A process for separating mixtures of hydrocarbon isomers on molecular sieves,
including
providing columns which include molecular sieves and function alternatively as
secondary adsorption, primary adsorption, and desorption devices, feeding the mixtures
of hydrocarbon isomers to a column functioning as the primary adsorption device
for adsorbing isomers with greater selectivity towards the molecular sieves, feeding
effluent of the mixtures from the column functioning as the primary adsorption
device to a column functioning as the secondary adsorption device for adsorbing
remaining isomers with greater selectivity, discharging isomers with a lower selectivity
from the column functioning as the secondary adsorption device and a desorbing
agent therein, feeding a desorbing agent to the column functioning as the desorption
device, discharging isomers with a greater selectivity towards the molecular sieves
and the desorbing agent in the column functioning as the desorption device.
