Argon purification method, argon purification apparatus, target gas purification method, and target gas purification apparatus

摘要

The invention provides an argon purification method and apparatus, suitable for obtaining high purity argon at a high yield rate by utilizing TSA (thermal swing adsorption) manner and suitable for seeking to reduce the operation time of TSA. In the argon purification method, the argon-containing mixed gas is stored in a storage tank 10, and gas then is supplied toward a TSA adsorption tower 51A, 51B containing an adsorption pipe which has been filled with an adsorption agent, from the storage tank 10. Afterwards, the cycle containing adsorption, heating desorption and cooling steps is repeated in each TSA adsorption tower. In the adsorption step, under a condition that the adsorption agent in the adsorption pipe is at low temperature, i.e. the adsorption temperature, the gas is introduced into the adsorption pipe to allow the adsorption agent to adsorb impurities within the gas, and the purified gas which has been enriched with argon is introduced out from the adsorption pipe. In the heating desorption step, a liquid form heating medium is utilized to raise temperature of the adsorption agent in the adsorption pipe, and simultaneously the impurities are desorbed from the adsorption agent, and furthermore the purified gas is introduced into the adsorption pipe, and off gas is introduced out from the adsorption pipe at the same time so as to introduce the off gas into the storage tank 10. In the cooling step, a liquid form cooling medium is utilized to reduce the temperature of the adsorption agent within the adsorption pipe.