JP5148892B2 - Oxygen concentrator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator that draws in air and exhausts high-concentration oxygen.

  One of the oxygen concentrators used in home oxygen therapy (HOT) in which patients with respiratory diseases inhale oxygen at home is an adsorptive oxygen concentrator (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In a conventional adsorption-type oxygen concentrator, indoor air taken in through a filter is compressed by a compressor, and this compressed air adsorbs nitrogen and moisture when flowing pressurized air, and adsorbed nitrogen and moisture when flowing decompressed air. The high concentration oxygen and the nitrogen-enriched air are separated by repeatedly passing through a sheep bed filled with an adsorbent having the property of desorbing the gas while repeatedly switching the pressure.

As an adsorbent filled in a sheep bed, zeolite obtained by chemically treating aluminosilicate with caustic soda or a binder is used. Zeolite is a porous material having micropores in crystals, and adsorption and desorption of nitrogen molecules or water molecules are performed in these micropores. In a conventional adsorption type oxygen concentrator, a sheep bed is filled with zeolite of the same size made of the same material or a plurality of types of zeolites having different materials and components.
JP 2004-188123 A

  However, in the conventional adsorption-type oxygen concentrator, when the adsorption and desorption of nitrogen and moisture are repeated, the moisture that cannot be desorbed by the zeolite filled in the sheep bed is stagnated and the zeolite deteriorates. There's a problem. When the moisture stagnation site spreads and the deterioration of the zeolite progresses, the adsorption / desorption performance of the zeolite decreases, and a sufficient oxygen concentration cannot be obtained.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this point, and it aims at providing the oxygen concentrator which can maintain the high concentration oxygen production | generation capability of a sheep bed appropriately.

The oxygen concentrator of the present invention is an oxygen concentrator having an adsorption tower filled with an adsorbent that adsorbs nitrogen and moisture to produce high-concentration oxygen from the air, and absorbs the first portion inside the adsorption tower. It is filled with a first adsorbent having desorption performance, and the second portion inside the adsorption tower is made of the same component as the first adsorbent and has an average particle size different from that of the first adsorbent. Thus, the first adsorbent is filled with the second adsorbent having an adsorption / desorption performance different from the adsorption / desorption performance of the first adsorbent. The oxygen concentrator of the present invention is an oxygen concentrator having an adsorption tower filled with an adsorbent that adsorbs nitrogen and moisture to produce high-concentration oxygen from the air. The first adsorbent having adsorption / desorption performance is packed, and the second portion inside the adsorption tower is made of the same component as the first adsorbent and has an average particle size different from that of the first adsorbent. The first and second portions filled with the second adsorbent having an adsorption / desorption performance different from the adsorption / desorption performance of the first adsorbent, respectively, are filled in the first and second portions, respectively. The adsorbent has a volume ratio of 1: 1.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the high concentration oxygen production capability of a sheep bed can be maintained appropriately.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of an oxygen concentrator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, an oxygen concentrator 100 includes an air passage case 1, a hepa filter 2, an intake tank 3, a compressor 4, a cooling pipe 5, a cooling fan 7, a manifold 8, switching valves 9a and 9b, sheep beds 10 and 20, and a product. Tank 30, pressure equalizing valve 31, purge orifice 32, silencer 33, pressure sensor 34, regulator 35, stop valve 36, oxygen sensor 37, bacterial filter 38, flow restriction orifice 39, pressure sensor 40, flow sensor 41, humidifier 42 , And an oxygen outlet 43.

  The oxygen concentrator 100 has an oxygen concentrator casing (hereinafter simply referred to as “casing”) (not shown), and each unit of the oxygen concentrator 100 is disposed inside the casing. The oxygen concentrator 100 can be driven by being supplied with power by a household power source when at home and by a rechargeable battery when going out. In addition, a window portion (not shown) having an opening for communicating the inside and the outside of the housing is formed at any position on the surface of the housing (for example, the upper surface of the housing). Through this window, air outside the casing is introduced into the casing for cooling inside the casing.

