PERFORMANCE OF A PARALLEL PASSAGE ADSORBENT CONTACTOR

Results of an experimental and theoretical study of a parallel passage adsorbent contactor are reported. Theoretical considerations suggest that such an adsorber should be preferable to the traditional packed b ed for application in which pressure drop is important. An expression for the HETP (height equivalent to a theoretical plate) for a parallel passage contactor, analogous to the van Deemter equation for the pack ed bed [1], is derived and verified experimentally for the adsorption of several light gases from a helium carrier in an adsorber consisting of parallel sheets of activated carbon fibre adsorbent. The extension to a multiple passage system and the effect of moisture in the feed g as were also investigated. A high selectivity ratio (alpha(CO2/N2)) an d a diffusion constant of about 10 ms for adsorption of CO2 and N-2 on ACF adsorbent confirm that such a parallel-sided duct coated with ACF sheets would be well suited to a dual piston rapid pressure swing ads orption system for large throughput and low value added applications s uch as CO2 removal from stack gas. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.