Bulk removal of water from organic liquids

Claim 1

The process for bulk drying of organic feedstocks containing at least 2.5 weight percent water by passage thereof through a fixed bed of a molecular sieve adsorbent whereby the water is selectively adsorbed and the dehydrated organic material is recovered as the bed effluent, the improvement which comprises: providing an adsorption system comprising at least four fixed adsorption beds, said adsorption beds being integrated in a manner such that at all times at least two of the said beds are involved in treating the water-containing feedstock to selectively adsorb water therefrom and produce an organic product effluent of the desired degree of dryness, and at least a first bed and a second bed of the said beds are undergoing some step of a regenerative procedure comprising the sequence of (a) draining, (b) heating (c) cooling and (d) filling, the sequence of the steps of the regenerative procedure being regulated so that the cooling step in said first bed occurs substantially within the period said second bed involved in said regenerative procedure is undergoing the heating step, said regenerative procedure being accomplished by means of a non-condensable purge gas stream passing through a closed-loop in such a manner than the non-condensable purge gas stream passing through the said first bed being cooled is also passing through the said second bed being heated whereby at least a portion of the heat energy being removed from the said first bed being cooled is being imparted to the said second bed being heated.