membranes both extend transversely to what in use is the general direction of flow of the gas mixture to be separated.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus according to claim 9, in which the preliminary membrane vessel is an upstream region of the main membrane vessel.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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