Adsorption process

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF GASEOUS MIXTURES WHICH COMPRISES A SELECTIVE ADSORPTION COLUMN PROVIDED AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS THEREIN WITH A PRIMARY COOLING ZONE, AN ADSORPTION ZONE, A PLURALITY OF RECTIFICATION ZONES AND A DESORPTION ZONE WHICH CONTAINS A HEATING ZONE, MEANS FOR REMOVING ADSORBENT FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN AND CONVEYING IT FOR INTRODUCTION INTO THE TOP OF SAID COLUMN TO MAINTAIN A CONTINUOUS DOWNWARD FLOW OF SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT AS A MOVING BED THROUGH THE AFOREMENTIONED ZONES, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO SAID ADSORPTION ZONES, MEANS FOR REMOVING ING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNADSORBED LEAN GAS PRODUCT FROM SAID ADSORPTION ZONE, MEANS FOR REMOVING A GAS PRODUCT FROM ONE OF SAID RECTIFICATION ZONES, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A PRIMARY STRIPPING GAS INTO SAID DESORPTION ZONE TO DESORB THE MORE READILY ADSORBABLE CONSTITUENTS AT A LOW TEMPERATURE AND IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID SECONDARY STRIPPING GAS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A SECONDARY STRIPPING GAS INTO SAID DESORPTION ZONE, MEANS FOR REMOVING DESORBED PRIMARY STRIPPING GAS TOGETHER WITH SECONDARY STRIPPING GAS FROM SAID DESORPTION ZONE, MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID PRIMARY STRIPPING GAS FROM SAID SECONDARY STRIPPING GAS, AND MEANS FOR RETURNING SAID PRIMARY GAS TO SAID DESORPTION ZONE.