Pressure swing adsorption
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a cost-efficient process for producing high purity oxygen/nitrogen. PSA is a principle that is used to separate atmospheric air where nitrogen is separated from air through adsorption.
Two pressurised vessels with molecular sieves ensure continuous production for the separation of nitrogen from other gases.
On-site oxygen/nitrogen generators allow for an uninterrupted supply of gas with a high purity output. This means you can produce oxygen/nitrogen where and when you need it, to the exact quantity and quality you require.
An oxygen/nitrogen generator consists of 2 pressure vessels storing carbon molecular sieves (CMS).
Dry compressed air is blown through a valve to the first vessel where the pressure is built to reach 5 to 10 bar(g). The unwanted gas (oxygen/nitrogen) is adsorbed by the pellets during the building of pressure, and the nitrogen will pass through to the accumulation tank.
While pressure is building up in one vessel, the other vessel is regenerating through a decrease in pressure, to guarantee a continuous flow. Before the subsequent adsorption or desorption stage, pressure equalisation between the adsorption vessels takes place. When the pressure decreases in the first vessel and the CMS pellets are saturated, the waste product is expelled through the exhaust system. The pressure in the second vessel then builds up, until the pressure between both vessels is once again equalised.
The process of the PSA technology is an extremely clean operation. The only ‘raw material’ is air.