Closed system heatless dryer

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF A COMPONENT FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE UTILIZING TWO ADSORBENT BEDS, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FLOWING A FEED STREAM OF GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING SAID COMPONENT THROUGH A FIRST BED OF ADSORBENT INITIALLY RELATIVELY FREE OF SAID COMPONENT AT A PRESELECTED INITIAL RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE AND IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION IN AN INITIAL CYCLE, SAID ADSORBENT BEING PREFERENTIALLY SELECTIVE FOR SAID COMPONENT; DISCHARGING A GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID FIRST BED AS A PRIMARY EFFLUENT; SEGREGATING A PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT STREAM; PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN A REVERSE FLOW DIRECTION THROUGH A SECOND BED OF ADSORBENT AT A RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE, WHICH ADSORBENT IS RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID COMPONENT AT THE START OF AID INITIAL CYCLE, WHEREBY AS SAID CYCLE CONTINUES, SAID FIRST BED BECOMES RELATIVELY SATURATED WITH SAID COMPONENT PROGRESSIVELY IN SAID POSITIVE DIRECTION AND WHEREBY SID SECOND BED BECOMES RELATIVELY FREE FROM SAID COMPONENT IN SAID REVERSE DIRECTION; CONTINUING SAID INITIAL CYCLE FOR A TIME PERIOD LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE SATURATION OF SAID FIRST BED AND THAT REQUIRED TO SECURE FREEDOM FROM SAID COMPONENT OF SAID SECOND BED; DISCHARGING A GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID SECOND BED AS A SECONDARY EFFLUENT, SAID SECONDARY EFFLUENT CONTAINING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID REMAINDER OF PRIMARY EFFLUENT AND DESORBED COMPONENT; COMPRESSING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY EFFLUENT, THEREBY REMOVING SAID DESORBED COMPONENT; REINTRODUCING SAID COMPRESSED SECONDARY EFFLUENT, DEPLETED IN SAID DESORBED COMPONENT, INTO SAID FEED STREAM; THEREAFTER INTRODUCING SAID FEED STREAM INTO SAID SECOND BED IN A POSITIVE FLOW DIRECTION AT SAID INITIAL RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE; DISCHARGING A GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID SECOND BED AS A PRIVARY EFFLUENT; SEREGATING A PORTION OF SAID LAST-NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT STREAM; PASSIONG THE REMAINDER OF SID LAST-NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT IN REVERSE FLOW THROUGH SAID FIRST BED OF ADSORBENT AT SAID RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE; DISCHARGING A GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID FIRST BED AS A SECONDARY EFFLUENT, SAID LAST-NAMED SECONDARY EFFLUENT CONTAINING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID REMAINDER OF LAST-NAMED PRIMARY EFFLUENT AND DESORBED COMPONENT; COMPRESSING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID LAST-NAMED SECONDARY EFFLUENT, THEREBY REMOVING SAID LAST-NAMED SECONDARY EFFLUENT, DEPLETED ION COMPRESSED, LAST-NAMED SECONDARY EFFLUENT, DEPLETED IN SAID LAST-NAMED DESORBED COMPONENT, INTO SAID FEED STREAM; AND THEREAFTER CYCLICALLY CONTIONUING SAID OPERATION.