Abstract: The heat content of corrosion and dust particle-laden gases is recovered in a process employing at least two regenerators cyclically interchangeable. In the heat-release cycle, hot waste gases are passed through the regenerator in one direction, thereby releasing their heat content to the packing, e.g., quartzite rocks or porcelain Raschig rings. In the heat recovery cycle, a clean gas, e.g., superatmospheric air, is passed through the hot regenerator in the opposite direction, thereby recovering the heat content of the packing. Immediately prior to switching the regenerator from the heat release cycle to the heat recovery cycle, at least a portion of the high pressure recovery gas (e.g., air) from the regenerator operated in the heat recovery cycle is introduced into the warm end of the regenerator in the heat release cycle, thereby creating a high pressure switching surge.

Abstract: A semi-pure gas such as hydrogen containing a minor quantity of a gaseous impurity such as methane, is further purified by:A. passing said semi-pure gas at a temperature substantially above the condensation temperature of said gaseous impurity through a first adsorber loaded with said gaseous impurity to desorb and entrain said gaseous impurity, thereby regenerating said first adsorber;B. cooling resultant desorption gas containing said gaseous impurity to below the condensation temperature of said gaseous impurity to partially liquefy said gaseous impurity;C. separating said liquefied gaseous impurity from equilibrium gas containing residual amounts of said gaseous impurity; andD. passing said equilibrium gas through a second adsorber previously regenerated as in step (a), and removing at least a portion of said residual amounts of gaseous impurity to yield a purified gas.

Abstract: In an adsorption-desorption process for separating gaseous mixtures comprising passing a stream of crude gaseous mixture under superatmospheric pressure through a first adsorber, withdrawing from said first adsorber a stream of product gas depleted in undesired component; switching the stream of crude gaseous mixture to a second adsorber when the impurity concentration at a given location before the exhaust end of the first adsorber exceeds a given value in the gas; after the crude gas stream is switched away from said first adsorber, decompressing said first adsorber in at least one decompression stage to release residual product gas therefrom; and employing said residual product gas to re-pressurize an adsorber, the improvement which comprises conducting said decompressing in at least two separate decompression stages, collecting the residual product gas from each decompression stage in separate storage vessels, withdrawing residual product gas from one storage vessel and purging the decompressed adsorber t