APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PRESSURE EQUALIZING CARRIED OUT IN PRESSURE-CHANGING ADSORPTION EQUIPMENTS

Apparatus for controlling the pressure-balancing operation in a pressure change gas adsorption plant used particularly for the adsorptive separation of gas mixtures, in particular in the obtaining of oxygen or nitrogen from air, consists of gas-pressure actuated pressure-balancing valves (9, 10, 11) and control valves (21, 22, 23) which are in communication via a control gas line (27) with the pressure- balancing valves. The pressure-balancing valves (9, 10, 11) are each constructed as double diaphragm valves. During the adsorption process in one of the adsorbers (1, 2, 3), the intermediate space between the two diaphragms in all the pressure-balancing valves is subjected to control gas, causing these valves to be closed while in contrast, during the pressure-balancing, the pressure-balancing valves (9, 10, 11) are not subjected to control gas. In this case, the pressure- balancing valve which is not participating in the pressure- balancing operation is loaded by product gas (30, 31, 32) from the adsorber which is giving up the pressure during the pressure-balancing thus causing it to remain closed.