| abstract |
A gas separation unit for the separation of a first gas, preferably carbon dioxide, from a mixture containing said first gas as well as further gases different from the first gas, preferably air, is proposed, for use in a cyclic adsorption/desorption process and using a loose particulate sorbent material for gas adsorption. In the unit, particulate sorbent material is arranged in at least two stacked layers (5), and each layer (5) comprises two sheets (6) of a flexible fabric material which is gas permeable but impermeable to the loose particulate sorbent material. The sheets (6), which are either mounted on a stiff frame structure (7) or which are self-supporting, are arranged essentially parallel defining an inlet face (17) of the layer (5) and an outlet face (18) of the layer, are arranged with a distance in the range of 0.5- 2.5 cm, and are enclosing a cavity in which the particulate sorbent material is located. The unit has a gas inlet side or gas inlet manifold through which an inflow of gas mixture (1) enters the unit and a gas outlet side or gas outlet manifold through which a gas outflow (2) exits the unit, the gas pathway between the inflow (1) and the outflow (2) being confined in the unit to pass through at least one layer (5). Said layers (5) are arranged in the unit such that the inflow (1) passes through the inlet face (17), subsequently through the particular sorbent material located in the cavity of the respective layer (5), subsequently to exit the respective layer (5) through the outlet face (18) to form the gas outflow (2). The layers are arranged such that inlet faces (17) of adjacent layers (5) are facing each other enclosing gas inlet channels (3) and such that outlet faces (18) are facing each other enclosing gas outlet channels (4), and the mean distance between inlet faces (17) and/or outlet faces (18) defining said channels (3, 4), measured in a direction essentially perpendicular to a main gas inflow direction and a main gas outflow direction, respectively, is in the range of 0.5-5 cm. Further the length of the inlet face (17) and/or of the outlet face (18) in a direction parallel to the main gas inflow direction (1) and the main gas outflow direction (2), respectively, is at least ten times larger than distance (d) between the sheets (6) in the layer (5). |