  The air passage case 1 introduces air outside the casing into the casing as breathing air. The hepa filter 2 removes airborne particles such as dust and dust from the air introduced by the air passage case 1. The intake tank 3 stores air from which airborne particles have been removed by the hepa filter 2.

  The compressor 4 compresses the air stored in the intake tank 3 to generate compressed air. The rotation speed and the compression level of the compressor 4 are controlled by a control unit (not shown), and the pressure of the compressed air is adjusted within a range of 130 kPa to 200 kPa, for example. The compressor 4 is a heating element that generates heat by a compression operation, and generates continuous noise and vibration when driven. The cooling pipe 5 sends the compressed air generated by the compressor 4 to the manifold 8.

  The cooling fan 7 is introduced from outside air through a window (not shown) formed in the housing, sucks cooling air circulated through the inside of the housing, and an exhaust path (see FIG. (Not shown). The cooling air is exhausted from the inside of the housing to the outside through this exhaust path.

  The manifold 8 sends compressed air sent from the compressor 4 through the cooling pipe 5 to one of the sheep beds 10 and 20, and nitrogen enriched air sent from the other of the sheep beds 10 and 20 to the silencer 33. It is a manifold to send. The switching valves 9a and 9b are electromagnetic valves that alternately repeat opening and closing at intervals of 10 seconds, for example, and switch paths through which the compressed air and nitrogen-enriched air flow in the manifold 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the switching valve 9 a is open to compressed air and the switching valve 9 b is closed to compressed air, the compressed air sent from the compressor 4 through the cooling pipe 5 is the manifold 8. The air is guided in the direction of arrow 8A and sent to the sheep bed 10, and the nitrogen-enriched air sent from the sheep bed 20 is guided in the direction of arrow 8B in the manifold 8 and sent to the silencer 33. Conversely, when the switching valve 9a is closed with respect to the compressed air and the switching valve 9b is opened with respect to the compressed air, the compressed air sent from the compressor 4 via the cooling pipe 5 is sent to the sheep bed 20. The nitrogen-enriched air sent from the sheep bed 10 is sent to the silencer 33.

  The sheep beds 10 and 20 separate the compressed air sent through the manifold 8 to obtain high-concentration oxygen and nitrogen-enriched air. More specifically, the inside of the sheep beds 10 and 20 is filled with zeolite having the property of adsorbing nitrogen and moisture when flowing pressurized air and desorbing the adsorbed nitrogen and moisture when flowing reduced pressure air. By passing compressed air alternately through these sheep beds 10 and 20 while increasing and decreasing pressure, high-concentration oxygen and nitrogen-enriched air are separated. The oxygen concentration of the separated high-concentration oxygen can be adjusted in the range of, for example, about 40% to 90% by changing the number of repetitions of adsorption / desorption and the adsorption / desorption time. Further, since zeolite adsorbs not only nitrogen but also moisture, the separated high-concentration oxygen is extremely dry, and its humidity is, for example, 0.1% to 0.2%. The zeolite filled in the sheep beds 10 and 20 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  The product tank 30 has a “U-shape” shape in which one end is connected to the sheep bed 10 and the other end is connected to the sheep bed 20. The product tank 30 is obtained by being separated from the compressed air by the sheep beds 10 and 20. Store high concentration oxygen. The pressure equalizing valve 31 adjusts the pressure of the left and right parts of the product tank 30 so that they are the same. The purge orifice 32 secondarily purifies high concentration oxygen stored in the product tank 30.

  The silencer 33 has a discharge port 33a. The discharge port 33a is an exhaust gas provided in a housing for nitrogen-enriched air separated from compressed air by the sheep beds 10 and 20 and sent through the manifold 8. Discharge to the road (not shown). The nitrogen-enriched air is exhausted from the inside of the housing to the outside through this exhaust path. Since the discharge of the nitrogen-enriched air is performed at a high pressure every time the switching operation of the switching valves 9a and 9b is switched, a relatively loud sound is generated when the nitrogen-enriched air is discharged and exhausted. In order to reduce this sound, an exhaust resistance (not shown) is provided in the cylinder of the silencer 33.

