Apparatus and process for heatless fractionation of gaseous constituents

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL OF A KEY COMPONENT FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE STREAM UTILIZING TWO ABSORBENT BEDS EACH OF WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING A ONE END AND ANOTHER END, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FLOWING A FEED STREAM OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING A KEY COMPONENT FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER END THROUGH A FIRST BED OF AN ADSORBENT INITIALLY RELATIVELY FREE OF SAID KEY COMPONENT AT A PRESELECTED INITIAL RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE AND IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION IN AN INITIAL CYCLE, SAID ADSORBENT BEING PREFERENTIALLY SELECTIVE FOR SAID KEY COMPONENT; DISCHARGING A GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID FIRST BED AS A PRIMARY EFFLUENT; SEGREGATING A PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT STREAM AN D WITHDRAWING THE SAME; PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW FROM THE OTHER END TO THE ONE END THROUGH A SECOND BED OF ADSORBENT AT A RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE, WHICH ADSORBENT IS RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID KEY COMPONENT AS COMPARED TO SAID FIRST BED AT THE START OF SAID FIRST BED BECOMES RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID KEY COMPONENT PROGRESSIVELY FROM SAID ONE TOWARD SAID OTHER END, AND WHEREBY SAID SECOND BED BECOMES RELATIVELY FREED FROM SAID KEY COMPONENT FROM SAID OTHER END TOWARD SAID ONE END; CONTINUING SAID INITIAL CYCLE FOR A TIME PERIOD LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE SATURATION OF SAID FIRST BED AT SAID OTHER END AND THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE FREEDOM FROM SID KEY COMPONENT OF SAID SECOND BED AT SAID ONE END; THEN RAISING THE PRESSURE ON SAID SECOND BED TO SAID HIGH PRESSURE BY REPRESSURING WITH A PORTION OF SAID PRODUCT STREAM INTRODUCED INTO SAID OTHER END THEREAFTER INTRODUCING SAID FEED STREAM INTO SAID ONE END OF SAID SECOND BED IN POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION AT SAID INITIAL RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE; DISCHARGING A GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID SECOND BED AS A PRIMARY EFFLUENT; SEGREGTING A PORTION OF SAID LAST NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT STREAM AND WITHDRAWING THE SAME; PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID LAST NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW FROM SAID OTHER END TO SAID ONE END THROUGH SAID FIRST BED OF ADSORBENT AT SAID RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE, AND THEREAFTER CYCLICALLY CONTINUING THE OPERATION WHEREIN A PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY EFFLUENT REMOVED FROM SAID FIRST BED IS STORED AND THEREAFTER UTILIZED TO ASSIST IN RAISING THE PRESSURE ON SAID SECOND BED TO SAID HIGH PRESSURE.