Abstract
Experimental and theoretical investigations into air separation by rapid pressure swing adsorption over zeolite 5A are presented. These concentrate on the effect of adsorbent particle size on the separation performance of the unit undergoing simple cycles consisting of pressurisation and depressurisation steps. An optimum particle size for maximum cyclic equilibrium product oxygen purity is shown to exist; this is accurately predicted by model simulation. Calculations indicate that for beds containing very small particles, a poor separation results from ineffective pressure swing, and for beds containing very large particles from intraparticle diffusional limitations. For the zeolite 5A adsorbent used in this work, theoretical calculations indicate that the rate limiting intraparticle diffusion is described by a parallel combination of molecular and Knudsen diffusion within the macropores of the adsorbent particles. Axial dispersion within the bed is also shown to have a significant effect upon the cyclic equilibrium value of the cycle-average product oxygen purity. In addition to measurements at the cyclic equilibrium, temporal profiles of the product oxygen purity during the approach to cyclic equilibrium are shown. Under certain operating conditions, an overshoot of oxygen purity is found to exist. This behaviour can be attributed to ineffective pressure swing within the product end region of the bed, and thus to the poor utilisation of adsorbent in this region. © 1994.