5. Typical performance of nitrogen kinetic PSAs

Compared to H ₂ PSAs, which work mainly at adsorption equilibrium, N ₂ PSAs are purification units that take advantage of the differences in diffusion rates between oxygen molecules (fast), and nitrogen molecules (slower) . A carbonaceous molecular sieve (CMS), with calibrated pore size, is generally employed for this separation. Compared with standard activated carbon, whose pore structure is organized around 1 nm, CMS are characterized by a high proportion of pores in the 0.1 to 0.4 nm range. So, even though the equilibrium adsorption isotherms of the air molecules are virtually...