Method and apparatus for regenerating absorption particles

Claim 1

An apparatus for regenerating an adsorption agent, said apparatus comprising: an upper elongated reaction chamber having an upper foraminous floor and adapted to hold an upper bed of said agent; a vertically displaceable upper baffle in said upper chamber extending down into said upper bed and subdividing same longitudinally into an upstream bed and a downstream bed communicating therewith; a lower elongated reaction chamber under said upper chamber having a lower foraminous floor and adapted to hold a lower bed of said agent, each of said chambers having a length at least twice as great as the respective width; a plurality of vertically displaceable lower baffles in said lower chamber extending down into said lower bed and subdividing same longitudinally into a succession of communicating downstream beds; means including an overflow weir in said downstream bed of said upper chamber for conducting particles from said downstream bed of said upper chamber into the downstream bed at one end of said chamber, said lower baffles having respective lower edges spaced from said lower floor by distances decreasing from said one end; means for feeding particles into said upstream bed to create a flow therefrom into the downstream bed of said upper chamber and thence down and sequentially through the downstream beds of said lower chamber; means for withdrawing particles from the downstream bed at the other end of said lower chamber; means for passing a hot gas up throughsaid lower bed to fluidize same and thence through said upper bed to fluidize same; means connected to said upper chamber for collecting and condensing gases rising from said upstream bed; and means connected to both said chambers for collecting and afterburning gases rising from said downstream beds.

Claim 2

An apparatus for regenerating an adsorption agent, said apparatus comprising: an upper elongated reaction chamber having an upper foraminous floor and adapted to hold an upper bed of said agent; a vertically displaceable upper baffle in said upper chamber extending down into said upper bed and subdividing same longitudinally into an upstream bed and a downstream bed communicating therewith; a lower elongated reaction chamber under said upper chamber having a lower foraminous floor and adapted to hold a lower bed of said agent, each of said chambers having a length at least twice as great as the respective width; a plurality of vertically displaceable lower baffles in said lower chamber extending down into said lower bed and subdividing same longitudinally into a succession of communicating downstream beds; means including an overflow weir in said downstream bed of said upper chamber for conducting particles from said downstream bed of said upper chamber into the downstream bed at one end of said chamber, said lower baffles having respective lower edges spaced from said lower floor by distances decreasing from said one end; means for feeding particles into said upstream bed to create a flow therefrom into the downstream bed of said upper chamber and thence down and sequentially through the downstream beds of said lower chamber; means for withdrawing particles from the downstream bed at the other end of said lower chamber; means for passing a hot gas up throughsaid lower bed to fluidize same and thence through said upper bed to fluidize same; means connected to said upper chamber for collecting and condensing gases rising from said upstream bed; and means connected to both said chambers for collecting and afterburning gases rising from said downstream beds.

Claim 5

An apparatus for deadsorbing impurity-carrying adsorption particles, said apparatus comprising: a housing defining an elongated chamber having a pair of ends; a foraminous floor in said chamber adapted to support a bed of said particles; a plurality of vertically extending and displaceable baffles having lower edges spaced above said floor and subdividing said chamber into an upstream compartment at one end thereof and a succession of downstream compartments, said lower edges being progressively closer to said floor away from said one end, whereby particles in each compartment but the downstream compartment at the other end of said housing can flow under the respective baffle into the adjacent compartment; a weir in said downstream compartment at said other end of said housing and having an upper edge lying above the lower edges of all of said baffles; means for introducing said impurity-carrying particles into said upstream compartment and thereby filling all of said compartments to the level of said upper edge and causing particles to overflow said weir; means for withdrawing from said chamber particles as they overflow said weir; means for passing a hot gas through said floor for fluidizing the beds of particles in all of said compartments; and means for collecting gases in said chamber above said particles in said upstream compartment and segregating them from gases above said particles in said downstream compartment.

Claim 6

An apparatus for deadsorbing impurity-carrying adsorption particles, said apparatus comprising: a housing defining an elongated chamber having a pair of ends; a foraminous floor in said chamber adapted to support a bed of said particles; a plurality of vertically extending and displaceable baffles having lower edges spaced above said floor and subdividing said chamber into an upstream compartment at one end thereof and a succession of downstream compartments, said lower edges being progressively closer to said floor away from said one end, whereby particles in each compartment but the downstream compartment at the other end of said housing can flow under the respective baffle into the adjacent compartment; a weir in said downstream compartment at said other end of said housing and having an upper edge lying above the lower edges of all of said baffles; means for introducing said impurity-carrying particles into said upstream compartment and thereby filling all of said compartments to the level of said upper edge and causing particles to overflow said weir; means for withdrawing from said chamber particles as they overflow said weir; means for passing a hot gas through said floor for fluidizing the beds of particles in all of said compartments; and means for collecting gases in said chamber above said particles in said upstream compartment and segregating them from gases above said particles in said downstream compartment.

Claim 9

A method of regenerating adsorption particles, said method comprising the steps of: introducing said particles into an upstream compartment to form an upstream bed therein; passing said particles from said upstream bed through an upstream restriction into the first of a succession of downstream compartments to form a downstream bed therein; subdividing said downstream compartments from each other with a plurality of downstream restrictions of size decreasing from said first downstream compartment and passing said particles from said first downstream compartment through said restrictions to the last downstream compartment; withdrawing particles from said last downstream compartment at substantially the same rate said particles pass through said upstream restriction into said first downstream compartment; flowing a hot gas up through said particles in all of said compartments to fluidize said beds; collecting and condensing the gas rising from said upstream bed; and collecting and afterburning all the gas rising from said downstream bed, whereby impurities adsorbing into said particles are carried off by the gases rising from said beds.

Claim 10

A method of regenerating adsorption particles, said method comprising the steps of: introducing said particles into an upstream compartment to form an upstream bed therein; passing said particles from said upstream bed through an upstream restriction into the first of a succession of downstream compartments to form a downstream bed therein; subdividing said downstream compartments from each other with a plurality of downstream restrictions of size decreasing from said first downstream compartment and passing said particles from said first downstream compartment through said restrictions to the last downstream compartment; withdrawing particles from said last downstream compartment at substantially the same rate said particles pass through said upstream restriction into said first downstream compartment; flowing a hot gas up through said particles in all of said compartments to fluidize said beds; collecting and condensing the gas rising from said upstream bed; and collecting and afterburning all the gas rising from said downstream bed, whereby impurities adsorbing into said particles are carried off by the gases rising from said beds.