  The pressure sensor 34 detects the pressure of high-concentration oxygen sent from the product tank 30 to the regulator 35. The regulator 35 adjusts the pressure of the high concentration oxygen flowing through the flow path. The high-concentration oxygen pressure detected by the pressure sensor 34 is output to a control unit (not shown), which compares the pressure input from the pressure sensor 34 with a preset pressure. The feedback control is performed on the regulator 35 so that the two values become the same value.

  The stop valve 36 is closed to stop the flow of high-concentration oxygen sent from the regulator 35 under pressure adjustment. The stop valve 36 is closed, for example, when an operation for stopping the supply of high-concentration oxygen is performed or when the power supply to the oxygen concentrator 100 is stopped, and the high-concentration oxygen remaining in the housing Stop the outflow.

  The oxygen sensor 37 detects the oxygen concentration of the high concentration oxygen sent from the stop valve 36 to the bacterial filter 38. The bacteria filter 38 sterilizes high-concentration oxygen flowing through the flow path by collecting bacteria. The flow restricting orifice 39 restricts the flow rate of the high concentration oxygen by narrowing or widening the flow path of the high concentration oxygen sent through the bacterial filter 38. The degree of restriction or expansion of the flow restriction orifice 39 is adjusted in conjunction with a knob (not shown) provided in the housing.

  The pressure sensor 40 detects the pressure of high-concentration oxygen sent from the flow restriction orifice 39 to the flow sensor 41. The flow sensor 41 detects the flow rate of high-concentration oxygen sent through the flow restriction orifice 39. By continuously storing the high-concentration oxygen pressure detected by the pressure sensor 40 and the high-concentration oxygen flow rate detected by the flow sensor 41 in a memory (not shown), the high-concentration oxygen concentration is set as previously set. Whether oxygen is being processed can be monitored.

  The humidifier 42 is a container that stores purified water, and passes high-concentration oxygen sent through the flow sensor 41 to the purified water, thereby giving humidity to the high-concentration oxygen. The oxygen outlet 43 exhausts high-concentration oxygen, which has been given humidity by the humidifier 42, to supply the patient. A tube (not shown) having an oxygen mask and nasal cannula connected to one end is attached to the oxygen outlet 43, and high concentration oxygen is supplied to the patient through this tube.

  In addition, the structure mentioned above is an example and the presence or absence, installation position, etc. of each apparatus part can be variously changed.

  Next, the zeolite filled in the sheep beds 10 and 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing examples of zeolites 11 and 12 filled in the sheep bed 10 and zeolites 21 and 22 filled in the sheep bed 20.

  In FIG. 2A, the sheep bed 10 is divided into two layers and filled with zeolites 11 and 12 having the same component (material), substantially spherical shape, and different particle sizes. More specifically, in the lower layer of the sheep bed 10 which is the inlet side of compressed air at the time of adsorption of nitrogen and moisture and the outlet side of nitrogen-enriched air at the time of desorption of nitrogen and moisture, Zeolite 11 is filled, and the upper layer of the sheep bed 10 is filled with zeolite 12 having a smaller particle size.

  Further, a partition 13 such as a non-woven fabric is inserted between the zeolites 11 and 12 in order to divide the upper layer and the lower layer of the sheep bed 10 and isolate them. As a result, the zeolite 12 having the smaller particle size does not enter the gap between the zeolite 11 having the larger particle size and are not mixed.

