JP2005087937A - Psa gas separating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of parts of a PSA (pressure swing adsorption) gas separating apparatus and the number of assembling processes and improve the assembling properties. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus is for obtaining a product gas in a product tank 23 by condensing a gas fed by an air pump 9 in an adsorption tower. A pattern comprising the tank and two or more gas-conducting tubes is formed within the apparatus, and provided is a plate-like resin structure 7 made of a synthetic resin and formed by blow molding so that one-side ends of the tubes are drawn out to a common side to constitute a connection. Adsorption towers 21 and 22 and the pump 9 are connected with one-side ends of the tubes, and a gas passage switching device 1 for switching the gas flow to the pump and cylinders which has a switching mechanism and is in a unit form is connected with the portion of the structure at which the gas-conducting tubes are concentrated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a PSA gas separation device such as a medical oxygen concentrator, and more particularly to an assembly, a mounting structure, and an assembly method of a PSA gas separation device.

A PSA gas separation apparatus that separates oxygen or nitrogen using air as a raw material and uses it as a product gas has been put into practical use. Recently, in particular, the use of home medical oxygen concentrators and portable oxygen concentrators has expanded.
In general, a well-known PSA type oxygen concentrator introduces air as a raw material into a plurality of adsorption towers as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-199503 (Patent Document 1). The product gas is obtained by sequentially repeating the pressurization step and the adsorption step in the adsorption tower. In this oxygen concentrator, a solenoid valve is attached to a pipe connecting a plurality of adsorption towers and between the adsorption tower and the product tank, and this electromagnetic valve sucks and discharges gas to the adsorption tower and supplies the product tank. The supply is controlled.

JP 59-199503

In general, to assemble an oxygen concentrator, component parts such as adsorption towers and product tanks are fixed to the frame of the apparatus, these parts are connected by piping, and a solenoid valve is attached to a desired location of the piping. Work needs to be done.
However, the man-hours required to guide the pipes to the target place and the work for attaching the pipes to these parts also take time, and the work efficiency is not good. In addition, the number of parts is increased because joints and elbows are used to connect the suction tower and the product tank. In addition, since the locations of the pipes to be connected to the parts are not assembled, workability for connection is also poor.
An object of the present invention is to provide a PSA gas separation device that reduces the number of parts, reduces the number of assembly steps, and improves the assemblability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a PSA gas separation apparatus and a component mounting structure in which gas conducting pipes and components are integrated as much as possible and a manifold is realized.

In the present invention, a resin structure that is mounted and used in a PSA gas separation device that concentrates gas sent by an air pump with an adsorption cylinder and obtains product gas in a product tank is integrally molded by, for example, blow molding.
In a preferred example, the resin structure includes at least a connection part for attaching a unitized gas flow path switch having a switching mechanism for switching a gas flow to the air pump and the adsorption cylinder, and at least an air pump and A connection port for attaching the adsorption cylinder, and a plurality of gas conduction pipes connected to and connected to the connection part and the connection port are provided as an internal hollow pattern.
As a part built in the resin structure, a product tank and a silencer are preferably integrally formed together.

The resin structure is preferably a flat plate member made of synthetic resin formed by blow molding, and the pattern of the gas conduction pipe is arranged so that the connection portion and the connection port are gathered on one surface side of the flat plate member. Manifolding is realized by providing the guide. The adsorption cylinder is vertically attached to one surface side of the flat resin structure. By comprising in this way, components, such as an adsorption cylinder and a gas flow path switch, can be attached from one side, Therefore Workability | operativity improves.
The gas flow path switch is attached to the gas port section on the side facing the connection section provided in the resin structure and constituting the gas flow path, and switches the gas flow path. And a movable mechanism portion including the mechanism. In one example, the movable mechanism portion is configured to have a plurality of electromagnetic valves.

  A method for assembling and manufacturing a PSA gas separation apparatus using a resin structure having the above-described structure is formed by patterning a plurality of gas conduction pipes that conduct gas and forming one end of the gas conduction pipe on a common side. And a step of preparing a flat resin structure having a connection end formed therein, a step of connecting an adsorption cylinder to one end of the gas conduction pipe of the resin structure, and air at one end of the gas conduction pipe of the resin structure A unitized gas flow path switch having a step of connecting a pump and a switching mechanism for switching a gas flow to at least the air pump and the adsorption cylinder is connected to a portion where the gas conduction pipes of the resin structure are gathered. This is realized with steps.

