Separating oxygen from a gas includes contacting an oxygen-selective sorbent with a gas stream, adsorbing oxygen in the gas stream with the sorbent, heating the sorbent to greater than 400° C., and desorbing a majority of the oxygen. The sorbent is selective for oxygen, and adsorbing occurs at a temperature between 275-325° C. An oxygen separation system includes a sorption bed, a heater configured to heat the sorption bed, an oxygen analyzer, a first conduit configured provide an input gas to the sorption bed, a second conduit configured to provide processed input gas from the sorption bed to the oxygen analyzer, a third conduit configured to provide a purge gas to the sorption bed, and a fourth conduit configured to provide processed purge gas to the oxygen analyzer. The first and third conduits are configured to flow the input gas and the purge gas flow in opposite directions through the sorption bed.

The present invention relates to an adsorption process for xenon recovery from a cryogenic liquid or gas stream wherein a bed of adsorbent is contacted with a xenon-containing liquid or gas stream selectively adsorbing the xenon from said stream. The adsorption bed is operated to at least near full breakthrough with xenon to enable a deep rejection of other stream components, prior to regeneration using the temperature swing method. After the stripping step, the xenon adsorbent bed is drained to clear out the liquid residue left in the nonselective void space and the xenon molecules in those void spaces is recycled upstream to the ASU distillation column for increasing xenon recovery. The xenon adsorbent bed is optionally purged with oxygen, followed by purging with gaseous argon at cryogenic temperature (≤160 K) to displace the oxygen co-adsorbed on the AgX adsorbent due to higher selectivity of argon over oxygen on the AgX adsorbent. By the end of this step, the xenon adsorbent bed is filled with argon and xenon. Then the entire adsorbent bed is heated indirectly without utilizing any of the purge gas for direct heating. Operating the adsorption bed to near full breakthrough with xenon and displacing the adsorbed oxygen and other residues with argon, prior to regeneration, along with indirect heating of the bed, enables production of a high purity product ≥40 vol % xenon from the adsorption bed and further enables safely heating without any purge gas and ease for downstream product collection, even in cases where hydrocarbons are co-present in the feed stream.

Provided are apparatus and systems for performing a swing adsorption process. This swing adsorption process may involve performing a startup mode process prior to beginning a normal operation mode process to remove contaminants from a gaseous feed stream. The startup mode process may be utilized for swing adsorption processes, such as TSA and/or PSA, which are utilized to remove one or more contaminants from a gaseous feed stream.

Provided are apparatus and systems for performing a swing adsorption process. This swing adsorption process may involve performing a startup mode process prior to beginning a normal operation mode process to remove contaminants from a gaseous feed stream. The startup mode process may be utilized for swing adsorption processes, such as TSA and/or PSA, which are utilized to remove one or more contaminants from a gaseous feed stream.

The present invention relates to a gas-filtering system (1000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000) comprising: an input (1100) for the gas, a reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) for filtering the gas at the input (1100) and thus obtaining a filtered gas, an output (1200) for the filtered gas, a vacuum generator (1401, 1402) for generating a vacuum inside the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), where the vacuum generator (1401, 1402) is configured so as to apply a first predetermined vacuum value (VI) in a first vacuum phase (T2) and so as to apply a second predetermined vacuum value (V2) in a second vacuum phase (T3); the filtering system (1000, 3000, 4000) further comprising a flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) connected at the output to the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), where the flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) is configured so as to block the introduction of the filtered gas into the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) during the first vacuum phase (T2), and where the flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) is configured so as to allow the introduction of the filtered gas and/or a second gas into the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), starting from the output (1200) during the second vacuum phase (T3).

A method of obtaining helium from a helium-containing feed gas. Helium-containing feed gas is fed to a prepurifying unit that uses a pressure swing adsorption process to remove undesirable components from the helium-containing feed gas and obtain a prepurified feed gas. The prepurified feed gas is fed to a membrane unit connected downstream of the prepurifying unit and that has at least one membrane more readily permeable to helium than to at least one further component present in the prepurified feed gas. A pressurized low-helium retentate stream that has not passed through the membrane is fed to the prepurifying unit. The pressurized low-helium retentate is used to displace helium-rich gas from an adsorber that is to be regenerated into an already regenerated adsorber.

The present invention provides for a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process for the substantial removal of H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 from a synthesis gas to obtain a multicomponent product gas substantially free of H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 with high recovery of the product gas. Further, the present invention provides an integrated process that achieves sufficiently high H.sub.2 and CO recoveries such that compression and recycling of the syngas purification PSA tailgas is not necessary to be economically advantageous compared to the conventional processes.

The disclosure provides for the separation and combustion of at least one hydrocarbon, oxygenate, sulfur compound, and or nitrogen compound, from industrial gas or gasification derived syngas to generate steam. A gasification process and a gas fermentation process may be integrated using tail gas from the fermentation process for the flame to combust tar and other compounds from the syngas generated by a gasification process. Integration may be achieved by removing tar and other compounds from industrial gas or gasification derived syngas using an adsorbent and regenerating the adsorbent using tail gas from the gas fermentation process. Tail gas enriched with the desorbed tar and other compounds may be used to generate steam in a steam boiler and the steam may be used for a variety of purposes including power generation to power, for example, a compressor of the gas fermentation process.

The process of the present invention provides high recovery and low capital cost giving it an economic advantage over previously known purification processes. The present process has particular applicability to the purification of synthesis gases comprising at least hydrogen (H.sub.2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH.sub.4), CO.sub.2, and H.sub.2O to obtain a gas stream including at least H.sub.2, CO, and CH.sub.4, that is substantially free of H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2. The process also has applicability to the purification of natural gases inclusive of at least CH.sub.4, N.sub.2, CO.sub.2, and H.sub.2O to produce a gas stream including at least CH.sub.4 and N.sub.2, but which is substantially free of H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2.

A volatile liquid vapor recovery system is used to recover vapors produced in the loading of shipping vehicles with volatile liquid product from a storage tank. The recovery system uses a primary vessel with an adsorption bed for adsorbing the volatile liquid vapors and venting clean air including oxygen to the atmosphere. The recovery system regenerates the adsorption bed by recovering the volatile liquid vapors from the adsorption bed and directly delivering said vapors to the storage tank. The system may be adapted to remove oxygen from the primary vessel prior to regeneration, such as by purging and venting the primary vessel with a purge gas or by providing a secondary vessel to receive oxygen and vapors from the primary vessel prior to regeneration of the first adsorption bed. Adsorbed volatile liquid vapor from the secondary vessel can be recycled to the primary vessel for conservation.