  Similarly, the sheep bed 20 is divided into two layers and filled with zeolites 21 and 22 having the same components, substantially spherical shapes, and different particle sizes. More specifically, in the lower layer of the sheep bed 20 which is the inlet side of compressed air at the time of adsorption of nitrogen and moisture and the outlet side of nitrogen-enriched air at the time of desorption of nitrogen and moisture, Zeolite 21 is filled, and the upper layer of the sheep bed 20 is filled with zeolite 22 having a smaller particle size. Further, a partition 23 such as a nonwoven fabric is inserted between the zeolites 21 and 22 in order to divide the upper layer and the lower layer of the sheep bed 20 and isolate them.

  The zeolites 11 and 12 are filled in the sheep bed 10 at a packing density that does not fly or move inside the sheep bed 10. Similarly, the zeolites 21 and 22 are filled into the sheep bed 20 at a filling density that does not fly or move inside the sheep bed 20. Therefore, even if the zeolites 11 and 12 filled in the sheep bed 10 and the zeolites 21 and 22 filled in the sheep bed 20 are not divided by the partition, they can form mutually partitioned layers.

  Zeolite is obtained by chemically treating an aluminosilicate having fine pores in the crystal, for example, a crystalline hydrous aluminosilicate containing an alkaline earth metal together with a base material such as caustic soda or a binder at a high temperature and a high pressure. For example, zeolite is made by rolling aluminosilicate in containers such as pan type, drum type, vibration type, etc., spraying an aqueous solution containing a binder, and forming fine particles by cross-linking between particles, It is obtained by accelerating the growth of grains by imparting motion such as rolling and rotation to the grains (rolling granulation method). By stopping the movement applied to the particles when the target particle size is reached, zeolites having different particle sizes can be obtained.

  Zeolite is a porous material having fine pores in a crystal. Nitrogen molecules or water molecules are adsorbed in the fine pores, and adsorbed nitrogen molecules or water molecules are desorbed from the fine pores.

  This configuration in which a single sheep bed is filled with zeolites having the same components (materials), substantially spherical shapes, and different particle sizes, divided into a plurality of layers is a novel structure obtained as a result of earnest research by the present inventors. It is knowledge.

  The present inventor shows that although zeolite has different adsorption / desorption performance of molecules depending on its lattice structure, generally, the smaller the particle size, the higher the adsorption performance and the lower desorption performance, and the larger the particle size, the lower the adsorption performance and the high desorption performance. Focused on showing. Further, the inventor of the present invention paid attention to the fact that the zeolite adsorbs moisture in preference to nitrogen when compressed air containing nitrogen and moisture passes through the inside.

  Then, the present inventor preferentially adsorbs moisture in the compressed air to the lower layer of the sheep bed that is the inlet side of the compressed air and the outlet side of the desorbed nitrogen-enriched air, and the adsorbed moisture Is packed with zeolite with a large particle size for high-performance desorption, while the upper layer of the sheep bed has a particle size for adsorbing and desorbing nitrogen from compressed air where most of the moisture has already been adsorbed by the zeolite with a large particle size. I came up with a configuration of packing small zeolites.

  As a result, the zeolite having a large particle size packed in the lower layer of the sheep bed preferentially absorbs and desorbs moisture in the compressed air with high efficiency and high performance. Thereby, the deterioration of the zeolite due to the stagnation of moisture is suppressed, and a high concentration of oxygen can be stably obtained over a long period of time (extending the life of the zeolite).

  This effect can be obtained without filling the upper layer and the lower layer with zeolites having strictly different particle sizes. For example, the same effect can be obtained by providing a partition inside the sheep bed, filling the upper part of the partition with zeolite having a small average particle diameter, and filling the lower part of the partition with zeolite having a large average particle diameter. In this case, zeolite having a large average particle diameter preferentially adsorbs moisture in the compressed air, and subsequently, zeolite having a small average particle diameter mainly adsorbs nitrogen in the compressed air. That is, it is only necessary to give a particle size gradient to the zeolite filled in the sheep bed.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to set the volume ratio of the large particle diameter zeolite filled with a sheep bed, and a small particle diameter zeolite according to use environments, such as temperature and humidity. For example, in the example of FIG. 2 (A), the volume ratio of zeolite having a large particle size and zeolite having a small particle size is 1: 1, but as shown in FIG. 3 may be filled in a sheep bed.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the oxygen concentrator 100 configured as described above will be described. In the description, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as appropriate.

