Abstract: A housing receives ambient air through an inlet located so as to direct the airflow against blades of a rotor which disperses the airflow. A gas inlet conduit discharges hazardous gas into a chamber of the housing. The dispersed airflow acts on the hazardous gas entering the chamber to disperse and mix with the gas. The mixed air and hazardous gas flow impinges against a wall surface of the housing prior to discharge from the housing via an outlet conduit. A source such as the intake side of a blower induces the flow of air and hazardous gas through the housing and the outlet conduit. The rotor is located near an air inlet of the housing for rotor operation by airflow drawn into the housing. A flow sensor and damper control system are provided. Baffle assemblies are removably installed in the housing and include apertured plates which collect particles deposited by the mixed air and gas flow. Bypasses are provided to ensure an uninterrupted mixed air and gas flow past the baffle plates.

Abstract: A filter (20) for use in an inflator assembly (10) is formed by combining a layer of filter media (22) with a barrier element such as metal foil sheet backing (24), and then subsequently wrapping the filter a plurality of times about a combustion chamber (16) located within the inflator assembly (10). The foil sheet backing (24) creates a barrier which causes the inflation gases to travel in a helical path about the combustion chamber (16). By providing a helical gas flow path, the filter (20) extends the filter path length without increasing overall dimensioning requirements of the filter, and produces centrifugal forces which improve particulate removal.

Abstract: A system for adsorbing a plurality of contaminants from a workstream composed of a first stage open-ended activated carbon monolith adsorber, a second stage open ended activated carbon monolith adsorber downstream of the first stage. The first stage activated carbon has an average pore size that is larger than the average pore size of the second stage activated carbon.

Abstract: PSA process for the separation of nitrogen from a gaseous mixture containing nitrogen by selective adsorption of nitrogen from the gaseous mixture in an adsorbent mass with cyclic pressure variations. At least one nitrogen adsorption phase is carried out at high pressure and at least one nitrogen desorption phase is carried out at low pressure. The adsorbent mass is arranged in a rotating adsorber and at least 50% of the adsorbent mass is constituted by a zeolite exchanged with lithium by more than 50%.

Abstract: A method for the collection and subsequent regeneration of substances exhausted through a vacuum pump. In a first phase, an exhaust stream from the pump to an adsorption bed in which one or more components of the stream are adsorbed. In a second phase, adsorbed component(s) are regenerated from the bed by connecting the bed to the inlet side of the vacuum pump.

Abstract: A pressure swing adsorption process for the recovery of oxygen from air improves upon a prior art process by depressurizing the adsorbent bed within an adsorbent vessel to an intermediate pressure by releasing void space gas from the product end of the vessel to a low purity oxygen tank while concurrently evacuating the adsorbent vessel from the feed end. This action enables an increased speed of depressurization and a reduction of the cycle time. Further, the adsorbent bed is repressurized to an intermediate pressure from the product outlet end with gas from the low purity oxygen tank, while concurrently pressurizing the adsorbent vessel from the input feed end. This action increases the load time fraction for a feed/vacuum blower. Further, oxygen is introduced to the product end of the adsorbent bed vessel from a high purity oxygen tank (which provides product to downstream applications) while concurrently, air is introduced to the feed end of the adsorbent bed within the vessel.

Abstract: A vacuum swing adsorption process for separating a feed gas mixture into a more strongly adsorbable component and a less strongly adsorbable component in a process employing two vacuum pumps and three adsorbent beds containing an adsorbent selective for the more strongly adsorbable component using countercurrent depressurization and cocurrent ambient feed repressurization simultaneous with product end to product end pressure equalization and a common-shaft machinery arrangement which allows the expansion energy contained in the countercurrent depressurization and cocurrent ambient feed repressurization streams to be recovered and utilized to reduce overall process power consumption. Addition of three valves and an expander element will also allow expansion energy in the product purge and pressure equalization streams to be recovered. Oxygen product can be recovered from air at low cost using the process.

Abstract: Pressure swing apparatus comprises at least three parallel beds of adsorbent operated on cycles of being on-line to adsorb contaminant from a feed gas stream under pressure, being depressurized, being regenerated by a purge gas, and being repressurised. Feed gas is transferred from a depres-surising bed to a repressurizing bed to reduce switch loss and repressurization is extended to occupy at least 50% of the cycle to smooth the feed gas output.

Abstract: Large vacuum pressure swing adsorption-oxygen plants are employed with four adsorption vessels, two air compressors, two vacuum pumps and an oxygen surge tank, operated on a (two) two-bed processing system basis. One two-bed system is offset from the other by one half of one half processing cycle. Reduced power and capital cost savings are achieved.

Abstract: Pressure swing adsorption to remove CO.sub.2 from a gas stream is conducted using an improved alumina obtained by impregnating a starting alumina with a basic solution having a pH of at least 9, e.g. of a basic compound such as KHCO.sub.3, and drying at a temperature low enough to avoid decomposing the basic compound to a form which adsorbs CO.sub.2 such that the compound does not regenerate under reduced pressure purging.

