The pressure swing adsorption drying of compressed air

✍ Scribed by J.W. Carter; M.L. Wyszynski

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 537 KB
• Volume: 38
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2509(83)80030-x

✦ Synopsis

An experimental and theoretical study of the drying of compressed air by a granular silica gel adsorbent was carried out using pressure swing adsorption. This process uses a portion of the dried air expanded to a lower pressure to purge the saturated bed for regeneration purposes. The effect of the volume ratio purge flow/feed flow on the dry air humidity when the process has reached quasi-steady state was investigated over the range 0.85-1.48. These humidities were predicted successfully by a simplified dynamic adsorption model using previously determined equilibrium and rate data. The approach to this steady state was also predicted. The calculated values of the humidity of the outlet regeneration flow indicate the potential of this process for the enrichment of trace adsorbates.