Importance

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Abstract

Pressure swing adsorption gas separations are conducted inside an open loop Stirling cycle apparatus which may operate as an engine, refrigerator or heat pump. Adsorbent surfaces are associated with the thermal regenerators of the Stirling cycle apparatus, so that a preferentially adsorbed gas fraction is concentrated by parametric pumping into a colder end of an engine or into a warmer end of a refrigerator or heat pump, while a less readily adsorbed gas fraction is concentrated into warmer end of an engine or into colder end of a refrigerator or heat pump. Flow control means are provided to introduce the feed gas into the working space of the apparatus and to remove separated product fractions. Feed gases may be chemically reactive within a portion of the working space, with reactant and product species of the reaction separated by the apparatus to drive the reaction off equilibrium. Engine embodiments of the invention may then convert the heat of an exothermic reaction to mechanical power, while heat pump embodiments may supply heat to an endothermic reaction.

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First Claim