Production of oxygen enriched air by rapid pressure swing adsorption

A novel rapid pressure swing adsorption (RPSA) process is described for production of 25–50% oxygen enriched air. The embodiment consists of one or more pairs of adsorbent layers contained in a single adsorption vessel. The layers undergo simultaneous pressurization-adsorption and simultaneous depressurization-purge steps. A total cycle time of 6–20 seconds is used. The process yields a very large specific oxygen production rate and a reasonable oxygen recovery for production of 20–50 mole% oxygen enriched gas.It is demonstrated by a simple mathematical model of isothermal single adsorbate pressure swing ad(de)sorption concept on a single adsorbent particle that the specific production rate of a PSA process cannot be indefinitely increased by reducing the cycle time of operation when adsorbate mass transfer resistances are finite.     

Charge Transport in BaCe<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>R<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>O<Subscript>3 − δ</Subscript> (R = Sm,Pr, Tb) in Oxidizing and Reducing Environment

Overall conductance (in moist and dry air at partial water vapor pressures of 2.34 and 40 Pa, below 970° C) and transport numbers for ions and protons in ceramics BaCe_0.85R_0.15O_{3 − δ} doped by cations with constant (R = Sm) and variable (R = Pr, Tb) oxidation degrees and in BaCeO₃ are measured. Partial conductances (by ions, protons, oxygen ions, holes) are determined in moist air at partial oxygen pressures of 10⁵–10⁻¹³ Pa at 900°C. Various models for the hydrogen incorporation in the oxides under study are discussed.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 6, 2005, pp. 748–754.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Sharova, Gorelov, Balakireva.     

Oxygen Selectivity of Calcined Na-A Type Zeolite

Na-A type zeolite (Na-A) pellet showed a greater oxygen selectivity than Na-A powder (Izumi, J. and M. Suzuki, Adsorption, submitted; Izumi, J. et al., Japan Patent Toku-Kou-Shou 62-026808 (1987)). It was considered that a water adsorption at calcination stage influenced a window diameter shrinkage to increase the oxygen selectivity. For the confirmation of an optimum preparation condition for the oxygen selectivity enhancement of Na-A pellet, an experiment of oxygen and nitrogen adsorption on calcined Na-A was undertaken with a small adsorbent column under a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) condition at a temperature from 298 K to 213 K. It was found that the secondary calcination (953–1033 K) after the water vapor adsorption provided a remarkable increase of the oxygen selectivity. At the optimum condition for calcined Na-A, the oxygen separation factor is greater than 6. Calcined Na-A has a potential to separate oxygen and nitrogen from air by PSA effectively.     

Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide on Chemically Modified High Surface Area Carbon-Based Adsorbents at High Temperature

The adsorption capacity of carbon dioxide on high surface area carbon-based adsorbents before and after chemical modification at 28°C and 300°C have been studied. The high adsorption capacity adsorbents for carbon dioxide at high temperature have been developed by introducing MgO and S–CaO–MgO on carbon-based adsorbents. Their adsorption capacities for carbon dioxide were 0.28 and 0.22 m mol/g at 300°C, 1 Bar, respectively.     

Oxygen Selectivity on Partially K Exchanged Na-A Type Zeolite at Low Temperature

In previous work by the authors on Na-A zeolite (Izumi et al., Japan Patent Toku-Kou-Shou 63-058614, 1988), it was shown that the combination of high-temperature calcination and operation of the adsorption step at low temperatures improved the selectivity for oxygen over nitrogen from air (Izumi et al., CATS J Meeting Abstracts, 31(2A), 10, 1989; Izumi and Suzuki, Adsorption, 6, 2000). Berlin discloses in his U.S. Patent 3282028 (1966) that the partial exchange of potassium ions for sodium ions in the Na-A type zeolite also improved selectivity for oxygen by reducing the uptake rate of nitrogen. It was therefore expected that the oxygen selectivity of Na-K-A with high-temperature calcination and low-temperature adsorption might be enhanced. For the confirmation of optimum conditions for the appearance of oxygen selectivity on Na-K-A, samples were prepared with a K exchange ratio varied from 0–20 mol% (0–2.4 K ions/unit cell), and a calcination temperature varied from 923 to 1073 K, and an experiment concerning oxygen and nitrogen adsorption on Na-K-A was undertaken with a small adsorbent column under pressure swing adsorption (PSA) conditions at adsorption temperatures from room temperature to 213 K. It was found that (a) the K exchange ratio of 7 mol% (0.84 K ions/unit cell), and (b) the calcination temperature of 993 K, resulted in a remarkable increase in oxygen selectivity. Under optimum conditions for Na-K-A, the oxygen separation factor was about 8. Na-K-A has the potential to effectively separate oxygen and nitrogen from air by means of PSA.     