  When power supply to the oxygen concentrator 100 is started, an operating environment is prepared by a predetermined self-check program, and an operator (patient or caregiver) can operate an operation unit (such as a button or knob provided on the housing). By operating (not shown), the oxygen flow rate and the oxygen concentration are set. For example, the oxygen flow rate is set by turning the knob to physically change the cross-sectional area of the flow path at the position where the flow restriction orifice 39 is provided.

  Air in the room introduced as air for breathing from the outside of the housing by the air passage case 1 is removed from the airborne particles by the hepa filter 2 and stored in the intake tank 3. The compressor 4 compresses the air stored in the intake tank 3 to generate compressed air. The compressed air generated by the compressor 4 is sent to the manifold 8 through the cooling pipe 5. At this time, the compressor 4 generates heat by the compression operation and generates continuous noise and vibration.

  A window (not shown) formed in the casing introduces air outside the casing into the casing, particularly as cooling air for a heating element such as the compressor 4. The introduced cooling air circulates inside the housing while absorbing heat. Thereby, the adsorption efficiency of nitrogen and moisture from the compressed air in the sheep beds 10 and 20 and the durability of each unit of the oxygen concentrator 100 are improved. Cooling air that circulates inside the casing is sucked by the cooling fan 7 and exhausted to an exhaust path (not shown) provided in the casing. The cooling air is exhausted from the inside of the housing to the outside through this exhaust path.

  The compressed air sent to the manifold 8 is separated into high-concentration oxygen and nitrogen-enriched air by passing through the sheep beds 10 and 20 while repeating the pressurization and depressurization according to the switching of the open / close state of the switching valves 9a and 9b. More specifically, the zeolite filled in the sheep beds 10 and 20 adsorbs nitrogen and moisture from the compressed air when the pressurized compressed air passes, and absorbs the adsorbed nitrogen and moisture when the reduced compressed air passes. Detach.

  The gas in which nitrogen and moisture are removed and oxygen concentration is increased by passing through the sheep beds 10 and 20 while repeating adsorption and desorption is stored in the product tank 30 as high concentration oxygen. Since zeolite adsorbs not only nitrogen but also moisture, the high-concentration oxygen stored in the product tank 30 is in a dry state containing almost no moisture.

  On the other hand, the nitrogen-enriched air containing nitrogen and moisture removed by the sheep beds 10 and 20 passes through the manifold 8 and is discharged from the discharge port 33a of the silencer 33 to an exhaust path (not shown) provided in the housing. Is done. The nitrogen-enriched air is exhausted from the inside of the housing to the outside through this exhaust path. An exhaust resistance (not shown) provided in the cylinder of the silencer 33 reduces the sound by absorbing the sound generated by the exhaust of the nitrogen-enriched air and converting it into heat.

  The high concentration oxygen stored in the product tank 30 is adjusted in pressure by the pressure sensor 34 and the regulator 35, sterilized by the bacteria filter 38, and sent through the flow path while being restricted in flow rate by the flow restriction orifice 39. The high-concentration oxygen passing through the flow restriction orifice 39 has a pressure detected by the pressure sensor 40 and a flow rate detected by the flow sensor 41. These detection results are stored in a memory (not shown), and it is monitored whether or not high-concentration oxygen is processed as set.

  The humidifier 42 humidifies the high concentration oxygen sent through the flow sensor. This provides optimal moisture for the patient to inhale high concentration oxygen. High-concentration oxygen humidified by the humidifier 42 is sent through a tube (not shown) connected to the oxygen outlet 43, and is sucked into the patient by an oxygen mask or nasal cannula connected to the tube.

