Method and apparatus for drying gaseous fluids and recovering heat

Claim 1

A METHOD OF DRYING A GASEOUS DRYING FLUID BY CONTACT WITH MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIA AND RECOVERING ADSORPTION HEAT FROM SAID MEDIA, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) CONDUCTING A MOISTURE-CONTAINING GASEOUS DRYING FLUID THROUGH A FIRST BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM, (2) CONDUCTING SAID DRYING FLUID CONTAINING ADSORPTION HEAT FROM SAID FIRST BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM THROUGH A FIRST REGENERATOR COMPRISING A HEAT STORAGE MASS OF HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT TO COOL SAID DRYING FLUID, (3) CONDUCTING THE COOLED DRYING FLUID THROUGH A SECOND BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM, (4) CONDUCTING THE DRYING FLUID FROM SAID SECOND BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM TO A DRYING CHAMBER WHERE THE DRYING FLUID IS USED FOR DRYING, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY REGENERATING A THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ABSORBING MEDIUM BY (5) CONDUCTING A REGENERATING GASEOUS FLUID FIRST TO A SECOND AND THEN TO A THIRD REGENERATOR EACH COMPRISING A HEAT STORAGE MASS OF HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT, SAID SECOND AND THIRD REGENERATORS STORINGSUFFICIENT HEAT FROM GASEOUS FLUID HAVING BEEN CONDUCTED THERETHROUGH IN A PREVIOUS DRYING AND HEAT RECOVERING CYCLE TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATING FLUID, (6) FURTHER INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATIING FLUID, BY PASSING IT THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGER, TO THE REGENERATION TEMPERATURE OF THE THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM, (7) CONDUCTING THE HOT REGENERATING FLUID THROUGH SAID THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM TO REGENERATE THE SAME, AND (8) CONDUCTING THE HOT GASEOUS FLUID FROM THE THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM THROUGH A FOURTH HEAT REGENERATOR COMPRISING A STORAGE MASS OF HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT, (9) WHEREUPON, IN A FOLLOWING CYCLE, THE FIRST AND FOURTH REGENERATORS ARE USED IN EFFECTING SAID RAISING OF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATING FLUID WHILE THE SECOND OF SAID ADSORBING BEDS IS REGENERATED AND THE DRYING FLUID IS LED THROUGH THE THIRD AND FIRST OF SAID BEDS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF DRYING A GASEOUS DRYING FLUID BY CONTACT WITH MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIA AND RECOVERING ADSORPTION HEAT FROM SAID MEDIA, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) CONDUCTING A MOISTURE-CONTAINING GASEOUS DRYING FLUID THROUGH A FIRST BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM, (2) CONDUCTING SAID DRYING FLUID CONTAINING ADSORPTION HEAT FROM SAID FIRST BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM THROUGH A FIRST REGENERATOR COMPRISING A HEAT STORAGE MASS OF HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT TO COOL SAID DRYING FLUID, (3) CONDUCTING THE COOLED DRYING FLUID THROUGH A SECOND BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM, (4) CONDUCTING THE DRYING FLUID FROM SAID SECOND BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM TO A DRYING CHAMBER WHERE THE DRYING FLUID IS USED FOR DRYING, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY REGENERATING A THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ABSORBING MEDIUM BY (5) CONDUCTING A REGENERATING GASEOUS FLUID FIRST TO A SECOND AND THEN TO A THIRD REGENERATOR EACH COMPRISING A HEAT STORAGE MASS OF HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT, SAID SECOND AND THIRD REGENERATORS STORINGSUFFICIENT HEAT FROM GASEOUS FLUID HAVING BEEN CONDUCTED THERETHROUGH IN A PREVIOUS DRYING AND HEAT RECOVERING CYCLE TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATING FLUID, (6) FURTHER INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATIING FLUID, BY PASSING IT THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGER, TO THE REGENERATION TEMPERATURE OF THE THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM, (7) CONDUCTING THE HOT REGENERATING FLUID THROUGH SAID THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM TO REGENERATE THE SAME, AND (8) CONDUCTING THE HOT GASEOUS FLUID FROM THE THIRD BED OF MOISTURE ADSORBING MEDIUM THROUGH A FOURTH HEAT REGENERATOR COMPRISING A STORAGE MASS OF HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT, (9) WHEREUPON, IN A FOLLOWING CYCLE, THE FIRST AND FOURTH REGENERATORS ARE USED IN EFFECTING SAID RAISING OF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATING FLUID WHILE THE SECOND OF SAID ADSORBING BEDS IS REGENERATED AND THE DRYING FLUID IS LED THROUGH THE THIRD AND FIRST OF SAID BEDS.