Pressure-swing adsorption Skarstrom process

The age of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) began so far as air separation is concerned in the late 1950s. The first process patent was that of Skarstrom [12]. The scientists and engineers of the Linde Laboratories were very active in this field. It is worth mentioning that the discovery of synthetic zeolite molecular sieves was... 

Cyclic adsorption processes such as parametric pumping, cycling zone adsorption and heatless adsorption have received much attention both theoretically and experimentally in the past several years (3j. Skarstrom (4J has reviewed applications of heatless adsorption (synonymous with pressure swing adsorption) to air drying, hydrogen purification and air fractionation. 

In the original form of the process, pressure swing adsorption was run slowly, near equilibrium. The concentrations obtained were then less a function of mass transfer and hence largely independent of diffusion. More recently, pressure swing adsorption beds have operated much more rapidly. For example, in Skarstrom s original work, the cycle time for the beds was around 20 minutes in more recents efforts, the cycle time can be 10 seconds. With these rapidly cycled beds, the separation depends not only on differences in adsorption but also on differences in mass transfer. The extensions of this rapid process, beautifully detailed by Yang, are beyond the scope of this chapter. I did want to mention the process because I believe it is still emerging. 

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