  In another preferred configuration of the present invention, the resin structure is integrally formed by incorporating at least one adsorption cylinder, a product tank, and a plurality of gas conduction pipes for sending gas to the adsorption cylinder and the product tank. A flat plate-like resin structure, on the common surface side of the resin structure, a unitized gas flow path switch having a switching mechanism for switching the gas flow to the adsorption cylinder and the product tank. In order to connect, it has a connection part where the gas conduction pipe was guided, and a connection port of the gas conduction pipe for connection to the air pump.

A method for assembling and manufacturing a PSA gas separation apparatus using the resin structure includes the steps of preparing a resin structure having the above-described configuration, connecting an air pump to one end of a gas conduction pipe of the resin structure, and at least A unitized gas flow path switch having a switching mechanism for switching the gas flow to the air pump and the adsorption cylinder is connected to a portion where the gas conduction pipes of the resin structure are gathered. The
Since the resin structure of this example is built in and integrated up to the suction cylinder and the product tank, the number of parts can be further reduced, the number of assembling steps of the apparatus is further reduced, and the workability is improved.

According to the present invention, the number of parts of the PSA gas separation device is reduced, the number of assembling steps is reduced, and the assembling property is improved.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a schematic configuration of a PSA gas separation apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
In FIG. 1, the PSA gas separation apparatus includes two adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 filled with an adsorbent, a product tank 23, an air pump 9 for supplying a mixed gas to the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22, and a silencer 24. Have The air pump 9, the outlets and inlets of the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22, and the inlet of the product tank 23 and the silencer are connected to each other to provide a conducting pipe 5 through which gas flows. Further, a gas flow path switch 1 is provided at a location where the gas conduction pipes 5 are gathered. The gas flow path switching device 1 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, and is mainly configured by including a plurality of electromagnetic valves 41 to 46. 31'-37 'shows the connection end of the gas conduction pipe | tube 5 and each solenoid valve.

The arrow X indicates the mixed gas supply direction, Y indicates the product gas extraction direction, and Z indicates the exhaust gas discharge direction. Since the PSA gas separator generates noise when exhaust gas is released from the adsorption cylinder during decompression regeneration, a silencer is connected.
For example, when used as a medical oxygen concentrator, the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 are filled with crystalline zeolite as an adsorbent in order to adsorb nitrogen from air and generate concentrated oxygen.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of a PSA gas separation device according to one embodiment. Reference is also made to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG.
This embodiment is mainly characterized by the structure of the resin structure 7. The resin structure 7 is a flat resin structure made of synthetic resin and formed by blow molding, and the product tank 23 and the silencer 24 are integrally molded as its component parts. Further, in order to conduct gas between these internal components and external components, a plurality of gas conduction pipes 51 to 58 are provided in a pattern. In the resin structure 7, connection ports 123 to 128 are formed at one ends of the gas conduction pipes 51, 53 to 56, 58 in order to connect to the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 and the air pump 9 which are external parts. Further, in order to connect to the gas flow path switching device 1, the connection ports 31 ′ to 37 ′ at one ends of the gas conduction pipes 51 to 57 are gathered at a common place to form the gas flow path switching connection portion 30. That is, the resin structure 7 is a flat resin structure in which the gas conduction pipes 51 to 57, the product tank 23, and the silencer 24 are hollow.

This resin structure 7 functions as a mounting support for mounting and connecting external components.
That is, the connection ports 113 and 114 of the suction cylinders 21 and 22 are directly connected to the connection ports 123 and 124 provided in the resin structure 7, and the other connection ports 115 and 116 are connected to the connection ports via the hoses 61 and 63. 125,126. As can be understood from FIG. 3, the suction cylinders 21 and 22 are vertically attached to the flat resin structure 7. The air pump 9 is coupled by connecting the connection port 111 and the connection port 121 of the resin structure 7 with a hose 64. By appropriately guiding the hose 64, the air pump 9 can be arranged at an optimal place. Further, a hose 62 is connected to the connection port 128 of the gas conduction pipe 58 from the product tank 23 and supplied to the user.

  The connection ports 123 to 128 and the connection portion 30 for connecting to the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22, the air pump 9, and the gas flow path switch 1 etc., which are external parts, are common to one side of the flat resin structure. Is provided. In particular, one end of the gas conduction pipe related to the connection to the gas flow path switch 1 is concentrated in the connection portion 30. For this reason, when external parts are attached to the resin structure 7, these parts can be attached from one surface side of the resin structure 7, and workability is improved.

