Magnetically stabilized bed, temperature, partial pressure swing, hydrogen recovery process

Claim 1

In an adsorption process for the recovery of hydrogen from a vapor or gas feed containing hydrogen in admixture with one or more component hydrocarbons, alone or in admixture with non-hydrogen components, wherein particulate adsorbent solids are circulated between an adsorption zone for contact with said feed at relatively low temperature to selectively adsorb hydrocarbons and thereby concentrate the hydrogen within the off gas from said adsorption zone for recovery, the particulate adsorbent solids which selectively adsorb hydrocarbon components are transported to a desorption zone operated at sufficient temperature above that of the adsorption zone to desorb hydrocarbon and regenerate the said particulate adsorbent solids, the regenerated particulate adsorbent solids are cooled and recycled to said adsorption zone the improvement comprising (a) contacting countercurrently said feed in said adsorption zone with a downwardly moving, fluidized bed of the particulate adsorbent solids provided with a magnetic component, magnetically stabilizing said bed to suppress the gross circulation of adsorbent solids within said bed, while adsorbing hydrocarbons from said feed on said bed, withdrawing from said adsorption zone a hydrocarbon-denuded gas stream of higher hydrogen content than that contained in the feed entering said magnetically stabilized adsorption zone, withdrawing hydrocarbon enriched, hydrogen-containing particulate adsorbent solids from said magnetically stabilized adsorption zone and passing same to a hydrogen displacement zone, (b) contacting countercurrently said hydrocarbon enriched, hydrogen containing particulate adsorbent solids in said hydrogen displacement zone by passing same in plug flow and contacting same with a hydrocarbon gas sufficient to substantially displace hydrogen, passing the displaced hydrogen into the adsorption zone, and removing the hydrogen-denuded, hydrocarbon-containing particulate adsorbent solids from said hydrogen displacement zone and transporting same to the desorption zone, (c) heating in said desorption zone, a fluidized bed of said hydrogen-denuded, hydrocarbon-containing particulate solids at temperature sufficient to desorb hydrocarbons from said particulate solids, removing hydrocarbons from said zone, and passing particulate adsorbent solids containing at least residual amounts of hydrocarbons to a steam stripping zone, (d) in said steam stripping zone, countercurrently contacting with steam the residual hydrocarbons-containing particulate adsorbent solids as a moving bed to desorb and substantially displace the residual hydrocarbons with steam, and then transporting the steam-containing particulate adsorbent solids to a water removal zone, and (e) in said water removal zone, contacting the wet particulate adsorbent solids with hydrogen to displace water and dry the particulate adsorbent solids, recovering hydrogen, and the dry particulate, regenerated adsorbent solids are then transported to a cooling zone, and (f) in said cooling zone, the regenerated particulate adsorbent solids are cooled, and said cooled adsorbent solids then passed to the adsorption zone.