  Attention is now paid to the zeolites 11 and 12 filled in the sheep bed 10 and the zeolites 21 and 22 filled in the sheep bed 20.

  When the switching valve 9a is opened and the switching valve 9b is closed, the compressed air compressed by the compressor 4 passes through the sheep bed 10 while being pressurized. More specifically, in the sheep bed 10, the compressed air first passes through a region filled with zeolite 11 having a large particle size. Since the compressed air is a state in which nitrogen and moisture are mixed in addition to oxygen, the zeolite 11 adsorbs nitrogen and moisture in the compressed air while giving priority to moisture adsorption.

  The compressed air in which most of the moisture is adsorbed in the filled region of the zeolite 11 then passes through the region filled with the zeolite 12 having a small particle size. The zeolite 12 adsorbs nitrogen in the compressed air and a slight amount of moisture remaining in the compressed air. In this way, nitrogen and moisture are adsorbed from the compressed air, and extremely dry and highly concentrated oxygen is separated.

  When the switching state of the switching valves 9a and 9b is switched, the switching valve 9a is closed and the switching valve 9b is opened, the compressed air compressed by the compressor 4 passes through the inside of the sheep bed 20 while being pressurized. Inside the sheep bed 20, the zeolite 21 having a large particle size first adsorbs nitrogen and moisture in the compressed air while giving priority to moisture adsorption. Next, the zeolite 22 having a small particle size adsorbs nitrogen and a small amount of moisture in the compressed air in which most of the moisture is adsorbed by the zeolite 21.

  On the other hand, the inside of the sheep bed 10 is depressurized, and the zeolites 11 and 12 filled in the sheep bed 10 desorb nitrogen and moisture adsorbed when the pressurized compressed air passes and send them to the manifold 8. At this time, the nitrogen-enriched air outlet side of the sheep bed 10 is filled with a large particle size zeolite having excellent desorption performance, so that the adsorbed moisture can be desorbed with high efficiency and high performance. .

  By repeating the above operation, the compressed air generated by the compressor 4 passes through the sheep beds 10 and 20 while being alternately pressurized and depressurized. While the zeolites 11 and 12 in the sheep bed 10 adsorb nitrogen and moisture from the pressurized compressed air, the zeolites 21 and 22 in the decompressed sheep bed 20 absorb the nitrogen and moisture already adsorbed into the nitrogen-enriched air. As the zeolites 21 and 22 in the sheep bed 20 adsorb nitrogen and moisture from the pressurized compressed air, the zeolites 11 and 12 in the decompressed sheep bed 10 absorb the nitrogen and moisture already adsorbed. Desorbs as nitrogen enriched air.

  In the present embodiment, inside the sheep beds 10 and 20, zeolites 11 and 21 having high desorption performance are filled in portions that are easily exposed to moisture, and zeolites 12 and 21 having high adsorption performance are filled in portions that are not easily exposed to moisture. 22 is filled. In other words, instead of filling the inside of the sheep bed uniformly with the zeolite, the region where the adsorption of moisture in the compressed air is focused and the region where the adsorption of nitrogen after moisture adsorption is focused are carried out. The beds 10 and 20 are provided separately. Thereby, when the oxygen concentrator 100 is viewed as a whole, the resistance to deterioration due to moisture can be increased without reducing the adsorption performance.

