System for Helium/Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams

The continuing rising costs of helium warrants the investigation into economic processes that will separate helium gas from gas streams that would normally be considered waste gas. These waste gas streams are typically generated from operations where helium purging of hydrogen storage or propellant equipment is performed. As a result of these operations, helium contaminated with hydrogen, nitrogen, and small amounts of air is vented to the atmosphere where it is not recoverable in a practical or economic manner. The system proposed in this investigation will recover helium and possibly hydrogen from these waste gas streams and purify it to a level where it can be recycled for practical usage. Cryogenic processes as well as other gas separation techniques will be incorporated into a complete integrated system to accomplish this gas recovery. The Phase I effort is intended to define and analyze a gas recovery system that will be practical for helium recovery in both commercial and NASA related programs where helium is routinely used and vented in significant quantities. The purpose of the investigation is to provide sufficient process information for the design of large scale hydrogen and helium recovery system.