Optimal design and control of pressure swing adsorption process for N2/CH4 separation

Abstract Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a very versatile, albeit complex gas separation and purification technology. Due to its complexity and periodic operation, calculation of the optimal PSA system that simultaneously obtains process design and control decision variables is a complicated task. This work presents detailed design and control optimization study of a two-bed, six-step PSA system aimed at heavy component CH4 upgrading. The key optimization objective is to enhance product CH4 recovery while achieving a closed loop product CH4 purity of 75% for separating 68%N2/32%CH4 feed under external disturbances. Traditional sequential and simultaneously design and control approach are employed and compared based on this purpose. The benefits of simultaneous methodology over conventional sequential approach are successfully demonstrated by closed-loop performance results and simulation profiles. The simultaneously design and control methodology has succeeded in synthesizing the optimal PSA cycle which can generate CH4 recovery as high as 97.30%.

[1]  Alírio E. Rodrigues,et al.  Separation of CH4/CO2/N2 mixtures by layered pressure swing adsorption for upgrade of natural gas , 2006 .

[2]  Alírio E. Rodrigues,et al.  Activated carbon for hydrogen purification by pressure swing adsorption: Multicomponent breakthrough curves and PSA performance , 2011 .

[3]  Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos,et al.  Dynamic modeling and explicit/multi-parametric MPC control of pressure swing adsorption systems , 2011 .

[4]  Daniel Chinn,et al.  Clinoptilolites for nitrogen/methane separation , 2004 .

[5]  Arthur W. Westerberg,et al.  The optimal design of pressure swing adsorption systems—II , 1992 .

[6]  Athanasios I. Papadopoulos,et al.  Homotopy Continuation Solution Method in Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Applications , 2012 .

[7]  Yiannis A. Katsigiannis,et al.  Energy efficiency and environmental impact of biogas utilization in landfills , 2010 .

[8]  Daeho Ko,et al.  Multiobjective Optimization of Cyclic Adsorption Processes , 2002 .

[9]  Peter Englezos,et al.  Recovery of CH4 from coal mine model gas mixture (CH4/N2) by hydrate crystallization in the presence of cyclopentane , 2013 .

[10]  Rosaria Augelletti,et al.  Pressure swing adsorption for biogas upgrading. A new process configuration for the separation of biomethane and carbon dioxide , 2017 .

[11]  Shamsuzzaman Farooq,et al.  Separation of Methane–Nitrogen Mixture by Pressure Swing Adsorption for Natural Gas Upgrading , 2011 .

[12]  Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos,et al.  An Explicit/Multi-Parametric Controller Design for Pressure Swing Adsorption System , 2010 .

[13]  S. Nilchan,et al.  On the Optimisation of Periodic Adsorption Processes , 1998 .

[14]  G.M. Bollas,et al.  Feed conversion targeting in an FCC pilot plant using a non-linear MPC strategy , 2007, 2007 American Control Conference.

[15]  Shivaji Sircar,et al.  Basic Research Needs for Design of Adsorptive Gas Separation Processes , 2006 .

[16]  Romeo M. Flores,et al.  Coalbed methane: From hazard to resource , 1998 .

[17]  A. Olajossy,et al.  Methane separation from coal mine methane gas by vacuum pressure swing adsorption , 2003 .

[18]  Vincent G. Gomes,et al.  Coalseam methane recovery by vacuum swing adsorption , 2001 .

[19]  Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos,et al.  Recent advances in optimization-based simultaneous process and control design , 2004, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[20]  Jules Thibault,et al.  Fixed bed adsorption for the removal of carbon dioxide from nitrogen: Breakthrough behaviour and modelling for heat and mass transfer , 2012 .

[21]  Alírio E. Rodrigues,et al.  Dynamic Study of the Pressure Swing Adsorption Process for Biogas Upgrading and Its Responses to Feed Disturbances , 2013 .

[22]  Li Zhou,et al.  Enrichment of Coal-Bed Methane by PSA Complemented with CO2 Displacement , 2011 .

[23]  Yajing Xu,et al.  Assessment of the energy consumption of the biogas upgrading process with pressure swing adsorption using novel adsorbents , 2015 .

[24]  Athanasios I. Papadopoulos,et al.  Process Systems and Materials for CO2 Capture: Modelling, Design, Control and Integration , 2017 .

[25]  K. Warmuziński,et al.  Harnessing methane emissions from coal mining , 2008 .

[26]  Qinglin Huang,et al.  Optimization of PSA process for producing enriched hydrogen from plasma reactor gas , 2008 .

[27]  Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos,et al.  Optimization and Control of Pressure Swing Adsorption Processes Under Uncertainty , 2013 .

[28]  Ravendra Singh,et al.  Closed-Loop Feedback Control of a Continuous Pharmaceutical Tablet Manufacturing Process via Wet Granulation , 2014, Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation.

[29]  Arthur W. Westerberg,et al.  A short note : the optimal design of pressure swing adsorption systems. , 1991 .

[30]  Weina Sun,et al.  A Systematic Simulation and Proposed Optimization of the Pressure Swing Adsorption Process for N2/CH4 Separation under External Disturbances , 2015 .

[31]  Donald R Paul,et al.  Effect of film thickness on the gas-permeation characteristics of glassy polymer membranes , 2007 .

[32]  Pål Börjesson,et al.  Environmental systems analysis of biogas systems—Part II: The environmental impact of replacing various reference systems , 2007 .