  Further, the resin structure 7 can improve the productivity because the internal components can be molded at once by blow molding. Furthermore, the connection between the gas conduction pipe and the product tank 23 and the silencer 24 is also formed in the resin structure 7, so that parts such as joints conventionally used for the connection are not required, and the number of parts can be reduced. it can.

Next, the configuration of the gas flow path switch 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The gas flow path switching unit 1 has a function of switching the gas flow among the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22, the product tank 23, the air pump 9, and the silencer 24 that discharges waste gas.
In this embodiment, the plurality of solenoid valves 41 to 46 for switching the gas flow and the gas port part 3 are integrated into one unit, and the connection part of the resin structure 7 with the gas flow path switch 1 as a unit. It was configured to be attached to 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electromagnetic valves 41 to 46 are fixed to the gas port portion 3 via a seal material 60. Each of the solenoid valves 41 to 46 includes an electromagnet coil 47, a spring 48, and a plunger 49, and the valve seat 40 controls the opening and closing of the gas flow path by the movement of the plunger 49, so that the gas flow is switched.
In contrast to the mechanism (driving mechanism) including the electromagnetic valves 41 to 46 for switching the gas flow path, the gas port portion 3 is a stator portion. As shown in FIG. 6, holes 31 to 36 are formed in the gas port portion 3 at positions facing the connection ports 31 ′ to 36 ′ shown in the gas flow path switching connection portion 30 of FIG. 1. Further, as shown by the dotted line, a gas flow path (gas conduction pipe) is formed at the position of the gas port portion corresponding to the related previous solenoid valve.

  In the gas flow path switching device 1 configured in this way, the gas port portion 3 is hermetically attached and fixed to the connection portion 30 of the resin structure 7 via the sealing material 60 (FIG. 3). Here, the portion where the configuration of the position 39 (the lower side surface of the resin structure 7) 39 facing the connection part 30 on the upper side surface of the resin structure 7 is recessed inward is provided for the connection part 30. This is to strengthen the structure and improve the airtightness between the connection port of the resin structure 7 and the gas port portion 3.

  In this way, by appropriately driving the electromagnetic valve of the gas flow path switch 1 fixed to the resin structure 7, the gas flow path of the related gas conduction pipe is switched. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the gas flow path between the gas conduction pipes 53 and 57 is switched and controlled by driving the gas port unit 3 and the corresponding electromagnetic valves 43 and 44.

As described above, the gas flow path switch 1 is unitized and attached to the resin structure 7, thereby improving workability for connecting the solenoid valves 41 to 46 to the gas conduction pipes 51 to 57. be able to.
When assembling the PSA gas separation apparatus using the resin structure 7 configured as described above, the connection ports 113 and 114 of the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 already filled with the gas adsorbent are used as the connection ports 123 and 124 of the resin structure 7. The other ends 115 and 116 are connected to the connection ports 125 and 126 by the hoses 61 and 63, respectively. Further, the connection port 111 of the air pump 9 is connected to the connection port 121 via the hose 64. The gas flow path switch 1 having the above-described configuration is joined to the connection portion 30 of the resin structure 7. A hose 62 is connected to the connection port 128 of the gas conduction pipe 58 led from the product tank 23 and provided to the user.
As described above, the assembly in which various components are mounted on the resin structure 7 is fixed to the casing of the apparatus by a screw mechanism (not shown), thereby completing the apparatus. Needless to say, the air pump 9 is also fixed at an appropriate position of the casing.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a PSA gas separation device according to another embodiment. In the resin structure 7 in this example, the resin structure 7 including the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 is integrally formed by blow molding. The resin structure 7 may be said to be substantially flat having an upper surface and a lower surface, and by forming a hollow portion between the upper surface and the lower surface, the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22, the product tank 23, and the gas conduction pipes 51 to 58 are formed. Form a silencer 24. In order to attach the lids 25 and 26, thread grooves 27 and 28 are formed in the suction cylinders 21 and 22, respectively.

The gas flow path switching device 1 connected to the connection unit 30 is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS. The connection of the air pump 9 is the same as described above.
According to this example, since the suction cylinders 21 and 22 are integrated into the resin structure 7 as internal parts, the connection ports 113, 123 and 114, 124 of the suction cylinders 21 and 22 shown in FIG. 1 can be omitted, and FIG. The assembling work of the suction cylinders 21 and 22 shown in FIG.

