High-purity oxygen production by pressure swing adsorption

The oxygen purity produced by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes is limited to 95%, with the rest being essentially argon. This oxygen grade is suitable for many industrial applications. However, medical applications, cylinder filling, oxyfuel cutting in metal fabrications, and fuel cells technology with recirculation loop, among others, require oxygen with a higher purity (99% or above). In this paper, a study of high-purity oxygen production by a PSA unit using a silver exchanged zeolite from Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., with oxygen/argon adsorption selectivity is presented. This study comprehends the determination of adsorption equilibrium isotherms of oxygen, nitrogen, and argon as well as the simulation and optimization of a PSA experimental unit and the corresponding experimental validation.