Role of Pressure Drop on Rapid Pressure Swing Adsorption Performance

Abstract

A loss in process performance for rapid pressure swing adsorption processes at high cycling frequencies is typically associated with an increase in pressure drop and mass and heat transfer resistances. An experimental study was performed to isolate the effect of pressure drop on process performance using particles ∼0.5 mm in diameter. The results demonstrate column pressure drop has a negligible effect on process performance in the flow regime where Darcy’s law holds for the high pressure production step. They also suggest, within our operational range, it is more advantageous to operate with a long, thin column as opposed to a short, wide column. A brief simulation study was also conducted to support the experimental results. It confirmed pressure drop effects were minimal, leaving mass and heat transfer resistances as more logical causes of performance decline with increasing cyclic frequency in this study. However, further research is needed to extend these conclusions to much smaller particles.