  In addition, since the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 and the product tank 23 and the like that substantially constitute the PSA separation apparatus are formed along the plane of the resin structure 7, the entire apparatus becomes further compact. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 are mounted so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the resin structure 7, so that the volume of the apparatus is large, but in the example of FIG. 7, the volume of the apparatus is larger than that. Will decrease.

Assembling the resin structure 7 as a PSA gas separation device is performed by filling the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22 with a gas adsorbent, attaching the lids 25 and 26, and connecting the hoses 61 and 63 to the connection ports 115 and 116 of the adsorption cylinders 21 and 22, respectively. And the other end of the hose is connected to the connection ports 125 and 126. The assembly structure is completed by fixing the resin structure 7 thus configured to the housing of the apparatus. The connection between the gas flow path switch 1 and the air pump 9 is the same as in the above-described example.
Although the preferred embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and various modifications can be made.
For example, in the example of FIG. 2, the piping direction and length of the gas conduction pipes 51 to 58, the size of the silencer 24 and the product tank 23, and the position of the arrangement can be variously changed.

Moreover, it is important that the gas flow path switching unit 1 is unitized and attached to the resin structure 7 for each unit. The configuration of the gas flow path switching unit 1 itself is shown in FIGS. Various modifications can be made without being limited thereto. In an embodiment with a large number of solenoid valves, the unit of the gas flow path switch 1 may be divided into a plurality of units. In order to switch and control the gas flow path, an electromagnetic valve is used. However, if there is one that can control the opening and closing of the gas flow path by a drive mechanism other than the electromagnetic valve, it may be used.
Furthermore, there is another modification in FIG. In the example of FIG. 2, the product tank 23 and the silencer 24 are formed as parts built in the resin structure 7. However, in order to avoid the scope of the present invention, one or both of these parts may be configured as external parts without being incorporated. In this case, the number of external parts increases and the assembly workability deteriorates, but it is within the scope of the present invention.

Further, with respect to the modified example of FIG. 7, similarly, the piping direction and length of the gas conduction pipes 51 to 58, the size of the adsorption cylinders 21, 22, the silencer 24 and the product tank 23, and the position of the arrangement are variously changed. Can be implemented.
Further, in the examples of FIGS. 2 and 7, an example in which two suction cylinders are provided has been described, but the number of suction cylinders is not limited to this, and may be three or more. Further, in order to meet the demand for downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus, a single suction cylinder may be used.

  The PSA gas separation apparatus is not only applied to a medical oxygen concentrator, but also used for other purposes. In this case, the gas adsorbent filled in the adsorption cylinder is changed according to the application.

The figure which shows the flow sheet of the PSA gas separation device by one Example The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the PSA gas separation apparatus by one Example. Sectional drawing which shows the structure by one Example The perspective view of the gas flow path switch by one Example Sectional drawing of the gas flow path switch by one Example The figure which shows the gas flow path relationship of the port part of the gas flow path switch by one Example. The exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the PSA gas separation apparatus by another Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Gas flow selector
3 Gas port
4 Gas conduction part
5 Gas conduit
7 Resin structure
8 Motor
9 Air pump
21,22 Adsorption cylinder
23 Product tank
24 silencer
25,26 lid
27,28 screw
29 Adsorbent
30 Gas flow path switching connection
40 Valve seat
41 to 46 Solenoid valve
47 Electromagnetic coil
48 Spring
49 Plunger
50 fittings
51-57 conduit
60 Sealing material
61-64 Gas conduit (hose)

Claims (17)

