Multi-Compound H2, CH4, and N2 Adsorption Analysis

Abstract

In order to study the purification of hydrogen and its separation from gas mixtures by adsorption, different models describing the adsorption equilibrium of gas mixtures have been tested; seven of them have been compared with experimental multi-component data obtained from the literature. The measurements include three-component mixtures of hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane. All the models used in this study are purely predictive; such models are competitive isotherm models which use only the previously obtained coefficients of the single-component isotherms. A mathematical description of each model is developed and discussed. Based on the results of numerical experiments, an analysis of how best to apply the Sips multi-component approach and the Ideal Adsorbed Solution theory is developed. A discussion on the ability and accuracy of the different models to describe the multi-component adsorption equilibria is developed. Based on this research, the Jovanovic model, which best reproduces the experimental results of the adsorption equilibrium in all cases, can be recommended as the most appropriate to use.