Optimization and analysis of the VPSA process for industrial-scale oxygen production

A two-bed, six-step vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) process using LiLSX zeolite for industrial-scale 80% oxygen production with rapid cycling was investigated by numerical simulation and optimization. keeping the structural parameters of the VPSA devices unchanged and ensuring the purity of oxygen never be lower than 80%, the operating variables were optimized to achieve the target of minimum power consumption and maximum yield, which can maximize the devices' potential performance for various production requirements. In the case of minimum power consumption, after optimization, the minimum power consumption was reduced from 0.313 to 0.289 kWh Nm(-3) O-2, meanwhile, the productivity fell from 106.42 to 93.75 Nm(3) h(-1) ton(-1). In the maximum productivity case, a high productivity of O-2 was achieved (117.87 Nm(3) h(-1) ton(-1)) but the power consumption rose to 0.324 kWh Nm(-3) O-2. A subsequent detailed analysis was carried out to provide insights into these observations and compare the impact of the decision variables on the process performance.