Abstract: An improved process for the oxygen enrichment of air by vacuum swing adsorption, pressure swing adsorption or a combination thereof, wherein the improvement comprises providing at least one packing at each of the air inlet to and air outlet from the adsorber, the packing at the air inlet side of the adsorber comprising Na-Ca zeolite X with an SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of 2.0 to 2.5 and with a CaO/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of 0.4 to 0.75, the ratio being dependent upon the air inlet temperature, at an air inlet temperature of 20.degree. to 30.degree. C., the CaO/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of the Na-Ca zeolite X at the inlet zone being 0.4 to 0.6, at an air inlet temperature of 30.degree. to 40.degree. C., the CaO/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of the Ca zeolite X at the inlet zone being 0.55 to 0.65 and at an air inlet temperature of 40.degree. to 50.degree. C., the CaO/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of the Na-Ca zeolite X at the inlet zone being 0.6 to 0.

Abstract: Separation of nitrogen and carbon dioxide is accomplished by a method using as a separating material one member selected from the group consisting of sepiolite in the unmodified form, sepiolite which has been heat-treated, and sepiolite which has had part or the whole of the exchangeable cation thereof replaced with zinc ion and which has been subsequently subjected to a heat treatment.

Abstract: A nitrogen generation control system and method are provided for controlling levels of nitrogen and oxygen in a controlled atmosphere within a container for perishable goods. The nitrogen generation control system has a nitrogen generator that controllably generates an amount of nitrogen, while releasing oxygen as an off gas. The nitrogen is injected into the container to create a controlled environment. A sample analyzer subsystem is connected to the container to extract a sample of gases from the controlled environment and analyze the oxygen content. The control system further includes a cascaded, dual control loop controller coupled to the nitrogen generator and sample analyzer subsystem. The controller has a nitrogen generation control loop to control the amount of nitrogen generated by the nitrogen generator in response to variation between the oxygen released during nitrogen generation and a reference amount of oxygen.

Abstract: A method for separating gases with enhanced selectivity comprises causing a mixture of gases to be separated to flow through a molecular sieving membrane (MSM), at cryogenic temperatures.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for separating gases, especially for removing water or from a gas such as air. This invention uses a short-cycle process which produces reduction in dewpoint (for dehydrating gas separation processes) or change in gas concentration (for non-dehydrating gas separation processes) at high pressure, and which includes adding a short burst of heat during the beginning of the reactivation cycle to boost desorption and complete it typically in about thirty minutes or less time. An easily desorbed desiccant (or other adsorbent material for non-dehydrating applications) and the short low-temperature burst of heat serve to reactivate a significant portion of the desiccant bed (or adsorbent bed), and the cooler purge fluid that follows cools that portion of the bed in preparation for the next drying (or adsorbing) cycle.

Abstract: A gas separating composite membrane comprising two types of polyimide resin layers having different molecular structures and each having solubility in an organic solvent different from each other, the two layers being laminated being substantially independent or via a mixed layer, the first polyimide resin layer comprising a porous polyimide supporting membrane having a nitrogen gas permeation flux density at 25.degree. C. of at least 2 Nm.sup.3 /m.sup.2 /h/atm., and the second polyimide resin layer, which contributes to a gas separating performance comprising a fluorine-containing polyimide thin film containing at least three fluorine atoms in a repeating molecular structure unit which constructs the second polyimide resin layer has a very high gas permeation flux density while maintaining a high gas permeability, excels in heat resistance and chemical resistance, and satisfies a practical use in terms of cost.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for delivering a liquid are disclosed. The liquid contained in a vessel is subjected to a pressurized gas. Any pressurized gas dissolved in the liquid is removed in a degas module by passing the liquid through a gas permeable tube subjected to a pressure differential. Then the liquid is dispensed by a liquid mass flow controller.

Abstract: There are disclosed improvements in multicomponent composite metal membranes useful for the separation of hydrogen, the improvements comprising the provision of at least one common-axis hole through all components of the composite membrane and the provision of a gas-tight seal around the periphery of the hole or holes through a coating metal layer of the membrane.

Abstract: An oxygen generating device to which a gas mixture containing oxygen is fed, and which is operable to separate the gas mixture into oxygen rich and oxygen depleted gas components, the device comprising a first material which when at an elevated temperature at or above a minimum operating temperature, is active to separate the gas mixture into oxygen rich and oxygen depleted gas components wherein a second material is provided which produces a heating effect within the device when an electrical current passes therethrough, to heat the gas mixture at least when the gas mixture is at a temperature below the minimum operating temperature.

Abstract: A method for treating a gas stream to remove heat, gaseous, liquid or particulate matter, or add heat, vapor, or moisture, which includes the steps of:providing a tower having a bed with fluidizable hollow ellipsoidal packing with a long semi-axis and a short semi-axis;introducing a liquid stream into the tower at a liquid flow rate L, and countercurrently introducing the gas stream into the tower at a gas flow rate G sufficient to maintain the bed in a fluidized state and a gas velocity v; andadjusting the volume ratio of the liquid flow to gas flow to cause the ellipsoidal packing to circulate predominantly in the vertical direction relative to the long semi-axis and to maintain a pressure gradient .DELTA.P/H.sub.o across the depth of the fluidized bed of at least about 1500 Pa/m, and, simultaneously, to satisfy the equation:L/G=K.sub.1 (.DELTA.P/H.sub.o v)+K.sub.2wherein L/G is the volume ratio of liquid to gas; .DELTA.P is the pressure drop across the bed; H.sub.