Disc operated gas purification system

Claim 1

In a system for directing the flows of the following gases: (i) feed gas (ii) product gas (iii) purge gas (iv) re-pressurization gas between multiple vessels V-I, V-II, V-III and V-IV containing absorbent material for components of the feed other than the product gas, the improvement comprising (a) a control vessel containing structure including rotor means defining gas passages communicable with control vessel ports for the (i)-(iv) gases and selectively communicable with vessel inlet and outlet ports that communicate with the vessels V-I-V-IV, (b) means to rotate said rotor means about an axis to communicate the gas passages in said structure and rotor means successively with the vessels so that feed gas is passed from the rotor means successively to said vessels, product gas is received by the rotor means successively from the vessels, purge gas is received by the rotor means successively from the vessels, and re-pressurization gas is passed from the rotor means successively to said vessels, (c) said structure and rotor means including primary relatively rotatable members and containing passages to control the flow of said (i) and (iii) gases, and secondary relatively rotatable members containing passages to control the flow of said (ii) and (iv) gases, said primary members axially separated from said secondary members by space formed therebetween, and there being piping in the space between said pairs of members and communicating with said inlet and outlet ports.