  By the way, the zeolites 11 and 21 that focus on moisture adsorption / desorption from compressed air containing a large amount of nitrogen and moisture have a faster deterioration rate than the zeolites 12 and 22. Then, even if the zeolites 11 and 21 need to be replaced, a state that the zeolites 12 and 22 can be used may occur. Therefore, the zeolite adsorption / desorption performance can be maintained by exchanging only the zeolites 11 and 21 filled in the lower portions of the partitions 13 and 23. This effect can be obtained more prominently by providing an independent unit for filling the zeolite 11 (21) and the zeolite 12 (22) without filling them with a simple partition such as a nonwoven fabric. it can.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the interior of the adsorption tower is divided into a plurality of layers in an oxygen concentrator having an adsorption tower filled with an adsorbent that adsorbs nitrogen and moisture to generate high-concentration oxygen from air. Then, an adsorbent having an adsorption / desorption performance different from that of the adsorbent filled in the other layers of the divided plural layers was filled into any one of the divided plural layers. As a result, the moisture contained in the zeolite filled in the sheep bed can be controlled appropriately, and as a result, the zeolite is prevented from deteriorating due to the stagnation of the moisture, and the advanced adsorption and desorption performance of nitrogen and moisture is maintained for a long time. can do.

  In particular, the present invention is effective at low temperatures, where lowering the desorption performance is a problem.

  In the present embodiment, the case where zeolites having different particle diameters are divided into two layers and filled is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, zeolites having different particle sizes may be divided into three or more layers and filled.

  In the present embodiment, the zeolite has been described as having a substantially spherical shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other shapes such as pellets and chips may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the adsorption / desorption performance is varied by changing the particle size of the zeolite, but the present invention is not limited to this. Since the adsorption / desorption performance of zeolite may vary depending on the surface area, volume, packing density, etc., the adsorption / desorption performance may be varied by changing these.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the compressed air pressurized from the lower part of a sheep bed is sent to the upper part, this invention is not limited to this. For example, an apparatus unit such as a compressor may be arranged at the upper part of the casing so as to send compressed air compressed from the upper part to the lower part of the sheep bed. In this case, the zeolite having the larger particle size is filled in the upper layer of the sheep bed, and the zeolite having the smaller particle size is filled in the lower layer of the sheep bed.

  In this embodiment, the sheep bed is arranged upright, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sheep bed may be placed on the side or fixed in an inclined state. In this case, the zeolite having the larger particle size is filled on the inlet side of the pressurized compressed air and the outlet side of the nitrogen-enriched air.

  The inventor conducted an experiment to demonstrate the effect of the present invention. Hereinafter, more specific embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described. In addition, this invention is limited to a following example and is not interpreted.

  In this embodiment, zeolite having the same component and different particle diameters is divided into two layers and filled into a sheep bed, and high-concentration oxygen is separated by passing compressed air through the sheep bed while repeating pressurization and decompression. The oxygen concentration was measured. For comparison, when only the zeolite with the smaller particle size is filled, when the zeolite with the smaller particle size and the zeolite with the larger particle size are packed in a volume ratio of 3 to 1, the particle size is small. The oxygen concentration was measured in four cases, one in which the zeolite with the larger particle size and the zeolite with the larger particle size were packed at a volume ratio of 1: 1, and the other with only the zeolite with the larger particle size. When both the zeolite having the smaller particle size and the zeolite having the larger particle size were charged, the zeolite having the larger particle size was packed on the inlet side of the compressed air and the outlet side of the nitrogen-enriched air. The environmental temperature was 0 ° C., which has low desorption performance, and the set flow rate was 5 L.

  The particle size distribution of the smaller particle size zeolite (OXYSIVE 700) was “≧ 0.60 mm ≦ 9.0% and ≦ 0.25 mm ≧ 2.0%”. That is, 89% of the whole zeolite has a particle size larger than 0.25 mm and smaller than 0.60 mm, and those having a particle size of 0.60 mm or more have a particle size of 9% of the whole and 0.25 mm or less. Was 2% of the total.

  On the other hand, the particle size distribution of the larger particle size zeolite (OXYSIV7-HP) was “≧ 0.85 mm ≦ 7.0% and ≦ 0.32 mm ≧ 1.0%”. That is, 92% of the whole zeolite has a particle size larger than 0.32 mm and smaller than 0.85 mm, and those having a particle size of 0.85 mm or more have a particle size of 7% or 0.32 mm or less. Was 1% of the total.

