Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed

The large-scale production of high-purity hydrogen via pressure swing adsorption (PSA) remains a prominent research focus. This study develops a multi-component heat and mass transfer model for a lean hydrogen mixture (N<sub>2</sub>/CO<sub>2</sub>/H<sub>2</sub>/CO...

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Main Authors: Tianqi Yang, Ziyu Yang, Chenglong Li, Liang Tong, Ben Chen, Xuefang Li, Yupeng Yuan, Chengqing Yuan, Jinsheng Xiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5505
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author Tianqi Yang
Ziyu Yang
Chenglong Li
Liang Tong
Ben Chen
Xuefang Li
Yupeng Yuan
Chengqing Yuan
Jinsheng Xiao
author_facet Tianqi Yang
Ziyu Yang
Chenglong Li
Liang Tong
Ben Chen
Xuefang Li
Yupeng Yuan
Chengqing Yuan
Jinsheng Xiao
author_sort Tianqi Yang
collection DOAJ
description The large-scale production of high-purity hydrogen via pressure swing adsorption (PSA) remains a prominent research focus. This study develops a multi-component heat and mass transfer model for a lean hydrogen mixture (N<sub>2</sub>/CO<sub>2</sub>/H<sub>2</sub>/CO = 44.6/35.4/19.9/0.1 mol%) on a coal-derived activated carbon (AC)/zeolite 13X layered bed to investigate its breakthrough curve and PSA purification performance. The model is implemented on the Aspen Adsorption platform and validated with published data. Parametric analysis of the breakthrough curve reveals that a high pressure and a low feed flow rate can delay the breakthrough of impurity gases. The simulated variations in pressure, purity, and recovery during the PSA cycle align with the published results. Studies on PSA cycle parameters show that, in general, a high pressure, a low feed flow rate, a short adsorption time, and a high P/F ratio improve purity but reduce recovery. The purity and recovery of the layered bed outperform those of the single-layer bed. Specifically, gradually modifying the AC/zeolite 13X length ratio from 10:0 to 5:5 enhances hydrogen purity, while adjusting it from 10:0 to 3:7 enhances hydrogen recovery. At AC/zeolite 13X = 5:5, the highest purity was 97.38%, while at AC/zeolite 13X = 3:7, the highest recovery was 49.13%.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3417
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spelling doaj-art-e83cb1a262bd46c2bbb10d2592e156432025-08-20T03:47:53ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011510550510.3390/app15105505Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered BedTianqi Yang0Ziyu Yang1Chenglong Li2Liang Tong3Ben Chen4Xuefang Li5Yupeng Yuan6Chengqing Yuan7Jinsheng Xiao8School of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaSchool of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaSchool of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, ChinaSchool of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaInstitute of Thermal Science and Technology, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, ChinaSchool of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaThe large-scale production of high-purity hydrogen via pressure swing adsorption (PSA) remains a prominent research focus. This study develops a multi-component heat and mass transfer model for a lean hydrogen mixture (N<sub>2</sub>/CO<sub>2</sub>/H<sub>2</sub>/CO = 44.6/35.4/19.9/0.1 mol%) on a coal-derived activated carbon (AC)/zeolite 13X layered bed to investigate its breakthrough curve and PSA purification performance. The model is implemented on the Aspen Adsorption platform and validated with published data. Parametric analysis of the breakthrough curve reveals that a high pressure and a low feed flow rate can delay the breakthrough of impurity gases. The simulated variations in pressure, purity, and recovery during the PSA cycle align with the published results. Studies on PSA cycle parameters show that, in general, a high pressure, a low feed flow rate, a short adsorption time, and a high P/F ratio improve purity but reduce recovery. The purity and recovery of the layered bed outperform those of the single-layer bed. Specifically, gradually modifying the AC/zeolite 13X length ratio from 10:0 to 5:5 enhances hydrogen purity, while adjusting it from 10:0 to 3:7 enhances hydrogen recovery. At AC/zeolite 13X = 5:5, the highest purity was 97.38%, while at AC/zeolite 13X = 3:7, the highest recovery was 49.13%.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5505pressure swing adsorptionhydrogen purificationbreakthrough curvelean hydrogen mixturelayered bed
spellingShingle Tianqi Yang
Ziyu Yang
Chenglong Li
Liang Tong
Ben Chen
Xuefang Li
Yupeng Yuan
Chengqing Yuan
Jinsheng Xiao
Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed
Applied Sciences
pressure swing adsorption
hydrogen purification
breakthrough curve
lean hydrogen mixture
layered bed
title Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed
title_full Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed
title_fullStr Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed
title_full_unstemmed Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed
title_short Hydrogen Purification Performance of Pressure Swing Adsorption in Coal-Derived Activated Carbon/Zeolite 13X Layered Bed
title_sort hydrogen purification performance of pressure swing adsorption in coal derived activated carbon zeolite 13x layered bed
topic pressure swing adsorption
hydrogen purification
breakthrough curve
lean hydrogen mixture
layered bed
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5505
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