Surface Tension, Heat Capacity, and Volume of Amphiphilic Compounds in Formamide Solutions

Density measurements of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium decyl sulfate (SDeS), sodium octyl sulfate(SOS), and sodium hexyl sulfate(SHS) in formamide (FA) as functions of the surfactant concentrations were carried out at 25°C. For SDS in FA, additional density measurements at 35 and 60°C and surface tension and specific heat capacity measurements at 25°C were also performed. From density and specific heat capacity data, the apparent molar volume and heat capacity of the surfactants as functions of concentration were calculated. The surface excess of SDS at the solution–air interface was also determined from the surface tension measurements using the Gibbs adsorption equation. Under our experimental conditions, none of the experimental results evidence micelle formation. In addition, volumetric studies of the hexanol–SDS–FA ternary system at 25°C evidence only interactions between the dispersed surfactant and alcohol.     

Dielectric investigation of the glass relaxation in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl chloride) under high hydrostatic pressure

Measurements of the complex relative permittivity of poly(vinyl acetate) from 35 °C to 190 °C and poly(vinyl chloride) from 90 °C to 150 °C in the frequency range 10^–2 –10⁷ Hz and the pressure range 1–5000 bar are reported. Details of the pressure generating system and of the dielectric equipment are described.     

Experimental Results and Analysis for Adsorption Ice-Making System with Consolidated Adsorbent

An adsorption ice-making machine has been built with a single consolidated adsorber and activated carbon-methanol pair. A consolidated adsorbent block made of activated carbon mixed with a binder with good heat transfer properties has been developed and implemented in the adsorber. The design is focused on the adsorber consisting of copper finned tubes and carbon blocks. Experimental tests have been performed suitable for ice making. This paper describes the experimental results of such an ice-maker operating with an intermittent cycle and a cycle time of 35 minutes. The thermal conditions used to test the cycle are: 115°C heat source, 22°C heat sink, the evaporator temperature corresponding to the chilled ethylene glycol temperature is –7°C. At this evaporating pressure, the mass transfer resistance controls the adsorption process. Test results show that the COP reaches 0.07 whereas the SCP (specific cooling power) is 11 W kg^–1 activated carbon. A two-bed adsorptive prototype ice-making machine operating with a heat and mass recovery cycle has also been made for onboard adsorption refrigeration in fishing boats. Good performances have been achieved due to improved mass transfer and the new ice maker can produce 18–20 kg h^–1 of flake ice at mean temperature of –7°C.     

Effect of the pre-treatment of the samples on the natural substances extraction from Helianthus annuus L. using supercritical carbon dioxide

The extraction of bioactive compounds from sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) with supercritical carbon dioxide has been studied. The samples were treated in four different ways and the effects of two factors (pressure and temperature) were investigated at 100, 500 bar and 35, 50 °C. The best yields were obtained using a high temperature and a high pressure (50 °C and 500 bar). The dry samples produced better extraction yields than the moist samples. The bioactivities of the extracts were compared for the samples treated in different ways. The best activity profiles were obtained for the moist samples extracted at 35 °C and 500 bar.     

