Gas separation: apparatus – Solid sorbent apparatus – Plural solid sorbent beds
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-22
2002-03-19
Spitzer, Robert H. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation: apparatus
Solid sorbent apparatus
Plural solid sorbent beds
C096S125000, C096S130000, C096S144000, C096S150000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06358303
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gasborne component condensing apparatus, for example, for use in condensing processes of various kinds of solvent vapor contained in exhaust air or gas generated from a painting facility, electronic-component manufacturing facility and so on.
The invention relates more particularly to a gasborne component condensing apparatus for condensing condensation-target component contained in treatment-object or object gas (i.e. gas to be treated) by effecting an adsorbing step for adsorbing the condensation-target component in the object gas to an adsorbent layer by causing the gas to pass the layer and a desorbing step for desorbing the condensation-target component adsorbed to the adsorbent layer at the adsorbing step into desorbing gas by causing the desorbing gas smaller in the amount and higher in the temperature than the object gas to pass the adsorbent layer after the adsorbing step, the apparatus effecting the adsorbing step and the desorbing step for a plurality of cycles, so that the desorbing gas delivered from the adsorbent layer and containing the condensation-target component desorbed during the desorbing step is collected as a condensed gas product.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a conventional gasborne component condensing apparatus of the above-noted type, the entire amount of the desorbing gas caused to pass the adsorbent layer during the desorbing step (i.e. the entire amount of the desorbing gas delivered from the adsorbent layer and containing the condensation-target component desorbed from the adsorbent layer) is collected as a condensed gas product.
However, comparing an earlier stage of the desorbing step with a later stage of the same, the temperature of the adsorbent layer is still low at the earlier stage, so that much of the heat retained in the high-temperature desorbing gas caused to pass the adsorbent layer is used up for heating the adsorbent layer, so that there occurs a significant temperature drop which impairs the efficiency of the desorption of the condensation-target component adsorbed to the adsorbent layer. For this reason, at the such earlier stage of the desorbing step, the desorbing gas delivered from the adsorbent layer is lower in the concentration of the condensation-target component. Because of the above, according to the conventional apparatus, it was not possible to increase sufficiently the average concentration of the condensation-target component in the delivered desorbing gas (i.e. condensed gas product) through the entire step from the earlier stage to the later stage thereof, so that the concentration rate available from the apparatus would be limited disadvantageously.
Further, in case the condensed gas product obtained from this gasborne component condensing apparatus is subjected to an aftertreatment, an aftertreating facility of a greater treating capacity will be needed due to the limited concentration rate available from the condensing process as the “pretreatment”, so that the cost of the facility itself and its running cost will be high and also a greater space will be needed for the installment of such large facility. Moreover, if the aftertreatment comprises a combustion treatment for combusting the condensation-target component contained in the condensed gas product, the insufficient concentration of the component such as solvent vapor leads to the need of a greater amount of combustion aiding fuel for the combusting process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described state of the art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a gasborne component condensing apparatus with improved construction which achieves a higher concentration rate without inviting physical enlargement of the apparatus or reduction in its processing capacity.
For accomplishing the above-noted object, a gasborne component condensing apparatus of the present invention, comprises gas sorting means for sorting the desorbing gas delivered from the adsorbent layer during said desorbing step between an earlier passage gas which passed the adsorbent layer at an earlier stage of the desorbing step and a later passage gas which passed the adsorbent layer at a later stage of the desorbing step and for subsequently causing said earlier passage gas, as a portion of the object gas, to pass the adsorbent layer again at a subsequent adsorbing step while allowing said later passage gas to be collected directly as the condensed gas product.
With the above-described construction, the desorbing gas delivered from the adsorbent layer during the desorbing step is sorted between the earlier passage gas which passed the adsorbent layer at an earlier stage of the step when the temperature of the adsorbent layer is still low and the efficiency of the desorption of the condensation-target component therefrom is also correspondingly low (that is, the desorbing gas which is delivered from the adsorbent layer with a low temperature, hence, with a low concentration of the target component) and the later passage gas which passed the adsorbent layer at a later stage of the step when the adsorbent layer has been heated to a sufficiently high temperature and the efficiency of the desorption of the target component therefrom is also correspondingly high (that is, the desorbing gas which is delivered from the adsorbent layer with a high temperature, hence, with a high concentration of the target component).
Then, the earlier passage gas, because of its low target-component concentration, is caused to pass, as a portion of the treatment-object gas, again the adsorbent layer, so that the condensation-target component contained therein is adsorbed to the adsorbent layer and then this adsorbed component is desorbed in the subsequent desorbing step into the small amount and higher temperature desorbing gas. On the other hand, the later passage gas delivered from the adsorbent layer with a high target-component concentration is directly collected as the condensed gas product.
Incidentally, with appropriate setting of the “sorting point or timing” where the earlier passage gas and the later passage gas are sorted from each other, both the concentration and temperature of the target component in the earlier passage gas may be rendered rather low. Further, as the desorbing gas is smaller in its amount and the earlier passage gas is even smaller in its amount, the addition of this earlier passage gas to the desorbing gas as an additional portion thereof, when caused to pass the adsorbent layer in the adsorbing step, will not cause any significant increase in the processing load or in the temperature in the adsorbing process, so that resultant reduction in the adsorbing capacity may be minimal. Hence, with utilization of the above-described two methods, the originally intended performance of adsorbing and collecting the condensation-target component contained in the object gas may be maintained satisfactorily.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the earlier passage gas delivered from the adsorbent layer with a lower target component concentration is subjected again to the condensing process, whereas the later passage gas delivered from the adsorbent layer with a higher target component concentration is collected directly as the condensed gas product. Then, in comparison with the conventional apparatus which directly obtains the entire amount of the desorbing gas passed through the adsorbent layer in the desorbing step as the condensed gas product, the concentration rate of the condensing process may be effectively increased, without inviting physical enlargement of the apparatus such as increase of weight and/or thickness of the adsorbent layer or any substantial reduction in the processing capacity.
Further, in case the condensed gas product obtained from the condensing apparatus is subjected to an aftertreatment, no significant additional treating capacity will be required of the aftertreatment facility since the concentration rate has already been incr
Spitzer Robert H.
Taikisha Ltd.
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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