JP7493808B2 - Compressed gas component adjustment method and compressed gas component adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device for adjusting the gas components of compressed gas, which adjusts the gas components of compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption cylinders filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with adjusted gas components.

Conventionally, in an adsorption-type dehumidifier (also referred to as a "heatless dryer device"), which is a type of compressed gas component adjustment device, two adsorption towers (hereinafter also referred to as "adsorption columns") filled with an adsorbent such as activated alumina, silica gel, synthetic zeolite, or lithium chloride are provided to continuously discharge and supply a dry gas (e.g., air).
Wet compressed air is introduced into one of the adsorption towers to perform adsorption drying, and the resulting dry air is supplied to a specified destination. At the same time, a portion of the resulting dry air is introduced into the other adsorption tower to desorb moisture from the adsorbent whose moisture absorption capacity has been reduced by absorption in the previous drying step, and the moisture is then purged from the adsorption tower to regenerate the adsorbent. In this regeneration step, generally, about 20% of the resulting dry air is released into the atmosphere.
The process of drying the compressed air in one adsorption tower and the process of regenerating the adsorbent in the other adsorption tower are carried out simultaneously in parallel. In addition, these drying and regeneration processes are carried out alternately between the two adsorption towers. For example, the switching valves connected to both adsorption towers are switched every predetermined time. This allows the dried air to be continuously supplied to a predetermined destination as product air.

In such a gas component adjusting device that uses an adsorbent, if the device is not properly stopped when the device is stopped, the device may not be able to continue to operate properly when the device is restarted.
For this reason, in a two-tower apparatus that uses an adsorbent to concentrate oxygen from air by the pressure swing method, a method of controlling the opening and closing valves in an oxygen concentrator has been proposed in which, among the operational controls including start-up and stop operations for extremely quickly bringing the oxygen concentration of the product oxygen-enriched gas to a specified concentration, a pre-specified pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure is always applied to both adsorption towers, and one of the adsorption towers is stopped when the regeneration process is completed, so that when the adsorption tower is restarted, the adsorption process always begins from the adsorption tower that has completed regeneration (see Patent Document 1).

Similarly, in the case of a heatless dryer device, when an equipment manager shuts down the device during operation, the device is normally shut down under control of a safety shutdown program.
In one example of this shutdown control, in order to shut down the two adsorption towers by equalizing their pressures, a shutdown signal is input from a shutdown switch (including a remote switch, etc.), and the time from valve switching to pressure increase is detected (delayed) to safely shut down the equipment.
In particular, in relatively large heatless dryer devices, intake air and purge air are controlled by pneumatic opening and closing valves driven by compressed air, and therefore the device must be stopped by appropriately controlling the pneumatic opening and closing valves. However, the device can be stopped normally when a stop signal is input as described above and the device is controlled by a safety stop program.

However, if a shutdown operation is performed without receiving a shutdown signal due to a disturbance such as a power outage, the pneumatic valves (intake valve, exhaust valve) may stop in an abnormal position and the unit may not be able to restart. This makes it impossible to continuously supply dehumidified compressed gas.
Specifically, when restarting operation after an abnormal stop such as a power outage, an unexpected sudden switch of the intake valve occurs when the power is turned back on, causing compressed air to rush in and deforming or damaging parts inside the adsorption tower. If damage occurs to the internal parts in this way, compressed air leaks will occur and the normal operating state cannot be restored.
Abnormal shutdowns occur when there is an abnormal drop in the voltage supplied to the equipment, momentary power outages, power outages lasting several seconds, electromagnetic noise, etc. Abnormal shutdowns can also occur due to human error. When the equipment administrator erroneously operates the operation switch, a safe shutdown (complete shutdown) does not occur, and similar malfunctions occur. For example, frequent switch operations or sudden ON-OFF switching can occur.

In response to this, the present applicant has proposed a continuous supply method for dehumidifying compressed gas, which is characterized by: a drying process in which compressed gas is introduced into one of two adsorption towers filled with an adsorbent, where the moisture in the compressed gas is adsorbed and dehumidified, thereby discharging dry gas; and a regeneration process in which a portion of the compressed gas dried in the drying process is introduced into the other adsorption tower that adsorbed and dehumidified the moisture in the compressed gas in the previous process, where the moisture is desorbed from the adsorbent whose adsorption capacity has decreased, and the adsorbent is regenerated by discharging the adsorbent. These drying and regeneration processes are essentially alternated between the two adsorption towers, so that dry gas is continuously discharged; in the drying process, intake valves provided for each adsorption tower and driven to open and close by compressed gas are operated to control the intake; and in the event of an abnormal power interruption in a device performing the above processes, the supply of compressed gas that drives the two intake valves to open and close is stopped, and operation is resumed after a predetermined time has elapsed until the pressure inside the two adsorption towers is substantially uniform (see Patent Document 2).

