Cyclic adsorption processes for recovery of h2s from natural gas employing two activation cycles

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF TREATING FLUID TO REMOVE AND/OR RECOVER A PARTICULAR CONSTITUENT CONTAINED THEREIN INVOLVING THE CONTACT OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL WITH THE FLUID TO BE TREATED WITH RESULTANT ADSORPTION OF THE PARTICULAR CONSTITUENT BY THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL AND THE SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT OF THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL WITH A HEATED MEDIUM TO VAPORIZE AND REMOVE THE PARTICULAR CONSTITUENT AND THEREBY REACTIVATE THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL FOR FURTHER CONTACT WITH THE FLUID TO BE TREATED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ROTATING A SERIES OF SEPARATED BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL DIRECTLY AND SUCCESSION AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY RELATIVE TO AND THROUGH A FIRST PURGING STAGE, A FIRST ACTIVATION STAGE, A SECOND PURGING STAGE, A SECOND ACTIVATION STAGE, A THIRD PURGING STAGE, AND AT LEAST ONE ADSORPTION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING A FLOW OF THE FLUID BEING TREATED, UNDER HIGH PRESSURE AND IN SUCCESSION, THROUGH THE ADSORPTION STAGE SO THAT THE PARTICULAR CONSITUTENT CONTENT THEREOF WHICH IS TO BE REMOVED WILL BE ADSORBED BY THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN; CONTINUOUSLY HEATING AND RECYCLING A FLOW OF AC-TIVATION MEDIUM THROUGH SAID FIRST ACTIVATION STAGE TO DESORB THE PARTICULAR CONSTITUENT CONTAINED IN THE BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN AND REACTIVATE THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL; CONTINUOUSLY HEATING AND RECYCLING A FLOW OF ACTIVATION MEDIUM THROUGH SAID SECOND ACTIVATION STAGE TO DESORB THE PARTICULAR CONSTITUENT CONTAINED IN THE BEDS OF ADSORBENT MATERIAL THEREIN AND REACTIVATE THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL; CONTINUOUSLY DIVERTING A PORTION OF THE FLOW OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE FIRST ACTIVATION STAGE AND DIRECTING ITS FLOW THROUGH THE FIRST PURGING STAGE TO REMOVE ALL OF THE FLUID BEING TREATED THEREFROM; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFLUENT FLUID BEING TREATED ON ITS WAY TO THE FIRST ADSORPOF THE FLUID BEING TREATED ON ITS WAY TO THE FIRST ADSORPTION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIVERTING A PORTION OF THE FLOW OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE SECOND ACTIVATION STAGE AND DIRECTING ITS FLOW THROUGH THE SECOND PURGING STAGE TO REMOVE ALL OF THE ACTIVATION MEDIUM THEREFROM; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFLUENT FLUID FROM THE SECOND PURGING STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE FIRST ACTIVATION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY DIVERTING A PORTION OF THE FLOW OF THE EFFLUENT STRIPPED FLUID BEING TREATED FROM THE LAST OF THE ADSORPTION STAGES AND DIRECTING ITS FLOW THROUGH THE THIRD PURGING STAGE TO REMOVE ALL OF THE ACTIVATION MEDIUM THEREFROM; CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE EFFLUENT FLUID FROM THE THIRD PURGING STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE SECOND ACTIVATION STAGE; CONTINUOUSLY BLEEDING OFF A DETERMINED QUANTITY OF THE FLOW OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE SECOND ACTIVATION STAGE INTO THE FLOW OF THE RECYCLING ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE FIRST ACTIVATION STAGE; AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE ACTIVATION MEDIUM USED IN THE FIRST ACTIVATION STAGE FROM ITS RECYCLING PATH AFTER IT HAS BECOM HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN DESORBED PARTICULAR CONSTITUENT, AS THE FINISHED PRODUCT.