Process and apparatus for separating and analyzing a fluid mixture

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR ANALYZING AND SEPARATING INTO A PLURALITY OF CONSTITUENTS A FLUID MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A FIRST COMPONENT CONTAINING HYDROGEN AND AT LEAST ONE OF A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYGEN, NITROGEN, CARBON MONOXIDE AND METHANE WITH AT LEAST ONE OTHER COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A FIRST MEMBER AND A SECOND MEMBER, SAID FIRST MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROCARBONS HAVING TWO CARBON ATOMS, SAID SECOND MEMBER BEING A HYDROCARBON CONTAINING FROM 3 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS, WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A HELIUM CARRIER GAS CHARGED WITH SAID FLUID MIXTURE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ZONES CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A FIRST ZONE COMPRISED OF AT LEAST ONE PARTITION CHROMATOGRAPHIC COLUMN WHICH SELECTIVELY RETARDS PASSAGE OF SAID OTHER COMPONENT OF SAID FLUID MIXTURE PASSED THERETO IN SAID CARRIER GAS, DISCONTINUING PASSAGE OF SAID CARRIER GAS CHARGED WITH SAID FLUID MIXTURE TO SAID PARTITION COLUMN ON THE RELEASE OF A PREDETERMINED CONSTITUENT OF SAID FIRST COMPONENT TO RETAIN IN SAID COLUMN SAID OTHER COMPOENT, PASSING SAID CARRIER GAS CHARGED WITH SAID FIRST COMPONENT TO A SECOND ZONE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MOLECULAR SIEVE AND AN OXIDIZING REGION, SELECTIVELY ABSORBING SAID FIRST COMPONENT IN SAID MOLECULAR SIEVE, OXIDIZING HYDROGEN EFFLUENT FROM SAID MOLECULAR SIEVE IN SAID OXIDIZING REGION, ANALYZING SAID FIRST COMPONENT, DISCONTINUING PASSAGE OF SAID CARRIER GAS TO SAID SECOND ZONE, RESUMIN FLOW OF SAID CARRIER GAS TO SAID FIRST ZONE AND ANALYZING SAID OTHER COMPONENT RELEASED THEREFROM.