Thermal swing gas adsorber

Claim 2

A GAS ADSORBENT VESSEL COMPRISING: A RIGID OUTER CASING, AN ADSORBENT BED WITHIN SAID CASING; SUPPORT MEANS FOR SAID ADSORBENT BED BEARING AGAINST THE CASING INNER SURFACE AND THE ADSORBENT BED OUTER SURFACE; GAS FLOW PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH THE BOTTOM WALL AND THE TOP WALL OF SAID CASING; A COMPRESSIBLE FIBROUS LAYER OF THERMAL INSULATION MATERIAL HAVING FIBER DIAMETER OF LESS THAN 20 MICRONS AND AN UNCOMPRESSED POROSITY OF GREATER THAN 0.95 POSITIONED AGAINST THE CASING INNER SURFACE; A MULTIPLICITY OF RIGID PREFORMED SHEETS OF THERMAL INSULATION MATERIAL HAVING PERMEABILITY OF LESS THAN 150 FT2/HR-ATM BASED ON AIR AT 70*F. BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR AND POSITIONED INWARDLY OF AND COVERING SAID COMPRESSIBLE FIBROUS LAYER IN AN END-TO-END AND SIDE-TO-SIDE ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH TRANSVERSE GAPS BETWEEN THE CASING INNER SURFACE AND OUTER SURFACE OF SAID PREFORMED SHEETS NOT EXCEEDING 1/2 INCH; AND MEANS FOR POSITIONING AND OUTWARDLY COMPRESSING THE COMPRESIBLE FIBROUS LAYER-RIGID PREFORMED SHEET ASSEMBLY AGAINST SAID CASING INNER SURFACE SUCH THAT THE RATIO OF THE DENSITY OF THE COMPRESSIBLE FIRBOUS LAYER IN THE COMPRESSED STATE TO ITS DENSITY IN THE UNCOMPRESSED STATE IS AT LEAST 1.5.

Claim 3

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the preformed sheets are aligned in a multiplicity of rows extending perpendicular to the direction of gas flow through the adsorbent bed, said abutting ends are substantially parallel to said direction of gas flow, and said abutting ends in transversely adjacent rows are transversely displaced from each other.

Claim 4

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the fiber diameter of said compressible fibrous layer is less than 10 microns.

Claim 5

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the uncompressed porosity of said compressible fibrous layer is greater than 0.98.

Claim 6

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the ratio of the density of the compressible fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state is at least 4.0.

Claim 7

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the outer surface of said preformed sheet is at least partially contoured so as to mate with the inner surface of said rigid outer casing.

Claim 8

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein said compressible fibrous layer is formed of glass fibers having fiber diameter of about 1.0 microns and an uncompressed porosity of about 0.996.

Claim 9

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein said rigid preformed sheets are formed of calcium silicate reinforced with glass fiber having permeability of about 1 ft2/hr-atm, based on air at 70*F.

Claim 10

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the gas permeability of the preformed sheets is no more than 1/100 that oF the compressible fibrous layer.

Claim 11

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 1 wherein the preformed sheets are aligned in a multiplicity of rows extending perpendicular to the direction of gas flow through the adsorbent bed, and gas flow-diverting barrier means are disposed between said abutting aides of the preformed sheets in said transversely adjacent rows to direct bypassing gas into said adsorbent bed.

Claim 12

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 10 wherein said gas flow-diverting barrier means comprise metal foil sheets gas-tightly secured to said casing inner surface at one end and extending inwardly between said abutting sides of the preformed sheets with the opposite end substantially adjacent to said adsorbent bed.

Claim 13

A gas adsorbent vessel according to claim 2 including compressible fibrous thermal insulation between at least said abutting ends of adjacent preformed sheets.