Furthermore, the present applicant has proposed a continuous supply method for dehumidifying compressed gas, which is characterized in that a drying process in which compressed gas is introduced into one of two adsorption towers filled with an adsorbent, the moisture in the compressed gas is adsorbed and dehumidified to discharge dry gas, and a regeneration process in which a portion of the compressed gas dried in the drying process is introduced into the other adsorption tower that adsorbed and dehumidified the moisture in the compressed gas in the previous process, the moisture is desorbed from the adsorbent whose adsorption capacity has decreased, and the adsorbent is regenerated by venting the adsorbent. The drying process and the regeneration process are essentially alternated between the two adsorption towers to continuously discharge dry gas. In the regeneration process, exhaust valves provided for each adsorption tower and driven to open and close by the dried compressed gas supplied from the adsorption tower are operated to control the exhaust, and when the pressure of the compressed gas used to drive the exhaust valves to open and close falls below a preset value, both exhaust valves for each adsorption tower are closed so that the exhaust in the regeneration process is stopped for both adsorption towers, and then the operation of the entire device is stopped (see Patent Document 3).

JP-A-61-187916 (page 1) JP 2006-192402 A (Claim 2) Patent No. 4351174 (Claim 1)

The problem that the compressed gas component adjustment method and compressed gas component adjustment device aim to solve is that in the conventional technology, while one adsorption tube is operating in one cycle in the order of steps of "(1) pressurization, (2) (3) adsorption, (4) regeneration (exhaust)," the other adsorption tube is operating in one cycle in the order of steps of "(1) adsorption, (2) regeneration (exhaust), (3) pressurization, (4) adsorption," and these are repeated in sequence to operate continuously, but the time for each step is fixed, and if the adsorption tube is switched when the pressurization is insufficient, a pressure difference occurs between the two adsorption tubes, and the pressure fluctuations can cause the adsorbent to pulverize or valves to break down.

The invention of Patent Document 2 controls the system to resume operation after a predetermined time (fixed time) has elapsed until the pressures inside the two adsorption cylinders are substantially equalized, and the invention of Patent Document 3 discloses that when the pressure of the compressed gas used to drive the exhaust valves to open and close falls below a preset value, both exhaust valves on the adsorption cylinders are closed and the operation of the entire system is then stopped. However, there is no proposal to more appropriately manage the gas component adjustment of the compressed gas by relating the pressure inside the two adsorption cylinders to the elapsed time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for adjusting the composition of compressed gas that can monitor the pressure change inside two adsorption cylinders used in the pressure swing method in relation to the elapsed time, and more appropriately manage the process related to adjusting the composition of compressed gas.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.
According to one embodiment of the method for adjusting a component of a compressed gas according to the present invention, the method adjusts the gas components of a compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption columns filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components. The method includes an adsorption step of guiding the compressed gas to one of the two adsorption columns, whereby a required component of the compressed gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent, thereby discharging the adjusted gas; and a step of guiding a portion of the adjusted gas adjusted by the adsorption step to the other adsorption column that adsorbed the required component of the compressed gas in the previous step, whereby the required component is desorbed and purged from the adsorbent filled in the other adsorption column, the adsorption capacity of which has decreased. the other adsorption tube having a pressure increased by increasing the pressure in the other adsorption tube that has dropped as a result of the exhaust being performed before the exhaust in the exhaust step is stopped and the adsorption step is started; and a process that is executed by making a judgment based on a preset time period and comparing a preset pressure with detected pressure information from a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tube, the process including a switching step for switching between the adsorption step, the exhaust step, and the pressurizing step when a required condition is reached, and an alarm issuing step for issuing an alarm.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment method of the present invention, a preset boost time for the boost process is used as a reference, and a judgment is made by comparing a preset boost pressure with detected pressure information from a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure inside the adsorption tube, and the method can be characterized as including a switching step for switching between the adsorption process and the exhaust process and the boost process so as to transition from the boost process to the adsorption process when a required condition is reached.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment method of the present invention, two boost setting times are set, a first boost setting time and a second boost setting time that is longer than the first boost setting time, and if the detected pressure information of the pressure sensor detects that the boost setting pressure has been reached by the first boost setting time, the switching step is performed at the time when the first boost setting time is reached, if the detected pressure information of the pressure sensor detects that the boost setting pressure has been reached between the first boost setting time and the second boost setting time, the switching step is performed at the time of detection, and if the detected pressure information of the pressure sensor does not detect that the boost setting pressure has been reached by the second boost setting time, the switching step is forcibly performed at the time when the second boost setting time is reached.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment method of the present invention, if the pressure cannot be increased to the set pressure within the second pressure increase setting time and the switching process is performed multiple times in succession, an alarm issuance process is performed in which an abnormality is determined and an alarm is issued.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment method of the present invention, the pressurization time required for the pressurization process is stored for each switching process, and when the pressure sensor fails, the switching process is performed using a switching time based on the stored past pressurization time.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment method of the present invention, the method can be characterized in that it includes an alarm issuance step of issuing an alarm when it is detected that the pressure in the adsorption tube has not dropped to the predetermined step-down pressure by comparing the step-down pressure with the detected pressure information of a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tube, even if a predetermined step-down time has elapsed since the start of the exhaust step following the adsorption step, which is the time it takes for the pressure in the adsorption tube to drop to the predetermined step-down pressure.

