Pressure Swing Adsorption in Microsoft Excel – Basic Version (v1.0) - A learning tool for Chemical Engineering students

This Excel workbook was developed as part of the final year design project at the University of Surrey and is intended as an educational and illustrative tool for simulating Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) processes. The spreadsheets are self-explanatory and demonstrate how breakthrough curves and multi-cycle PSA simulations can be generated using fundamental mass transfer equations.

Please note that the data used in this tool are not experimentally obtained. Instead, key process parameters—including bed and adsorbent properties, flow rate, and isotherm characteristics—are assumed values, selected to illustrate the application of the method of lines for solving the mass balance equations commonly embedded in commercial simulation tools such as Aspen Adsorption.

For simplicity, the model assumes:

Axial dispersion

Linear adsorption isotherms

Plug flow dynamics

If users input the appropriate bed properties, adsorbent parameters, flow rate, and adsorption isotherm, the Excel tool will generate breakthrough profiles and simulate performance across multiple PSA cycles. This can help researchers and students in the adsorption community understand the internal workings of commercial simulators and the role of numerical methods in process modelling.

If you use or adapt this Excel tool in your own work, please cite this dataset accordingly.