Adsorption process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS SEPARATION OF NORMALLY GASEOUS MIXTURES CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS OF VARYING DEGREES OF ADSORBABILITY INTO AT LEAST FOUR FRACTIONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A BED OF SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT DOWNWARDLY BY GRAVITY SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A COOLING ZONE, AN ADSORPTION ZONE, A PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, A SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, A TERTIARY RECTIFICATION ZONE AND A DESORPTION ZONE, INTRODUCING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO THE LOWER, PORTION OF SAID ADSORPTIONZONE THEREBY ADSORBING MORE READILY ADSORBABLE CONSTITUENTS FROM SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE TO FORM A RICH ADSORBENT AND A SUBSTANTIALLY UNADSORBED GAS CONTAINING LESS READILY ADSORBABLE CONSTITUENTS, REMOVING SAID UNADSORBED GAS FROM SAID ADSORPTION ZONE AS A LEAN GAS PRODUCT, PASSING SAID RICH ADSORBENT FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, PASSING A PORTION OF ENRICHED ADSORBENT FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE THROUGH BUT INDEPENDENT OF SAID PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, PASSING ADSORBENT FROM THE LOER PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE INTO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, CONTACTING THE COMBINED ADSORBENT PRESENT IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE WITH A REFLUX GAS CONTAINING MORE READILY ADSORBABLE CONSTITUENTS THEREBY DESORBING FROM SAID ENRICHED ADSORBENT A GAS CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS OF INTERMEDIATE ADSORBABILITY AND FORMING A PARTIALLY RECTIFIED ADSORBENT, INTRODUCING A

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE BY SELECTIVE ADSORPTION ON A SOLID ADSORBENT WHICH COMPRISES A VERTICAL ADSORPTION COLUMN PROVIDED AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS WITH AN ADSORPTION ZONE, A PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, A SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, A TERTIARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, AND A STRIPPING ZONE, MEANS FOR PERMITTING DOWNWARD FLOW OF SAID ADSORBENT THROUGH SAID ZONES, MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID ADSORPTION COLUMN FOR PASSING A PORTIONOF ADSORBENT FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE ADSORPTION ZONE THROUGH AND INDEPENDENT OF SAID PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, MEANS FOR PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF THE ADSORBENT FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE TO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING FROM THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE, SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, SAID TERTIARY RECTIFICATION ZONE AND SAID STRIPPING ZONE, RESPECTIVELY, A LEAN GAS, A FIRST SIDE CUT GAS, A SECOND SIDE CUT GAS, AND A RICH GAS, OF SUCCESSIVELY INCREASING OF ADSORBABILITY.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE BY SELECTIVE ADSORPTION ON A SOLID ADSORBENT WHICH COMPRISES A VERTICAL ADSORPTION COLUMN PROVIDED AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS WITH AN ADSORPTION ZONE, A PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, A SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, A TERTIARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, AND A STRIPPING ZONE, MEANS FOR PERMITTING DOWNWARD FLOW OF SAID ADSORBENT THROUGH SAID ZONES, MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID ADSORPTION COLUMN FOR PASSING A PORTIONOF ADSORBENT FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE ADSORPTION ZONE THROUGH AND INDEPENDENT OF SAID PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, MEANS FOR PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF THE ADSORBENT FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PRIMARY RECTIFICATION ZONE TO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING FROM THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE, SAID SECONDARY RECTIFICATION ZONE, SAID TERTIARY RECTIFICATION ZONE AND SAID STRIPPING ZONE, RESPECTIVELY, A LEAN GAS, A FIRST SIDE CUT GAS, A SECOND SIDE CUT GAS, AND A RICH GAS, OF SUCCESSIVELY INCREASING OF ADSORBABILITY.