According to one embodiment of the method for adjusting the components of compressed gas according to the present invention, the method adjusts the gas components of compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption cylinders filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components. The method includes an adsorption step of guiding compressed gas to one of the two adsorption cylinders, where the required components of the compressed gas are adsorbed by the adsorbent, thereby discharging the adjusted gas; and a step of guiding a portion of the adjusted gas adjusted by the adsorption step to the other adsorption cylinder that adsorbed the required components of the compressed gas in the previous step, and discharging the adjusted gas from the adsorbent filled in the other adsorption cylinder, whose adsorption capacity has decreased. The method includes an exhaust step in which the adsorbent is regenerated by exhausting the adsorbent so as to desorb and purge required components, and a pressurization step in which the pressure in the other adsorption column that has dropped due to the exhaust being performed until the exhaust in the exhaust step is stopped and the adsorption step is started, and by detecting the pressure in the adsorption column over time with a pressure sensor, a tendency of a gradient of a pressure rise defined as a ratio of the increased pressure to the pressurization time in the past pressurization steps is stored and learned, and a gradient of the learned tendency of the gradient of the pressure rise in the past and the gradient of the actual pressure rise in the adsorption column detected over time by the pressure sensor are stored and learned. a pressure rise alarm issuance process for determining an abnormality and issuing an alarm if the pressure rise deviates from the trend of the gradient of the past pressure rise, and detecting the pressure in the adsorption tube over time with a pressure sensor to memorize and learn a trend of a gradient of a pressure drop defined as a ratio of the pressure drop to the pressure drop time when the pressure in the adsorption tube drops after the start of the exhaust in the past exhaust process, and comparing the learned trend of the gradient of the past pressure drop with a trend of the gradient of the actual pressure drop in the adsorption tube detected over time by the pressure sensor, and The system is characterized by including at least one of the following alarm issuing processes: an alarm issuing process for pressure drop, which judges that a deviation from the distribution trend is abnormal and issues an alarm; and an alarm issuing process for pressure fluctuation, which detects the pressure in the adsorption tube over time with a pressure sensor, memorizes and learns the trends of pressure fluctuation in the adsorption tube in the past adsorption processes, compares the learned trends of past pressure fluctuation with the trends of actual pressure fluctuation in the adsorption tube detected over time by the pressure sensor, and judges that a deviation from the past trends of pressure fluctuation is abnormal and issues an alarm.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment device of the present invention, the device adjusts the gas components of compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption cylinders filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components. The device includes a first adsorption cylinder and a second adsorption cylinder filled with an adsorbent that adsorbs required components of the introduced compressed gas, a first gas supply passage that introduces compressed gas to the first adsorption cylinder, a second gas supply passage that introduces compressed gas to the second adsorption cylinder, and a first discharge passage that discharges the adjusted gas from the first adsorption cylinder. a second discharge passage for discharging the regulated gas from the second adsorption column; an adsorption column connecting passage that communicates the first adsorption column with the second adsorption column; a first exhaust passage for exhausting a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the second adsorption column so as to be guided to the first adsorption column via the adsorption column connecting passage to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and regenerate the adsorbent; and a second exhaust passage for exhausting a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the first adsorption column so as to be guided to the second adsorption column via the adsorption column connecting passage to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and regenerate the adsorbent. a second exhaust passage that exhausts air so as to allow the intake air to flow through the exhaust passage; a first intake valve that opens and closes the first intake passage, and a second intake valve that opens and closes the second intake passage; an intake valve opening and closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing the first intake valve and the second intake valve; a first exhaust valve that opens and closes the first exhaust passage, and a second exhaust valve that opens and closes the second exhaust passage; an exhaust valve opening and closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing the first exhaust valve and the second exhaust valve; a first pressure sensor that monitors the pressure in the first adsorption tube, and a second pressure sensor that monitors the pressure in the second adsorption tube; and a control device that inputs detected pressure information obtained by the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor, compares the detected pressure information with a preset pressure based on a preset time, and outputs a control signal or a warning signal to operate the intake valve opening and closing means and the exhaust valve opening and closing means to switch between intake and exhaust when a required condition is reached.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment device of the present invention, two set times are set for increasing the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube by closing the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve: a first pressure increase set time and a second pressure increase set time that is longer than the first pressure increase set time. When it is detected by the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor that the set pressure has been reached by the first pressure increase set time, a control signal is output to operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means at the time when the first pressure increase set time is reached to switch between intake and exhaust, and the set pressure is increased from the first pressure increase set time to the second pressure increase set time. The control device is configured to output a control signal to operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust when the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor detects that the constant pressure has been reached, and to forcibly operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust when the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor does not detect that the set pressure has been reached by the second boost setting time, and to output a control signal to forcibly operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust when the second boost setting time is reached.