Selective adsorption process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A FLUID MIXTURE CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE SELECTIVELY ADSORBABLE COMPONENT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING AT LEAST TWO FIXED SELECTIVE ADSORPTION ZONES OF EQUAL HEAT TRANSFER CAPACITY IN DIRECT ENDTO-END THERMAL ASSOCIATION WITH EACH OTHER COEXTENSIVELY IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION; CONTACTING SAID FLUID MIXTURE WITH THE FIRST SELECTIVE ADSORPTION ZONE THEREBY ADSORBING A FRACTION OF SAID FLUID MIXTURE ENRICHED IN SAID ONE COMPONENT AT A FIRST HIGH PARTIAL PRESSURE OF SUCH COMPONENT AND WARMING THE FIRST ZONE BY THE HEAT OF ADSORPTION; SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING THE PARTIAL PRESSURE OF SAID ADSORBABLE COMPONENT IN THE THERMALLY ASSOCIATED SECOND ADSORPTION ZONE FOR DESORPTION THEREOF SO AS TO COOL THE SECOND ZONE BY THE HEAT OF DESORPTION, THE ADSORBED FRACTION HAVING BEEN PREVIOUSLY ADSORBED FROM SAID FLUID MIXTURE IN THE SECOND ZONE; AND TRANSFERRING THE HEAT OF ADSORPTION RELEASED IN SAID FIRST ZONE DIRECTLY TO SAID SECOND ZONE UNDER THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE RESULTING FROM THE WARMING AND COOLING OF THE ZONES WHEREBY THE RESULTING TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IS LESS THAN WOULD EXIST ABSENT SUCH TRANSFER OF HEAT.