US 11,952,270 B2
Method and system for purification of helium using cryogenic, membrane, and adsorption techniques
Paul Terrien, Syracuse, NY (US); Pierre-Philippe Guerif, Houston, TX (US); Vincent Follaca, Houston, TX (US); Alain Guillard, Houston, TX (US); and Youssef Tazi, Verdun (FR)
Assigned to L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude, Paris (FR); and Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by Air Liquide Advanced Technologies US LLC, Houston, TX (US); and L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
Filed on Oct. 5, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/494,763.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/087,691, filed on Oct. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0106190 A1, Apr. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. C01B 23/00 (2006.01); B01D 53/22 (2006.01)
CPC C01B 23/0042 (2013.01) [B01D 53/229 (2013.01); C01B 23/0078 (2013.01); B01D 2256/18 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for purifying a pressurized feed stream containing at least 30 mol % CO2 and at most 10 mol % helium, comprising the steps of: partially condensing the pressurized feed stream in a heat exchanger to obtain a helium-rich gas stream and a CO2-rich liquid stream; separating the helium-rich gas stream in a gas separation membrane-based separation unit to obtain a first permeate stream and a first residue stream; compressing the first permeate stream, or a fraction thereof, to obtain a compressed permeate stream; introducing at least a fraction of the compressed permeate stream into the heat exchanger at which the introduced at least one fraction of the compressed stream is partially condensed to produce a gaseous permeate stream and a liquid permeate stream; and purifying at least a fraction of the gaseous permeate stream to obtain a purified helium stream containing at least 70 mol % helium.