Apparatus and method for dehumidifying gases

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PURIFYING GAS BY REMOVING THEREFROM AN IMPRUITY WHICH CAN BE CONDENSED AND ALSO FROZEN OR SOLIDIFIED BY COOLING WHICH COMPRISSES: FIRST, PASSING GASES TO BE PURIFIED THROUGH A COOLING AREA HAVING A HEATEXCHANGE SURFACE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE FREEZING TEMPERATURE OF THE IMPURITIES SO AS TO COOL THE GASES TO A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE BELOW THE FREEZING POINT OF THE IMPURITIES TO THEREBY EXTRACT IMPURITIES FROM THE GAS AND CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING THE SAID COOLED GASES FROM THE SAID COOLING AREA OVER AN ADSORBENT MATERIAL WHICH IS CAPABLE OF ADSORBING THE IMPURITY, A CERTAIN PORTION OF THE IMPURITIES BEING CONDENSED AND FROZEN ON THE HEAT-EXCHANGE SURFACE OF THE COOLING AREA DURING THIS FIRST PORTION OF THE CYCLE OF OPERATION; THEN WHEN SUFFICIENT IMPURITIES HAVE DEPOSITED ON SAID HEAT-EXCHANGE SURFACE, DEFROSTING THE SAID COOLING SURFACE BY HEATING IT ABOVE THE MELTIING POINT OF SAID IMPURITY AND REMOVING THE DEFROSTED IMPURITY CONDENSATE FROM THE COOLING AREA WHILE CONTINUING TO PASS GASES TO BE PURIFIED OVER SAID ADSORBENT MATEIRAL, THE SAID GASES FLOWING OVER SAID ADSORBENT MATERIAL DURING THIS SECOND PORTION OF THE CYCLE OF OPERATION BEING AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE SAID AFOREMENTIONED PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE AND HAVING A SURPLUS OF IMPURITIES WHEREBY THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL ADSORBS IMPURITIES FROM SAID GASES; AND, FINALLY, WHEN THE HEAT-EXCHANGE SURFACE HAS BEEN DEFROSTED, COOLING SAID HEAT-EXCHANGE SURFACE TO SAID FIRST-METNIONED TEMPERATURE BELOW THE FREEZING POINT OF THE IMPURITY AND CONTINUING TO PASS GASES TO BE PURIFIED THROUGH SAID COOLING AREA AND FLOWING THEM OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID COOLING AREA OVER THE ADSORBENT MATERIAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FIRST PORTION OF THE CYCLE OF OPERATION TO REMOVE IMPURITIES IN SAID COOLING AREA AND THE REGENERATE SAID ADSORBENT MATERIAL BY SLOWLY READSORBING THE IMPURITIES INTO THE PURIFIED GASES.