Adsorption of benzene and perfluorobenzene vapor from a flow of moist air by a layer of equilibrium moistened active carbon

The equilibrium adsorption of benzene and perfluorobenzene vapor from a flow of moist air by a layer of active carbon (AC) hydrated to equilibrium were considered. It was ascertained that these organic substances partly displace the water from the adsorptive micropore volume of AC. The equilibrium adsorption values of benzene, perfluorobenzene, and water vapors on AC were calculated. The adsorption of benzene and perfluorobenzene from a flow of moist air by a layer of AC is characterized by volume filling of the micropore adsorption space. This work is part of the research devoted to the study of the dynamics of the adsorption of organic substances from a flow of moist air by a layer of AC hydrated to equilibrium.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1398–1401, August, 1994.     

Electroconductivity of Cesium Orthophosphate in Dry Air

The electroconductivity and thermal behavior of cesium orthophosphate is studied in dry air. The differential scanning calorimetry and dilatometry data show it to experience a phase transition at 450–620°C. The transition occurs in a wide temperature range, is accompanied by perceptible hysteresis, and shifts towards lower temperatures with rising air humidity.     

沸石中阳离子对氮/氧吸附性能影响的研究进展

基于制氧吸附剂在变压吸附空分制氧工业应用的重要性，从沸石分子筛的氮／氧吸附性能方面，介绍了低硅沸石LSX、钙沸石、锂沸石、锂银沸石等的研究进展。讨论了沸石分子筛骨架结构和其中阳离子的种类、位置、数量与其吸附特性的关系，探讨其在变压吸附空分制氧中的应用前景。     

Biosorption of americium-241 by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The biosorption of radionuclide ²⁴¹Am from solution by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), and the effects of experimental conditions on the adsorption were investigated. The preliminary results showed thatS. cerevisiae is a very efficient biosorbent. An average of more than 99% of the total ²⁴¹Am could be removed by S. cerevisiae of 2.1 g/l (dry weight) from ²⁴¹Am solutions of 17.54–4386.0 mg/l (2.22 MBq/l–555 MBq/l) with adsorption capacities of 7.45–1880.0 mg/g biomass (dry weight) (0.94 MBq/g–237.9 MBq/g). The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 1 hour and the optimum pH ranged 1–3. No significant differences on ²⁴¹Am adsorption were observed at 10–45 °C, or in solutions containing Au³⁺ or Ag⁺, even 2000 times above ²⁴¹Am concentration. The relationship between concentrations and adsorption capacities of ²⁴¹Am indicated the biosorption process should be described by the Freundlich adsorption isotherm.     

The oxygen content in supercooled water

Summary The oxygen content in liquid water has been measured in the temperature range between 0°C and –7°C. The measurements have been carried out with an amperometric needle sensor in glass-capillaries with an inner diameter of 1.7 mm. It has been obtained that the oxygen content in water is rapidly increasing as the temperature is lowered below 0°C. At –5°C the concentration of oxygen in water at constant partial pressure of oxygen is by 13% higher than that at +3°C. The increase of oxygen content seems to be related to the unusual temperature dependence of heat capacity, density and isothermal compressibility of supercooled water.Herrn Professor Ulrich Wannagat in alter Verbundenheit zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Adsorption Kinetics of Octanoyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Methylglucamine at Air/Solution Interface

By means of maximal bubble pressure method, the dynamic surface tensions of aqueous octanoyl-N-methylglucamine (Mega-8) solutions at 25°C were measured. On the base of the experimental data, the adsorption kinetics of Mega-8 at air/solution interface was studied. In the short time range, the adsorption was diffusion-controlled and the diffusion coefficient was calculated. However, for the long time limit there was an adsorption barrier and the mixed diffusion-activation mechanism was proved.__________From Kolloidnyi Zhurnal, Vol. 67, No. 3, 2005, pp. 377–380.Original English Text Copyright © 2005 by Liu, Zhang, Yang, Messow.This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Phase Diagram of the Xe–H2O System up to 15 kbar

The phase equilibria in the Xe–H2O system have been studied by the DTA technique under hydrostatic pressures up to 15 000 bar in a temperature range from -25 °C to 100 °C. We have shown that the cubic structure I xenon hydrate forming at ambient pressure does not undergo any phase transitions under the conditions studied. The temperature of its decomposition into water solution and gas (fluid) increases from 27 °C at 25 bar to 78.2 °C at 6150 bar. At higher pressures the hydrate decomposes into water solution and solid xenon. In the temperature range from 6800 to 9500 bar the decomposition temperature (79.0–79.5 °C) is practically independent of pressure, while further pressure increase results in a slow decrease to 67 °C at 15 000 bar.     