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment device of the present invention, the device may be characterized in that it includes the control device that is configured to output an alarm signal for issuing an alarm when the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube does not drop to the value of the step-down set pressure even after a preset step-down set time has elapsed from the time when the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to start the exhaust, by comparing the step-down set pressure with the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor that is configured to monitor the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment device of the present invention, the device adjusts the gas components of compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption cylinders filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components. The device includes a first adsorption cylinder and a second adsorption cylinder filled with an adsorbent that adsorbs a required component of the introduced compressed gas, a first gas supply passage that introduces compressed gas to the first adsorption cylinder, a second gas supply passage that introduces compressed gas to the second adsorption cylinder, a first discharge passage that discharges the adjusted gas from the first adsorption cylinder, and a second discharge passage that discharges the adjusted gas from the second adsorption cylinder, an adsorption cylinder connection path that communicates the first adsorption cylinder and the second adsorption cylinder, and a gas supply passage that discharges the adjusted gas from the second adsorption cylinder. a first exhaust passage through which a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the first adsorption column is guided to the first adsorption column via the inter-adsorption column connection path to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and exhaust the gas so as to regenerate the adsorbent; a second exhaust passage through which a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the first adsorption column is guided to the second adsorption column via the inter-adsorption column connection path to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and exhaust the gas so as to regenerate the adsorbent; a first intake valve that opens and closes the first intake passage, and a second intake valve that opens and closes the second intake passage; an intake valve opening and closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing the first intake valve and the second intake valve; a second exhaust valve which opens and closes, exhaust valve opening and closing means which operates to switch between opening and closing the first exhaust valve and the second exhaust valve, a first pressure sensor which monitors the pressure in the first adsorption column, and a second pressure sensor which monitors the pressure in the second adsorption column, and the pressures in the first adsorption column and the second adsorption column are detected over time by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, thereby determining a trend in the gradient of the pressure rise which is defined as the ratio of the increased pressure to the pressurization time in a past pressurization step in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is closed to pressurize the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column, and a trend in the gradient of the pressure rise which is defined as the ratio of the increased pressure to the pressurization time in a past pressurization step in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to pressurize the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column. The device is provided with a warning signal output means having a memory and learning function that stores and learns at least one of the trends of the gradient of pressure drop, which is defined as the ratio of the pressure drop to the pressure drop time in a past exhaust process in which the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube is lowered, and the trend of pressure fluctuations in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube in a past adsorption process by the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, compares the learned past trends with the trends of the actual pressure in the first adsorption tube and the second adsorption tube detected over time by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, and determines that an abnormality exists if the past trends deviate, and issues an alarm.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed gas component adjustment device of the present invention, by detecting the pressure in the first adsorption tube and the pressure in the second adsorption tube over time by the control device and the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, it is possible to obtain a trend of a gradient of a pressure rise defined as a ratio of the increased pressure to the pressure rise time in a past pressure rise process in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is closed to raise the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, a trend of a gradient of a pressure drop defined as a ratio of the decreased pressure to the pressure drop time in a past exhaust process in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to lower the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, and a trend of a gradient of a pressure drop defined as a ratio of the decreased pressure to the pressure drop time in a past exhaust process in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to lower the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube. The device is equipped with a warning signal output means having a memory and learning function that stores and learns at least one of the trends of the pressure fluctuations in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube during the previous adsorption process by the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, compares the learned past trends with the trends of the actual pressure in the first adsorption tube and the second adsorption tube detected over time by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, and determines that an abnormality exists and issues an alarm if the past trends are deviated from. The information processing device constituting the control device can also be characterized as serving as an information processing device constituting the warning signal output means having a memory and learning function.