Claim 14

A gas adsorbent vessel comprising: a rigid cylindrical outer casing with its longitudinal axis aligned substantially in the horizontal direction, an adsorbent bed within said casing in the central part thereof and extending from end-to-end; support means for said adsorbent bed bearing against the casing inner surface and the adsorbent bed outer surface; gas flow passage means extending through the bottom wall and the top wall of said casing; gas distributor means between said gas flow passage means and the end-to-end length of the adsorbent bed bottom and top for gas flow through said adsorbent bed substantially normal to said longitudinal axis; a compressible fibrous layer of thermal insulation material having fiber diameter of less than 20 microns and an uncompressed porosity of greater than 0.95 positioned against the casing inner surface; a multiplicity of rigid preformed sheets of thermal insulation material having permeability of less than 150 ft2/hr-atm based on air at 70*F, being substantially planar and positioned inwardly of and covering said compressible fibrous layer in an end-to-end and side-to-side abutting relationship with transverse gaps between the casing inner surface and outer surface of said preformed sheets not exceeding 1/2 inch; and means for positioning and outwardly compressing the compressible fibrous layer-rigid preformed sheet assembly against said casing inner surface such that the ratio of the density of the compressible fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state is at least 1.5.

Claim 15

A gas adsorbent vessel comprising: a rigid cylindrical outer casing with its longitudinal axis aligned substantially in the horizontal direction, an adsorbent bed within said casing in the central part thereof and extending from end-to-end; support means for said adsorbent bed bearing against the casing inner surface and the adsorbent bed outer surface; gas flow passage means extending through the bottom wall and the top wall of said casing; gas distributor means between said gas flow passage means and the end-to-end length of the adsorbent bed bottom and top for gas flow through said adsorbent bed substantially normal to said longitudinal axis; a compressible fibrous layer of thermal insulation material having fiber diameter of less than 20 microns and an uncompressed porosity of greater than 0.95 positioned against the casing inner surface; a multiplicity of rigid preformed sheets of thermal insulation material having permeability of less than 150 ft2/hr-atm based on air at 70*F, being substantially planar and positioned inwardly of and covering said compressible fibrous layer in an end-to-end and side-to-side abutting relationship with transverse gaps between the casing inner surface and outer surface of said preformed sheets not exceeding 1/2 inch; and means for positioning and outwardly compressing the compressible fibrous layer-rigid preformed sheet assembly against said casing inner surface such that the ratio of the density of the compressible fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state is at least 1.5.

Claim 16

A gas adsorbent vessel comprising: a rigid cylindrical outer casing with its longitudinal axis aligned substantially in the vertical direction, an adsorbent bed within said casing; support means for said adsorbent bed bearing against the casing inner surface and the adsorbent bed outer surface; gas flow passage means extending through the bottom end wall and the top end wall of said casing; a compressible fibrous layer of thermal insulation material having fiber diameter of less than 20 microns and an uncompressed porosity of greater than 0.95 positioned against the casing inner surface; a multiplicity of rigid preformed sheets of thermal insulation material having permeability of less than 150 ft2/hr-atm based on air at 70*F, being substantially planar and positioned inwardly of and covering said compressible fibrous layer in an end-to-end and side-to-side abutting relationship with transverse gaps between the basing inner surface and outer surface of said preformed sheets not exceeding 1/2 inch; and means for positioning and outwardly compressing the compressible fibrous layer-rigid preformed sheet assembly against said casing inner surface such that the ratio of the density of the compressible fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state is at least 1.5.

Claim 17

A gas adsorbent vessel comprising: a rigid cylindrical outer casing with its longitudinal axis aligned substantially in the vertical direction, an adsorbent bed within said casing; support means for said adsorbent bed bearing against the casing inner surface and the adsorbent bed outer surface; gas flow passage means extending through the bottom end wall and the top end wall of said casing; a compressible fibrous layer of thermal insulation material having fiber diameter of less than 20 microns and an uncompressed porosity of greater than 0.95 positioned against the casing inner surface; a multiplicity of rigid preformed sheets of thermal insulation material having permeability of less than 150 ft2/hr-atm based on air at 70*F, being substantially planar and positioned inwardly of and covering said compressible fibrous layer in an end-to-end and side-to-side abutting relationship with transverse gaps between the basing inner surface and outer surface of said preformed sheets not exceeding 1/2 inch; and means for positioning and outwardly compressing the compressible fibrous layer-rigid preformed sheet assembly against said casing inner surface such that the ratio of the density of the compressible fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state is at least 1.5.

