US 12,077,434 B2
Method for producing high purity hydrogen
Kamlesh Ghodasara, Borehamwood (GB); Maulik R. Shelat, Macungie, PA (US); Paul Higginbotham, Guildford (GB); Shubhra Jyoti Bhadra, Macungie, PA (US); and Timothy C. Golden, Nevez (FR)
Assigned to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (US)
Filed by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (US)
Filed on Feb. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/666,625.
Prior Publication US 2023/0249970 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. C01B 3/50 (2006.01); B01D 53/02 (2006.01)
CPC C01B 3/508 (2013.01) [B01D 53/02 (2013.01); B01D 2257/102 (2013.01); B01D 2257/502 (2013.01); B01D 2257/504 (2013.01); B01D 2257/7025 (2013.01); B01D 2257/80 (2013.01); C01B 2203/042 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for the purification of a hydrogen feed stream comprising hydrogen and one or more impurities selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water, the process comprising:
separating a crude hydrogen stream by an adsorption process using a plurality of adsorbent beds to produce the hydrogen feed stream and an impurities-enriched tail gas stream;
cooling the hydrogen feed stream to produce a cooled hydrogen stream; and
contacting the cooled hydrogen stream with a liquid hydrogen wash stream counter-currently to produce a pure hydrogen stream depleted in the one or more impurities and a liquid hydrogen effluent stream enriched in the one or more impurities;
wherein the adsorption process comprises a counter-current purge step during which a purge gas is introduced to remove one or more crude impurities selected from nitrogen, argon, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water from the plurality of adsorbent beds; and
wherein the purge gas comprises a stream derived from the liquid hydrogen effluent stream.