ABSTRACT
Emission amount of blast furnace gas (BFG) is huge per year and it cannot be directly combusted due to its low heat value. Separating and Enriching CO from blast furnace gas provides an effective way for its utilization. This paper proposes an improved adsorption isotherm model of CO on CuCl/Y adsorbent. A CO/CO2/N2 multi-component adsorption equilibrium model and a set of mathematical models for CO separation and enrichment from BFG by using a fixed bed are established. Detailed characteristics of CO/CO2/N2 adsorption/desorption during Vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) process are revealed. Effects of adsorption/desorption pressure, cycle time, flow rate, purge operation, and thermal desorption temperature on CO separation and enrichment are further investigated. Optimized operation parameters are provided based on energy consumption analysis. For the purpose of purity >55% and lower energy consumption, conditions of <300 kPa adsorption pressure, 5–20 kPa desorption pressure, and 343–363 K desorption temperature are recommended.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).