Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 1:15 PM
255d

Rapid Pressure Swing Adsorption System (Rpsa) For Oxygen Enrichment Of Air : A Comprehensive Model & Analysis

Pallavi Chitta and Bruce J. Tatarchuk. Center for Microfibrous Materials Manufacturing ,Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, 208 Ross Hall, Auburn, AL 36830

Oxygen-enriched air helps increase reaction conversion as well as efficiency in any combustion related process. The primary objective of the research is to design and develop an oxygen enrichment system. The paper presents a comprehensive mathematical model and a system level analysis of a pressure swing (PS), temperature swing (TS) and temperature-aided pressure swing (PTS) adsorption process. The parameters required for the model are generated empirically. The sorption experiments are carried out in a fixed bed reactor (2cm dia).The sorbents consist of molecular sieves and other cation exchanged zeolites primarily including Li-LSX, Li-X. The results of sorbent screening as well as process screening studies are presented in detail. All the experimental results are presented in terms of nitrogen and oxygen breakthrough curves. The experimental feasibility study has demonstrated that the Li-LSX zeolite combined with a short cycle time Rapid PSA shows good potential for the production of oxygen enriched air of low-medium purity. A parametric analysis is presented for particular case of Oxygen enrichment of air by Rapid PSA.