(483a) Scaling up PSA for Renewable Energy Applications

This presentation will address scale-up of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) systems. It focuses on systems used for upgrading biogas and landfill gas to produce renewal fuels. First, the nature of those applications is reviewed: raw gas compositions, adsorbents, operating conditions, and generic PSA cycles. Next, a step-by-step engineering procedure will be explained, and the steps will be illustrated by a case study. The case is a two-stage PSA system for splitting CO₂, H₂O, VOCs, siloxanes, N₂, and O₂ from landfill gas to obtain pipeline grade gas, CNG, or even LNG. It has been possible to scale-up from 1 inch diameter to 9 ft diameter adsorbers in one step. The corresponding volumetric scale-up factor has typically been more than 10,000 in one step.

This presentation will cover adsorbent types, properties and selection criteria, process flowsheets, design principles, and performance. There will be time for questions and answers.