Valve operation diagnostic method for pressure swing adsorption systems

• Main Authors: WATSON CHARLES F, HOGLEN WINFRIED S, HERB BLAINE E, WEIST EDWARD L.JR, SABRAM THEODORE M, HSU KUO-KUANG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.12.2006
• Subjects: PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; TRANSPORTING

Method of operating a pressure swing adsorption system having a plurality of parallel adsorber vessels and a plurality of valves and gas manifolds adapted to introduce gas into each adsorber vessel and withdraw gas from each adsorber vessel in a cyclic series of sequential process steps. A leaking valve may be identified by (1) determining a value of an operating parameter that is a function of the mass of gas provided to a receiving adsorber vessel or withdrawn from an adsorber vessel during a selected process step, portion of a process step, or series of process steps; (2) determining the deviation of the value of the operating parameter from a predetermined reference value; and (3) using the magnitude and direction of the deviation to determine whether any valves are leaking.