The compressed gas component adjustment method and compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention have the particularly advantageous effect of monitoring the pressure change inside the two adsorption tubes used in the pressure swing method in relation to the elapsed time, thereby enabling more appropriate management of the process related to the gas component adjustment of the compressed gas.

1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention. 4 is a time chart for explaining an embodiment of the operation of the compressed gas component adjusting device of FIG. 1 . 4 is a time chart for explaining an embodiment of a management method by monitoring pressure regarding a pressure increase process in the compressed gas component adjustment device of FIG. 1 . 4 is a time chart for explaining an embodiment of a management method by monitoring pressure regarding the exhaust process in the compressed gas composition adjustment device of FIG. 1 .

Hereinafter, examples of the compressed gas component adjustment method and compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings (Figs. 1 to 4). The compressed gas component adjustment method and compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention adjust the gas components of the compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption cylinders 10, 20 (see Fig. 1) filled with adsorbent, and continuously discharge the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components.

The compressed gas component adjustment method according to the present invention includes an adsorption process, an exhaust process, a pressure increase process, a switching process, and an alarm generation process, which are described below.

The adsorption process is a process in which compressed gas is introduced into one of the two adsorption columns 10 (also referred to as "CLM A" or "A column") and 20 (also referred to as "CLM B" or "B column"), and the required components of the compressed gas are adsorbed by the adsorbent, thereby discharging the adjusted gas (product gas). While this adsorption process is being carried out continuously in one of the adsorption columns (10 or 20), the other adsorption column (20 or 10) is sequentially carrying out an exhaust process and a pressurization process, as shown in FIG. 2, which shows the relationship between column A (adsorption tower 10) and column B (adsorption tower 20). Note that while the adsorption process in this invention is a process in which the adjusted gas is discharged, the exhaust process and the pressurization process are processes in which the adjusted gas is not discharged (regeneration processes). Therefore, the exhaust process and the pressurization process constitute the regeneration process.

The exhaust process is a process in which a portion of the adjusted gas adjusted by the adsorption process is guided to the other adsorption tube (20 or 10) that adsorbed the required components of the compressed gas in the previous process, and the required components are desorbed and purged from the adsorbent filled in the other adsorption tube whose adsorption capacity has decreased, thereby regenerating the adsorbent.

The pressurization process is a process for pressurizing the pressure in the other adsorption tube, which has dropped due to the exhaust performed during the exhaust process until the transition to the adsorption process. The gas that pressurizes the pressure in the other adsorption tube at this time is a part of the adjustment gas that is continuously adjusted by the adsorption process, and is supplied from one of the adsorption tubes. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, when the pressurization process is being performed in the other adsorption tube (20 or 10), the adsorption process is being continuously performed in one of the adsorption tubes (10 or 20).

The switching process and the alarm issuance process are processes that are executed by making a judgment based on a preset time period and comparing the preset pressure value with the detected pressure information value of the pressure sensors (45 and 46) that are provided to monitor the pressure inside the adsorption tubes (10 and 20). When the required conditions are reached, the switching operation related to the adsorption process, the exhaust process, and the pressurization process (switching from the adsorption process to the exhaust process in one adsorption tube (10 or 20), and switching from the pressurization process to the adsorption process in the other adsorption tube (20 or 10)) and the issuance of an alarm are performed.