Claim 18

An air prepurifier adsorbent vessel comprising: a rigid cylindrical outer casing with its longitudinal axis aligned substantially in the horizontal direCtion, a sodium zeolite X adsorbent bed within said casing inner the central parts thereof and extending from end-to-end; support means for said adsorbent bed bearing against the casing inner surface and the adsorbent bed outer surface; air flow passage means extending through the bottom wall and the top wall of said casing; air distributor means between said air flow passage means and the end-to-end length of the absorbent bed bottom and top; a compressible glass fibrous layer of thermal insulation material having fiber diameter of about 1.0 microns and an uncompressed porosity of about 0.996 positioned against the casing inner surface; a multiplicity of rigid preformed sheets of calcium silicate reinforced with glass fiber thermal insulation material having permeability of about 1 ft2/hr-atm, based on air at 70*F, being substantially planar and positioned inwardly of and covering said compressible glass fibrous layer in an end-to-end and side-to-side abutting relationship with outer surfaces at least partially contoured so as to mate with the inner surface of said cylindrical outer casing and transverse gaps between the casing inner surface and the outer surface of said rigid preformed sheets not exceeding about 1/16 inch, said preformed sheets being aligned in a multiplicity of longitudinal rows with abutting ends in transversely adjacent rows being transversely displaced from each other; compressible glass fibrous thermal insulation between at least the abutting ends of adjacent preformed sheets which abutting ends are substantially parallel to the direction of glass flow through said adsorbent bed; and means for positioning and outwardly compressing the compressible glass fibrous layer-rigid preformed calcium silicate and glass fiber sheet assembly against said casing inner surface such that the ratio of the density of the compressible glass fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state it at least 4.

Claim 19

An air prepurifier adsorbent vessel comprising: a rigid cylindrical outer casing with its longitudinal axis aligned substantially in the horizontal direCtion, a sodium zeolite X adsorbent bed within said casing inner the central parts thereof and extending from end-to-end; support means for said adsorbent bed bearing against the casing inner surface and the adsorbent bed outer surface; air flow passage means extending through the bottom wall and the top wall of said casing; air distributor means between said air flow passage means and the end-to-end length of the absorbent bed bottom and top; a compressible glass fibrous layer of thermal insulation material having fiber diameter of about 1.0 microns and an uncompressed porosity of about 0.996 positioned against the casing inner surface; a multiplicity of rigid preformed sheets of calcium silicate reinforced with glass fiber thermal insulation material having permeability of about 1 ft2/hr-atm, based on air at 70*F, being substantially planar and positioned inwardly of and covering said compressible glass fibrous layer in an end-to-end and side-to-side abutting relationship with outer surfaces at least partially contoured so as to mate with the inner surface of said cylindrical outer casing and transverse gaps between the casing inner surface and the outer surface of said rigid preformed sheets not exceeding about 1/16 inch, said preformed sheets being aligned in a multiplicity of longitudinal rows with abutting ends in transversely adjacent rows being transversely displaced from each other; compressible glass fibrous thermal insulation between at least the abutting ends of adjacent preformed sheets which abutting ends are substantially parallel to the direction of glass flow through said adsorbent bed; and means for positioning and outwardly compressing the compressible glass fibrous layer-rigid preformed calcium silicate and glass fiber sheet assembly against said casing inner surface such that the ratio of the density of the compressible glass fibrous layer in the compressed state to its density in the uncompressed state it at least 4.