Hydrogen separation by multi-bed pressure swing adsorption of synthesis gas

Abstract

The performance of multi-bed pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process for producing high purity hydrogen from synthesis gas was studied experimentally and theoretically using layered beds of activated carbon and zeolite 5A. Nonisothermal and nonadiabatic models, considering linear driving force model and Dual-site Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, were used. The effects of the following PSA variables on separation process were investigated: linear velocity of feed, adsorption time and purge gas quantity. As a result, we recovered a high purity H 2 product (99.999%) with a recovery of 66% from synthesis gas when the pressure was cycled between 1 and 8 atm at ambient temperature.

PVDF/ionic liquid polymer blends with superior separation performance for removing CO2 from hydrogen and flue gas

“…CO 2 , as a by-product, has to be removed in order to obtain high purity hydrogen for downstream applications. Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and cryogenic distillation technologies are widely adopted for removing CO 2 from hydrogen in industrial applications [3,4]. However, they have drawbacks such as high energy consumption and large footprints.…”

Polymeric membranes for the hydrogen economy: Contemporary approaches and prospects for the future

“…Since the product leaving the WGS reactor contains primarily H 2 and CO 2 , their effective separation is therefore of paramount importance. Hydrogen enrichment can be achieved by various approaches including pressure swing adsorption (PSA) [10], cryogenic distillation [11], and membrane separation [12]. PSA is a well-established and mature industrial process for producing high-purity hydrogen (up to 99.99%), and involves high-pressure (>10 MPa) adsorption in a confined space using suitable adsorbents such as activated carbon or zeolites [13].…”

H2 PSA purifier for CO removal from hydrogen mixtures

“…It was reported that a PVSA (pressure vacuum swing adsorption) process could produce a 99.981% hydrogen purity stream (with 63 ppm of CO contamination) and 81.6% recovery [2]. Another PSA process could also produce a high purity H 2 product (99.999%) with a recovery of 66% from synthesis gas [7]. The feed gas used in the above studies is typically based on steam methane reforming off-gas or coke oven gas containing a 55e80% H 2 fraction [5À7].…”