Description of the adsorption equilibrium of organic substances absorbed from a flow of moist air by a fixed bed of active carbon moistened to equilibrium

Isotherms of the adsorption of benzene vapor from moist air on active carbon (AC) moistened to equilibrium are obtained from dynamic experiments. The experimental data on the adsorption equilibrium of some organic substances from a flow of moist air by a fixed bed of AC moistened to equilibrium are obtained. The data on the equilibrium adsorption of benzene vapor is analyzed using the Dubinin-Radushkevich equation (the theory of volume filling of micropores). It is revealed that the characteristic adsorption energy of benzene vapor decreases as the filling of the microporous volume with water molecules increases. The characteristic adsorption energy depends on the following factors: polarizability of a substance in the adsorption field created by micropores, the number of carbon atoms in the adsorbate molecules, and parameters of the porous structure. The equation for the calculation of the parameters of equilibrium adsorption of organic substances from moist air on AC moistened to equilibrium are obtained.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 434–438, March, 1995.     

Static and Kinetic Studies on the Adsorption Behavior of Sulfadiazene

To investigate the nature of interactive forces between sulfadiazene molecules and alumina surface the experiments were performed for the adsorption of sulfadiazene (SD) from its aqueous sulution onto the alumina surfaces at 25 ± 0.2°C and the influence of factors such as increasing concentration of SD (4.0–20.0 × 10^–3 mol cm^–3), the time required for adsorption equilibrium, pH (2.0–12.0) and temperature (5–45°C) of the adsorption medium, the presence of ions like Cl^–, SO^2– ₄ and PO^3– ₄ (0.01–0.30 M) and organic solvents (5% v/v) were observed on the course of adsorption of SD. Various adsorption and kinetic parameters such as adsorption coefficient, the rate constants for adsorption and desorption were also evaluated. The results of the above cited studies facilitated to formulate the mechanisms of interaction between SD and alumina surfaces. From application view point the present work may be a potential tool for an effective chromatographic separation of sulfa drugs from industrial effluents.     

异丁烷中丁烯等的脱除研究(英文)

对选择分子筛和硅胶作为吸附剂脱除异丁烷中少量丁烯作了一定的探索研究。当硅胶作为吸附剂时,在三种不同工艺流程下,研究了丁烯的净化深度和异丁烷回收率,异丁烷（９７％,ｖ／ｖ）中丁烯从１．８％脱除到０．０６～０．７％之间,丙烷和丙烯不能被有效脱除。当分子筛作为吸附剂时,净化深度高,能将异丁烷中的Ｃ３Ｈ８（０．５％）、Ｃ３Ｈ６（０．５％）和Ｃ４Ｈ８（１．８％）组分脱除到０．１％左右。净化的关键在于吸附剂的再生。     

HPLC Study of the Kinetics of Intramolecular Cyclization of Two New Phenyldiazene Molecules. Analytical Properties of the Resulting Liquid Crystals

A group of zeolites and a 3D nanoporous metal-organic material RPM-1 were tested as column packings for adsorption of isotactic polypropylene and linear polyethylene from dilute solutions. It was found that polyethylene is fully or partially retained from thermodynamically good solvents (1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethylene, 1,4-dimethylbenzene, diphenylether, 1,2-dichlorobenzene and 1,3-dichlorobenzene) at temperatures of 115 °C or 140 °C, when a specific type of zeolite with pore sizes 5–6 Å has been used as the column packing. Polypropylene was fully retained in another type of zeolite with pores of 7–12 Å, when diphenylether was used as the mobile phase. As far as known, this is the first system sorbent - mobile phase, where adsorption of polypropylene was observed.