Dynamic Adsorption Analyzer

Porous, catalytic, and adsorbent materials are used industrially and commercially for separation, purification, gas storage, and physical/chemical processes. To gain a better understanding of these materials and processes, SDGroup has developed a Dynamic Adsorption Analyzer (DAA) that can predict materials performance under emulated process conditions with millisecond time resolution. This capability currently does not exist in any other instrument. The prototype DAA has demonstrated 5 millisecond resolution for volumetric adsorption rate analysis at pressure/temperature conditions normal to sorptive processes. The new instrument performs high rate comparative adsorption analysis using reference sample data to normalize for non sorptive behavior.

Researchers throughout the world are constantly modifying and creating new adsorbents, catalysts, and processes to reduce environmental emissions and to improve products in such areas as semiconductor fabrication, industrial gases, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and polymers. For example, the nascent hydrogen economy is looking toward solid gas storage for transportation uses. The DAA will enable materials scientists and researchers to make rapid quantitative evaluations of new and modified adsorbents and catalysts in simulated operating environments.

The DAA has two basic functionalities: 1) it measures the static (equilibrium) and dynamic (ultra rapid cycle or kinetic) behaviors of adsorbent and porous materials, and 2) it can be configured as a virtual process environment emulating the dynamic flow and pressure conditions normal to sorbent and porous materials, such as flow through an orifice into a vessel, sinusoidal (piston) pressure change, equilibration between two vessels, ultra fast loading (< 0.1 sec), or permeation through a membrane. This versatility was integrated into the instrument to meet in-house research and product development needs.

The instrument as prototyped can test sorbents and catalysts for functional capacity in less than one minute. Adsorption rate analysis can be performed with 5 ms resolution, and capacities within given pressure ranges can be determined. This is of special interest to scientists developing materials for hydrogen and natural gas storage for transportation and other purposes.



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