Numerical study of the dynamics and optimization of the modes of air adsorption separation and oxygen concentration

Abstract

Numerical researches of influence of temperature, composition and pressure changes of the initial gas mixture on the purity, recovery and capacity of the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit was made. Air separation dynamics was researches in a wide range of control (pressure at the compressor outlet, the duration of the adsorption – desorption cycle, backflow coefficient, programs of control valves opening degree in time) variables. It was found that the change of regime parameters and the inflow on has a significant impact on the purity and recovery of oxygen. Also was founded that the range of the duration of the adsorption stage and the compressor outlet pressure values should be limited to the intervals of 39-43 s and 2.7–2.8?105 Pa, respectively. The steady-state of the PSA unit mode output time was amount 20-30 cycles of "adsorption-desorption". Formulated and solved the optimization tasks of regime parameters of air separation cyclic processes by criterion of maximum oxygen recovery in 2-bed PSA unit with granular adsorbent zeolite 13X; the optimal values of the control parameters for differential environmental conditions (when the product oxygen concentration not less than 45% vol. and the PSA unit capacity ~2 l/min) are determined. It is shown that the implementation of the optimal of the inlet and discharge valves opening degree changes program in PSA unit allows to provide the set values of the gas flow rate in the "frontal" layer of the adsorbent, in which there is no abrasion of the adsorbent in the cyclic adsorption–desorption processes