METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN GAS

• Main Authors: TANAKA TAKEHARU, YAMASHITA TAKESHI, NAKAO NOBORU, TANIGUCHI YUKINOBU, HANYA HIROO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 24.11.2017
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; ELECTRICITY; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SEPARATION; TRANSPORTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing hydrogen gas capable of suppressing reduction in recovery ratio of hydrogen gas and shortening start-up time when repeating stopping and restarting of hydrogen gas purification.SOLUTION: There is provided a method for producing hydrogen gas which produces high purity hydrogen gas by purification with a plurality of adsorption towers from hydrogen-rich gas containing hydrogen gas and impurity gas other than hydrogen gas, which comprises a step of swinging residual gas between the plurality of adsorption towers by repeating a procedure for discharging residual gas in one adsorption tower of the plurality of adsorption towers from the inlet side of hydrogen rich gas to supply the residual gas from the inlet side of hydrogen rich gas to other adsorption towers while stopping the purification of hydrogen rich gas. Further, there is provided an apparatus for producing hydrogen gas which has a control mechanism for controlling to swing residual gas between the plurality of adsorption towers by repeating a procedure for discharging residual gas in one adsorption tower from the inlet side to supply the residual gas to other adsorption towers while stopping the purification of hydrogen rich gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2 【課題】水素ガス精製の停止及び再開を繰り返す際に、水素ガスの回収率低下を抑制すると共に立ち上げ時間を短縮できる水素ガス製造方法を提供することを目的とする。【解決手段】本発明の水素ガス製造方法は、水素ガス及び水素以外の不純物ガスを含む水素リッチガスから複数の吸着塔による精製で高純度水素ガスを製造する水素ガス製造方法であって、水素リッチガスの精製を停止する間、複数の吸着塔のうち１の吸着塔内の残留ガスを水素リッチガスの入口側から排出し他の吸着塔内に水素リッチガスの入口側から供給する手順を繰り返すことで、複数の吸着塔間で残留ガスをスイングする工程を備えることを特徴とする。また、本発明の水素ガス製造装置は、水素リッチガスの精製を停止する間、１の吸着塔内の残留ガスを入口側から排出し他の吸着塔内に入口側から供給する手順を繰り返すことで、複数の吸着塔間で残留ガスをスイングする制御を行う制御機構を備える。【選択図】図２