201.    BERG, C.  Hypersorption Process for Separation of Light Gases.  Trans. Am. Inst. Chem. Eng., vol. 42, 1946, pp. 665-680.

                 Hypersorption is a light hydrocarbon recovery process developed by the Union Oil Co. of California to permit processing and recovery of hydrocarbons from streams that cannot be handled economically by the conventional recovery processes.  The process employs a moving bed of activated C to adsorb hydrocarbons out of lean gas streams.  Its applications include the recovery of C₂H₄ from gases produced in thermal and catalytic cracking operations, the recovery of C₃H₈ and heavier components from natural gas, the separation of CH₄ from H₂ and many other separations.  Essential operation involves contacting the gas stream with a moving bed of active C that has been previously stripped and cooled to the desired temperature.  Separation of the components of the feed takes place in the contacting bed by controlled selective adsorption of the heavier constituents.  These are subsequently stripped from the C at an elevated temperature by steam.  The stripped C is returned to the top of the unit where it is dehydrated and cooled, and the cycle of operation is repeated.