Table 1 shows the experimental results according to this example.

  As shown in Table 1, the oxygen concentration when only the small particle size zeolite was filled was 84% to 88%, and the volume ratio of the small particle size zeolite to the large particle size zeolite was filled as 3: 1. In this case, the oxygen concentration is 90% to 91%, and the oxygen concentration when the volume ratio between the small particle size zeolite and the large particle size zeolite is set to 1: 1 is 91% to 92%. The oxygen concentration when only the zeolite was filled was 93% to 94%.

  Thus, a higher oxygen concentration could be obtained when the small particle size zeolite and the large particle size zeolite were divided and packed than when only the small particle size zeolite was charged. Moreover, the highest oxygen concentration was obtained when only a large particle size zeolite was filled, because this was because the environmental temperature was set to a low temperature (0 ° C.) with low desorption performance, and at a high temperature (for example, 40 ° C.). Then, if only a large particle size zeolite is filled, the oxygen concentration is difficult to be obtained.

  In these four cases, if we continue to use a sheep bed and zeolite and continue to produce high-concentration oxygen, it will be thought that the oxygen concentration will drop as the water begins to stagnate in the sheep bed filled with only small-diameter zeolite. It is done. On the other hand, in a sheep bed in which a small particle size zeolite and a large particle size zeolite are divided and packed, the large particle size zeolite absorbs and desorbs moisture with high efficiency and high performance. Compared to the case of filling with oxygen, it is considered that a high oxygen concentration can be maintained over a long period of time. In addition, a sheep bed in which a large particle size zeolite and a small particle size zeolite are divided and packed can reduce the amount of zeolite used compared to the case where only a large particle size zeolite is packed. .

The figure which shows the internal structure of the oxygen concentrator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. (A) The figure which shows an example of the zeolite with which the sheep bed which concerns on one embodiment of this invention was filled, (B) The other example of the zeolite with which the sheep bed which concerns on one embodiment of this invention was filled is shown Figure

Explanation of symbols

4 Compressor 8 Manifold 9a, 9b Switching valve 10, 20 Sheep bed 11, 21 Large particle size zeolite 12, 22 Small particle size zeolite 13, 23 Partition 100 Oxygen concentrator

Claims (6)

In an oxygen concentrator having an adsorption tower packed with an adsorbent that adsorbs nitrogen and moisture to produce high concentration oxygen from air,
A first portion inside the adsorption tower is filled with a first adsorbent having adsorption / desorption performance, and a second portion inside the adsorption tower is made of the same component as the first adsorbent and Filled with a second adsorbent having an adsorption / desorption performance different from the adsorption / desorption performance of the first adsorbent by having an average particle size different from that of the first adsorbent,
An oxygen concentrator characterized by that. In an oxygen concentrator having an adsorption tower packed with an adsorbent that adsorbs nitrogen and moisture to produce high concentration oxygen from air,
A first portion inside the adsorption tower is filled with a first adsorbent having adsorption / desorption performance, and a second portion inside the adsorption tower is made of the same component as the first adsorbent and Filling with a second adsorbent having an adsorption / desorption performance different from the adsorption / desorption performance of the first adsorbent by having an average particle size different from that of the first adsorbent,
The volume ratio of the first and second adsorbents filled in the first and second parts, respectively, is 1: 1.
An oxygen concentrator characterized by that. The first part and the second part form two layers partitioned from each other;
The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above. The adsorption tower has an inlet for introducing air into the adsorption tower,
Filled with an adsorbent having the largest average particle diameter on the inlet side inside the adsorption tower,
The oxygen concentrator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The adsorption tower has an outlet for discharging moisture adsorbed from the inside of the adsorption tower,
The outlet portion inside the adsorption tower was filled with an adsorbent having the largest average particle size,
The oxygen concentrator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the oxygen concentrator is provided. A partition that divides the first portion and the second portion is provided in the adsorption tower.
The oxygen concentrator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein

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