SBIR-STTR Award

This project will use of pressure swing adsorption, abatch operation suitable for binary gas mixtures, to separatemulti-component gas mixtures into their respective components.This is a new processing concept for gas separations that willallow for the removal of CO2 and N2 from natural gassimultaneously, obviating the need for multiple process steps.The fundamental concept of pulsed flow adsorption columns (PFAC)is an extrapolation of work found in the literature on a processcalled parametric pumping. This concept calls for rapid cyclingof an internal variable such that bulk separation of componentsis effected on a continuous basis. It has been proven to beeffective in a number of liquid and gaseous systems. Phase I willtake this concept through mathematical modeling and laboratorytesting. A bench-scale pilot plant unit will be built andoperated in Phase II, and commercial demonstration andimplementation is expected to follow in Phase III.Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: Application of this process to theNation's non-pipeline quality gas resources will demonstrate ofPFAC's commercial potential. Over 100 trillion cubic feet of thedomestic natural gas reserves are low quality. PFAC will providea nitrogen/carbon dioxide rejection process which can changethese unused resources into a supply capable of matching theentire Nation's domestic natural gas production for up to 10years.