By incorporating the above steps, the compressed gas component adjustment method of the present invention has the particularly advantageous effect of monitoring the pressure changes inside the two adsorption tubes 10, 20 used in the pressure swing method in relation to the elapsed time, thereby enabling more appropriate management of the process related to adjusting the gas component of the compressed gas.

The switching process in this embodiment is based on a preset boost time for the boost process, and is determined by comparing the preset boost pressure with the detected pressure information of the pressure sensors 45, 46 that are provided to monitor the pressure inside the adsorption tubes 10, 20. When the required conditions are reached, the adsorption tubes 10, 20 are switched to the adsorption process from the boost pressure step. When one adsorption tube (10 or 20) transitions from the boost pressure step to the next adsorption process, the other adsorption tube (20 or 10) simultaneously transitions from the adsorption process to the exhaust process. Also, while the boost time (boost pressure step) is being extended in one adsorption tube (10 or 20), the adsorption time (adsorption process) is being extended in the other adsorption tube (20 or 10).

As a further specific example, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two boost setting times are set as the boost setting time: a first boost setting time (<a> seconds) and a second boost setting time (<c> seconds) that is longer than the first boost setting time (<a> seconds). If the detected pressure information of the pressure sensors 45 and 46 detects that the boost setting pressure has been reached by the first boost setting time (<a> seconds), the switching step is performed at the time when the first boost setting time (<a> seconds) is reached. If the detected pressure information of the pressure sensors 45 and 46 detects that the boost setting pressure has been reached between the first boost setting time (<a> seconds) and the second boost setting time (<c> seconds), the switching step is performed at the time of detection. If the detected pressure information of the pressure sensors 45 and 46 does not detect that the boost setting pressure has been reached by the second boost setting time (<c> seconds), the switching step is forcibly performed at the time when the second boost setting time (<c> seconds) is reached.

The boost set pressure related to the above-mentioned boost process in this embodiment can be, for example, the pressure difference between two adsorption tubes, and in this embodiment, for example, it is set so that the adsorption tubes are switched when the pressure difference is 0 (±0.05) MPa. Note that the present invention is not limited to setting such a relative pressure value (pressure difference) as the set pressure, and it is also possible to set each pressure value as the set pressure.

According to this, by attaching pressure sensors 45, 46 to the two adsorption tubes 10, 20 and monitoring each of the adsorption tubes 10, 20, the switching of the two adsorption tubes 10, 20 is changed from a fixed time management to a pressure management at the timing when the pressures in both adsorption tubes 10, 20 become the same, and stable switching can be performed even when the amount of regeneration air decreases, for example. In this way, the pressure increase time (elapsed time) can be flexibly changed and adjusted so that the pressures in the two adsorption tubes 10, 20 are as uniform as possible during the pressure increase process, so that shocks at the time of switching can be more reliably eliminated and smooth switching can be performed, preventing the powdering (deterioration) of the adsorbent due to pressure fluctuations and the failure of valves. In addition, it is possible to appropriately increase the pressure even when the orifice diameter is changed.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the switching process is performed multiple times in succession without being able to increase the pressure to the set pressure within the second pressure increase setting time, it can be set to determine that an abnormality has occurred and issue an alarm. That is, in a state where one exhaust valve (16 or 26) is closed and the other exhaust valve (26 or 16) and the two exhaust valves (16 and 26) are closed to enter the pressure increase process in the normal process, the pressure in the two adsorption tubes (10 and 20) is equalized by completing the pressure increase process, but if the actual pressure increase is not completed even after the pressure increase setting time (the second pressure increase setting time in this embodiment) has elapsed and this is repeated, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred and an alarm is issued. Note that, in this embodiment, it is set to determine that an abnormality has occurred when the switching process is performed three times in succession with insufficient pressure increase, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of times can be set appropriately. This leads to early detection of failures such as gas leakage, and can improve the reliability of the device and the operating efficiency.

