Page 349 - Pressure Swing Adsorption

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APPENDIX
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Synopsis of PSA Patent
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I Literature
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C.1 Introduction
I This appendix reviews some PSA developments that appeared as patents, a

few of which were cited m Chapter I. In addition, 1t covers the ongms of
many cycles that are mentioned throughout the bot>k, especiallv 1n Chapters
4 and 6. The subject has been set aside here because there was no ideal oiace
for it in the body, yet 1t seemed too important to omit.
Although individual oatents are commonly filled with new technology,
their focus is generally very narrow. Sometimes, if there are profound new
ideas in a -patent; instead of subtle modificatmns of existing know-how, the
ideas are muddled because of the verbose legalistic Jargon and l,affling
drawings. Sometimes they are merciy austere announcements that technical
milestones have been passed, and not necessarily that commerc1alization
efforts are underway. In fact, the earliest known patents, awarded to Hasche
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and Dargan in 1931 and Finlayson and Sharp m 1932, seem to have heen
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largely ignored. Perhaps their ideas were made to work on a small scaic hut
not on a large scale, and conseauently, they were viewed by those few who
became aware of them as laboratory curiosities arid were au1ckly forgotten.
Nevertheless, they exolamect the basic ideas of PSA.
Patents awarded smce the l 930s have also frequently escaped notice, and
early accomplishments and ideas have been overlooked or forgotten. Perhaps
this has occurred because keepmg track of patented technology 1s extremely
time consuming, and reading patents 1s tedious an'd confusmg. An unfortu-
nate outcome has been that some of the basic ideas of PSA have been

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