Apparatus and method for recovering volatile liquid

Claim 1

A process for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from a source thereof through a first bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said first bed and a substantially volatile liquid vapor-free air stream is exhausted; desorbing and recovering the volatile liquid vapor from said first bed by pulling a vacuum on said first bed to draw the volatile liquid vapor previously adsorbed by said first bed from said first bed and pumping the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture through an absorber for removing the volatile liquid vapor from the air drawn from the first bed; initially directing the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture exhausted from the absorber through a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed and substantially volatile liquid vapor-free air is exhausted; and subsequently directing the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from the absorber through a second bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid is adsorbed on said second bed and a substantially volatile liquid vapor-free air stream is exhausted while simultaneously desorbing and recovering the volatile liquid vapor from said first and polisher beds.

Claim 5

A method of reducing backpressure in a vapor recovery system including a source of air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, at least two reaction vessels in selective fluid communication with the source for holding an adsorbent used to adsorb volatile liquid vapor from the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture delivered from the source and exhaust clean air and a regenerator circuit for regenerating the adsorbent, said method comprising: providing a polisher in fluid communication with the regenerator circuit for capturing volatile liquid vapor and exhausting clean air; and reducing the amount of air and volatile liquid vapor recycled directly to said at least two reaction vessels during regeneration of said adsorbent by circulating a volume of the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from one of said at least two reaction vessels to the polisher during regeneration of the adsorbent in said one reaction vessel so that the volatile liquid vapor is captured in the polisher and clean air is exhausted.

Claim 6

A method of reducing backpressure in a vapor recovery system including a source of air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, at least two reaction vessels in selective fluid communication with the source for holding an adsorbent used to adsorb volatile liquid vapor from the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture delivered from the source and exhaust clean air and a regenerator circuit for regenerating the adsorbent, said method comprising: providing a polisher in fluid communication with the regenerator circuit for capturing volatile liquid vapor and exhausting clean air; and reducing the amount of air and volatile liquid vapor recycled directly to said at least two reaction vessels during regeneration of said adsorbent by circulating a volume of the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from one of said at least two reaction vessels to the polisher during regeneration of the adsorbent in said one reaction vessel so that the volatile liquid vapor is captured in the polisher and clean air is exhausted.

Claim 7

A method for increasing through-put capacity of an existing vapor recovery system including a source of air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, a vapor recovery circuit for capturing volatile liquid vapor from the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture delivered from the source and a regenerator circuit for regenerating the adsorbent, said method comprising: providing a polisher for capturing the volatile liquid vapor and exhausting clean air; and connecting the polisher in fluid communication with said regenerator circuit so that the clean air may be exhausted without returning to the vapor recovery circuit thereby reducing backpressure therein.

Claim 8

A method for increasing through-put capacity of an existing vapor recovery system including a source of air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, a vapor recovery circuit for capturing volatile liquid vapor from the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture delivered from the source and a regenerator circuit for regenerating the adsorbent, said method comprising: providing a polisher for capturing the volatile liquid vapor and exhausting clean air; and connecting the polisher in fluid communication with said regenerator circuit so that the clean air may be exhausted without returning to the vapor recovery circuit thereby reducing backpressure therein.

Claim 9

A method of reducing volatile liquid vapor load in a recycled air-volatile liquid vapor mixture during regeneration of adsorbent in a first reaction vessel of a vapor recovery system, said method comprising: locating an air space in the first reaction vessel adjacent the adsorbent; providing a regeneration circuit in direct fluid communication with the air space; and drawing a volume of air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from the air space while minimizing drawing of any of the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from the adsorbent thereby substantially minimizing the volatile liquid vapor load in that volume of the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture drawn during regeneration.

Claim 10

A method of reducing volatile liquid vapor load in a recycled air-volatile liquid vapor mixture during regeneration of adsorbent in a first reaction vessel of a vapor recovery system, said method comprising: locating an air space in the first reaction vessel adjacent the adsorbent; providing a regeneration circuit in direct fluid communication with the air space; and drawing a volume of air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from the air space while minimizing drawing of any of the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from the adsorbent thereby substantially minimizing the volatile liquid vapor load in that volume of the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture drawn during regeneration.

Claim 11

An apparatus for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: first and second reaction vessels each including a bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a pump; an absorber; a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said polisher bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced when initially regenerating one of said beds of adsorbent in said first and second reaction vessels; and a cooperating valve and conduit system for interconnecting said first and second reaction vessels, said pump, said absorber and said polisher.

Claim 12

An apparatus for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: first and second reaction vessels each including a bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a pump; an absorber; a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said polisher bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced when initially regenerating one of said beds of adsorbent in said first and second reaction vessels; and a cooperating valve and conduit system for interconnecting said first and second reaction vessels, said pump, said absorber and said polisher.

Claim 16

An apparatus for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: first and second reaction vessels each including a bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a first cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from a source thereof to either of said first and second reaction vessels; a pump; a second cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively connecting said pump to either of said first and second reaction vessels for drawing a vacuum on the bed in the connected reaction vessel so as to recover the previously adsorbed volatile liquid vapor now concentrated in air; an absorber; an absorber conduit system for feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said pump to said absorber; a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said polisher bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a cooperating polisher valve and conduit system for (1) selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said absorber to one of said first cooperating feed valve and conduit system and said polisher and (2) selectively connecting said polisher into fluid communication with said pump for regeneration of said polisher bed.

Claim 17

An apparatus for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: first and second reaction vessels each including a bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a first cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from a source thereof to either of said first and second reaction vessels; a pump; a second cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively connecting said pump to either of said first and second reaction vessels for drawing a vacuum on the bed in the connected reaction vessel so as to recover the previously adsorbed volatile liquid vapor now concentrated in air; an absorber; an absorber conduit system for feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said pump to said absorber; a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said polisher bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a cooperating polisher valve and conduit system for (1) selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said absorber to one of said first cooperating feed valve and conduit system and said polisher and (2) selectively connecting said polisher into fluid communication with said pump for regeneration of said polisher bed.

Claim 20

An apparatus for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: first and second reaction vessels each including a bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a first cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from a source thereof to either of said first and second reaction vessels; a pump; a second cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively connecting said pump to either of said first and second reaction vessels for drawing a vacuum on the bed in the connected reaction vessel so as to recover the previously adsorbed volatile liquid vapor now concentrated in air; a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said polisher bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; an absorber; a cooperating polisher valve and conduit system for selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said pump to one of said polisher and said absorber; and a cooperating absorber conduit system for feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said absorber to said first cooperating feed valve and conduit system.

Claim 21

An apparatus for recovering volatile liquid vapor from an air-volatile liquid vapor mixture, comprising: first and second reaction vessels each including a bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; a first cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from a source thereof to either of said first and second reaction vessels; a pump; a second cooperating feed valve and conduit system for selectively connecting said pump to either of said first and second reaction vessels for drawing a vacuum on the bed in the connected reaction vessel so as to recover the previously adsorbed volatile liquid vapor now concentrated in air; a polisher including a polisher bed of adsorbent having an affinity for the volatile liquid vapor whereby the volatile liquid vapor is adsorbed on said polisher bed and relatively volatile liquid vapor free air is produced; an absorber; a cooperating polisher valve and conduit system for selectively feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said pump to one of said polisher and said absorber; and a cooperating absorber conduit system for feeding the air-volatile liquid vapor mixture from said absorber to said first cooperating feed valve and conduit system.