Abstract: A pressure swing adsorption method for separating gas components includes pressurizing an adsorption bed to an adsorption pressure using a first gas component of a feed gas, the adsorption bed including an adsorbent for substantially adsorbing a second gas component of a feed gas; introducing the feed gas to the pressurized adsorption bed, wherein the first gas component of the feed gas substantially passes through the pressurized adsorption bed and the second gas component of the feed gas substantially adsorbs onto the adsorbent; and depressurizing the pressurized adsorption bed to recover at least a portion of the second gas component of the feed gas in the pressurized adsorption bed.

Abstract: The disclosed pressure swing adsorption processes can recover helium from source streams of less than about 10 percent by volume helium and concentrate the helium to a concentration of greater than about 98 percent by volume. Two stages of pressure swing adsorption are used in series. The source of the helium gas will be natural gas wells. The source gas will contain hydrocarbons but in most instances the primary gas other than helium will be nitrogen. Each stage of pressure swing adsorption will contain a plurality of adsorbent beds, and preferably about four. In each stage the adsorbent beds will be cycled through multiple phases. In the first stage the adsorbent beds will sequentially undergo the phases of adsorption, recycle, depressurization, evacuation, helium pressurization and recycle feed pressurization.

Abstract: A natural gas feed stream containing significant quantities of nitrogen can be increased to a content of greater than 95 percent by volume of natural gas, and preferably greater than about 98 percent, by passing the natural gas feed stream sequentially through at least four adsorbent beds which are cycled through six phases comprising an adsorption phase to adsorb natural gas, a recycle phase to remove feed gas from the voids in the adsorbent bed and nitrogen from the adsorbent by the passage of a depressurization gas therethrough to produce a recycle gas, a depressurization phase to reduce the adsorbent bed pressure to about ambient and to produce the depressurization gas, an evacuation phase where the pressure in the adsorbent is further reduced and an enriched natural gas product stream recovered, a pressurization phase where the pressure in the adsorbent bed is increased using nitrogen gas from a bed in an adsorption phase, and further pressurizing the adsorbent bed in a recycle feed pressurization phase