In addition, in this embodiment, the pressure increase time required for the pressure increase process is stored for each switching process, and in the event of a failure of the pressure sensor, the switching process can be set to be performed based on the switching time required for past switching, which is calculated based on the stored past pressure increase times. This allows the operation of the device to continue appropriately without being stopped even if the pressure sensor fails, thereby improving operating efficiency.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the alarm issuance process of this embodiment is a process of issuing an alarm when it is detected that the pressure in the adsorption tubes 10 and 20 has not dropped to the set pressure drop pressure even after the set pressure drop time (<b> seconds) has elapsed since the start of the exhaust process after the start of the exhaust process. The set pressure drop pressure is compared with the detected pressure information of the pressure sensors 45 and 46 installed to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tubes 10 and 20. That is, when the exhaust valve (16 or 26) is opened, the inside of the adsorption tube (10 or 20) is opened to the atmosphere and no pressure is applied, but if the actual pressure drop time (Y seconds) is longer than the set pressure drop time (<b> seconds) (FIG. 2 (4)'), the exhaust pressure is judged to be abnormally high and an alarm is issued. This leads to early detection of failures such as clogging of the air passage, and the reliability of the device and the operating efficiency can be improved.

In addition to the above-mentioned processes, the alarm issuance process of the present invention can also include an alarm issuance process that applies artificial intelligence (AI) technology to memorize and learn detection data and predict future malfunctions to output an alarm, and can include an alarm issuance process for a pressure increase, an alarm issuance process for a pressure drop, and an alarm issuance process for pressure fluctuations, which are described below. In this embodiment, by including at least one of these alarm issuance processes, malfunctions can be discovered early and the reliability of the device can be improved. When memorizing and learning the detection data, for example, a method can be adopted in which a timetable of an adsorption cycle consisting of the adsorption, exhaust, and pressure increase processes as described above is created, data is recorded, and the data is used for learning.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the process of issuing an alarm regarding a pressure rise involves detecting the pressure inside the adsorption columns 10, 20 over time using pressure sensors 45, 46, memorizing and learning the trend of the gradient of the pressure rise defined as the ratio [Δp/X] of the increased pressure Δp to the pressurization time X in the past pressurization steps, comparing the learned trend of the gradient _mX of the past pressure rise with the trend of the gradient mX _' of the actual pressure rise in the adsorption columns detected over time by the pressure sensors, and determining that an abnormality has occurred if there is a deviation from the trend of the gradient of the past pressure rise (including a deviation from an upper or lower tolerance range for the past gradient line), and issuing an alarm.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the process of issuing an alarm related to pressure drop involves detecting the pressure inside the adsorption columns 10, 20 over time using pressure sensors 45, 46, memorizing and learning the trend of the gradient of the pressure drop defined as the ratio [Δp/Y] of the pressure drop Δp to the pressure drop time Y when the pressure inside the adsorption columns 10, 20 drops after the start of exhaust in the past exhaust process, comparing the learned trend of the past pressure drop gradient _mY with the trend of the actual pressure drop gradient mY _' in the adsorption columns detected over time by the pressure sensors, and determining that an abnormality has occurred if there is a deviation from the trend of the past pressure drop gradient (including a deviation from an upper or lower tolerance range for the past gradient line), and issuing an alarm.

The alarm generation process for pressure fluctuations detects the pressure inside the adsorption tubes 10, 20 over time using pressure sensors 45, 46, memorizes and learns the trends in pressure fluctuations inside the adsorption tubes 10, 20 during past adsorption processes, compares the learned trends in past pressure fluctuations with the trends in the actual pressure fluctuations inside the adsorption tubes detected over time by the pressure sensors, and if there is a deviation from the trends in past pressure fluctuations (including deviations from the allowable range above and below the past gradient line), determines that an abnormality has occurred and generates an alarm.

Next, an example of a compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention adjusts the gas components of compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption cylinders 10, 20 filled with adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components, and has the following configuration.

