Adsorption removal of carbon dioxide from the helium coolant of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors

Abstract

This paper conducts experiments on the removal of CO/sub 2/ from helium by means of a Soviet-made adsorbent under the conditions characteristic of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cleaning systems. The adsorption of CO/sub 2/ from helium was studied under dynamic conditions with a fixed layer of adsorbent in a flow-through apparatus with an adsorber 16 mm in diameter. The analysis of the helium was carried out by means of a TVT chromatograph. In order to compare the adsorption of CO/sub 2/ on CaA zeolite under dynamic conditions from the helium stream under pressure with the equilibrium adsorption on the basis of pure CO/sub 2/, the authors determined the adsorption isotherm at 293 K by the volumetric method over a range of CO/sub 2/ equilibrium pressures from 260 to 11,970 Pa. Reducing the adsorption temperature to 273 K leads to a considerable reduction in the energy costs for regeneration, owing to the increase in adsorption and the decrease in the number of regeneration cycles; the amount of the heating gas used is reduced to less than half.