A unitized gas having a switching mechanism for switching the gas flow with respect to the air pump and the adsorption cylinder in the PSA gas separation device for concentrating the gas sent by the air pump in the adsorption cylinder and obtaining the product gas in the product tank A resin structure in which a flow path switch and a plurality of gas flow pipes that conduct gas are formed, and at least one end of the gas flow pipe includes at least the air pump, the adsorption cylinder, and the gas flow path switch A PSA gas separation device characterized in that a connection portion for connection is led to a common side of the structure. 2. The resin structure according to claim 1, wherein the resin structure is a flat plate-like support body in which gas conduction pipes are arranged in a pattern, and is a synthetic resin resin structure formed by blow molding. The PSA gas separator described. 3. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of adsorption cylinders are vertically attached to one surface side of the flat resin structure. 4. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 1, wherein the resin structure is provided with a silencer connected to the gas conduction pipe. 5. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 1, wherein the resin structure is provided with a product tank connected to the gas conduction pipe. The gas flow path switching unit is disposed on the side facing the connection portion provided in the resin structure, and includes a gas port section that constitutes a gas flow path, and is attached to the gas port section. 6. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 1, further comprising a movable mechanism portion including a switching mechanism. 7. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 6, wherein the movable mechanism portion is configured to have a plurality of electromagnetic valves. A resin structure used for mounting a PSA gas separation device that concentrates gas sent by an air pump in an adsorption cylinder to obtain product gas in a product tank, and switches at least the gas flow to the air pump and the adsorption cylinder A connecting portion for attaching a unitized gas flow path switch having a switching mechanism for connecting, a connecting port for attaching at least the air pump and the adsorption cylinder, and connecting to the connecting portion and the connecting port; A synthetic resin-made resin structure comprising a plurality of gas conducting tubes arranged as an internal hollow pattern. The resin structure is a plate-like structure, and the gas conduction pipe pattern is guided and provided so that the connection portion and the connection port are gathered on one side of the flat plate-like shape. 9. The resin structure according to claim 8, comprising a connected product tank. The resin structure is a plate-like structure, and the gas conduction pipe pattern is guided and provided so that the connection portion and the connection port are gathered on one side of the flat plate-like shape. 10. The resin structure according to claim 8, wherein the resin structure includes a connected silencer. In a PSA gas separation device that concentrates gas sent by an air pump in an adsorption cylinder to obtain product gas in a product tank, at least one adsorption cylinder, and a plurality of gas continuities for sending the product tank and gas to the adsorption cylinder and the product tank A unit having a switching mechanism for switching the flow of gas to the adsorption cylinder and the product tank on a common surface side of the resin structure, which is a flat resin structure formed by incorporating a tube A connecting portion through which the gas conduction pipe is guided to connect the gas flow path changer, and a connection port of the gas conduction pipe for connection to an air pump, and the resin structure A PSA gas separation device comprising an air pump connected to a connection port of a gas conduction pipe and a gas flow path switch connected to a connection portion of the resin structure 12. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 11, wherein the resin structure has a synthetic resin structure formed by blow molding. 13. The PSA gas separation device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the resin structure is further connected to the gas conduction pipe to form a silencer. A resin structure used for mounting a PSA gas separation device for concentrating gas sent by an air pump in an adsorption cylinder to obtain product gas in a product tank, comprising at least one adsorption cylinder, a product tank, and the adsorption cylinder And a plurality of gas conduction pipes for sending gas to the product tank, which are integrally formed with a flat plate-like structure, on the common surface side of the resin structure, the adsorption cylinder and the product tank A connection part in which the gas conduction pipe is guided to connect a unitized gas flow path switch having a switching mechanism for switching the gas flow to the gas, and the gas conduction pipe for connection to an air pump. A resin structure characterized by having a connection port. In an assembly manufacturing method of a PSA gas separation device for concentrating gas sent by an air pump with an adsorption cylinder to obtain product gas in a product tank, a plurality of gas conduction pipes that conduct gas are patterned and formed inside, Preparing a plate-like resin structure in which one end of the gas conduction pipe is led out to the common side to form a connection end; connecting an adsorption cylinder to one end of the gas conduction pipe of the resin structure; A unitized gas flow path switch having a step of connecting an air pump to one end of a gas conduction pipe of the resin structure, and a switching mechanism for switching a gas flow to at least the air pump and the adsorption cylinder; A method of assembling a PSA gas separation apparatus, comprising the step of connecting to a portion where the gas conduction pipes of the resin structure are gathered. 16. The assembly manufacturing method according to claim 15, further comprising preparing the resin structure including a product tank and a silencer as built-in components. In an assembly manufacturing method of a PSA gas separation apparatus for concentrating gas sent by an air pump with an adsorption cylinder to obtain product gas in a product tank, at least one adsorption cylinder and a product tank are incorporated, and the adsorption cylinder and the product A step of preparing a plate-like resin structure in which a plurality of gas conduction pipes for sending gas to the tank are patterned and built in, one end of the gas conduction pipe is led to a common side to form a connection end, and the resin structure A unitized gas flow path switch having a step of connecting an air pump to one end of a gas conduction pipe of the body and a switching mechanism for switching the flow of gas to the air pump and the adsorption cylinder; A method of assembling and manufacturing a PSA gas separation apparatus, comprising the step of connecting to a portion where gas conducting pipes are gathered.

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