1995 Volume 21 Issue 4 Pages 732-739
Numerical analysis of CO2 separation from CO2/N2 mixtures by a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) method using a granular molecular sieving carbon (MSC) was carried out employing a mathematical model to evaluate the performance of the CO2-PSA separation. The possibility of obtaining the highly concentrated CO2 by the PSA method was discussed on the basis of both experimental and calculated results.
Since the calculated results agreed roughly with the experimental results on the CO2-PSA separation, the validity of the numerical analysis was proved. The performance of the CO2-PSA separation could be estimated by using the Langmuir multi-component isotherm and diffusivity for each component of the MSC. By this numerical analysis, the concentration profiles of CO2 and N2 in both gas and solid phases in the adsorbent bed were predicted. Furthermore, it was found that the highly concentrated CO2 can be obtained by conducting multistage PSA operations and/or purge operations in the PSA cycle.
