Mathematical modelling of cyclic pressure swing adsorption processes

The paper discusses the results of a numerical analysis of the properties and regimes of the adsorption air separation and oxygen concentration process with a purity of similar to 40-60%, carried out in a 2-adsorption vacuum-pressure plant with a granular zeolite adsorbent 13X with a productivity of 1.6.10(-5) m(3)/s. Computational experiments were carried out using the developed mathematical model and the influence of temperature, pressure, reflux ratio, the duration of the adsorption and desorption stages, the harmonic fluctuations of the inlet pressure during the adsorption stage and the outlet pressure during the desorption stage on the kinetics, and the efficiency of the air separation process by the PSA method were investigated. It is established that the specially organized harmonic fluctuations of the inlet pressure at the stage of adsorption and outlet pressure during the desorption stage lead to an increase in the purity of product oxygen by 4% (vol.).