First, the device is provided with a first adsorption tube 10 and a second adsorption tube 20 filled with an adsorbent that adsorbs the required components of the introduced compressed gas. In FIG. 1, the first adsorption tube 10 is indicated as "CLM A" and the second adsorption tube 20 is indicated as "CLM B". In addition, the adsorbent in this embodiment adsorbs moisture from the air and discharges dry air as product air, and is an adsorption-type dehumidification device as described in the Background Art section, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to use an adsorbent that can selectively adsorb other gas components other than moisture (water vapor). Accordingly, the present invention can be suitably applied as a compressed gas component adjustment device that functions to remove a required gas component and increase the concentration of the required gas component.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the gas passages include a first gas supply passage 11 that guides compressed gas to the first adsorption cylinder 10, a second gas supply passage 21 that guides compressed gas to the second adsorption cylinder 20, a first discharge passage 13 that discharges the adjusted gas from the first adsorption cylinder 10, and a second discharge passage 23 that discharges the adjusted gas from the second adsorption cylinder 20, an adsorption cylinder connection passage 33 that connects the first adsorption cylinder 10 and the second adsorption cylinder 20, a first exhaust passage 15 through which a portion of the adjusted gas adjusted in the second adsorption cylinder 20 is guided to the first adsorption cylinder 10 via the adsorption cylinder connection passage 33 to desorb and purge the required components from the adsorbent and exhaust the gas to regenerate the adsorbent, and a second exhaust passage 25 through which a portion of the adjusted gas adjusted in the first adsorption cylinder 10 is guided to the second adsorption cylinder 20 via the adsorption cylinder connection passage 33 to desorb and purge the required components from the adsorbent and exhaust the gas to regenerate the adsorbent.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connection path 33 between the adsorption cylinders is provided with an orifice 34, which acts to obtain a predetermined constant flow rate by applying a predetermined constant pressure. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the first exhaust passage 15 or the second exhaust passage 25 is opened and the first adsorption cylinder 10 or the second adsorption cylinder 20 is opened to the atmosphere, the amount of air passing through the orifice 34 is automatically controlled to a constant flow rate due to the pressure difference between the inside of the first adsorption cylinder 10 or the second adsorption cylinder 20 opened to the atmosphere and the compressed gas supplied.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the components of the valve mechanism of the "switching valve (see FIG. 2)" that opens and closes the supply passages 11 and 21 of the above-mentioned gas passages include a first supply valve 12 that opens and closes the first supply passage 11, a second supply valve 22 that opens and closes the second supply passage 21, and an air supply valve opening and closing means 30 that operates to switch between opening and closing the first supply valve 12 and the second supply valve 22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first supply valve 12 and the second supply valve 22 are configured as control valves (CTV), and the air supply valve opening and closing means 30 is configured as a pilot valve (PV1).

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the components of the valve mechanism of the "exhaust valve (see FIG. 2)" that opens and closes the exhaust passages 15 and 25 of the above-mentioned gas passages include a first exhaust valve 16 that opens and closes the first exhaust passage 15, a second exhaust valve 26 that opens and closes the second exhaust passage 25, a first exhaust valve opening and closing device 17 that operates to open and close the first exhaust valve 16, and a second exhaust valve opening and closing device 27 that operates to open and close the second exhaust valve 26. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first exhaust valve 16 and the second exhaust valve 26 are configured as exhaust valves (EXV), and the exhaust valve opening and closing means is configured by two pilot valves (PV2, PV3) arranged as the first exhaust valve opening and closing device 17 and the second exhaust valve opening and closing device 27.

The pilot valve (PV1) constituting the intake valve opening/closing means 30, which is a component of the switching valve (see FIG. 2) in this embodiment, and the two pilot valves (PV2, PV3) constituting the first exhaust valve opening/closing device 17 and the second exhaust valve opening/closing device 27 are electromagnetically controlled valves that operate as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, and are arranged to operate the aforementioned control valve (CTV) and exhaust valve (EXV) with compressed gas supplied from the two adsorption cylinders 10 and 20 to perform the aforementioned switching process and the switching operation for transitioning from the exhaust process to the pressurization process.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a first pressure sensor 45 for monitoring the pressure in the first adsorption cylinder 10 and a second pressure sensor 46 for monitoring the pressure in the second adsorption cylinder 20 are provided. The first pressure sensor 45 (PS1) in this embodiment is attached to the downstream side where the adjustment gas (dry air in this embodiment) of the first adsorption cylinder 10 is discharged, and is attached to the pipe (air passage) before the orifice 34 of the adsorption cylinder connection passage 33, and is provided to measure and detect the pressure of the first adsorption cylinder 10 and output the detected pressure information to the control device 50 described later. The second pressure sensor 46 (PS2) in this embodiment is attached to the downstream side where the adjustment gas (dry air in this embodiment) of the second adsorption cylinder 20 is discharged, and is attached to the pipe (air passage) before the orifice 34 of the adsorption cylinder connection passage 33, and is provided to measure and detect the pressure of the second adsorption cylinder 20 and output the detected pressure information to the control device 50 described later.

In this embodiment, the control device 50 receives detected pressure information obtained by the first pressure sensor 45 and/or the second pressure sensor 46, compares the detected pressure information with a preset pressure based on a preset time period, and outputs a control signal or a warning signal to operate the intake valve opening/closing means 30 and the exhaust valve opening/closing means (the first exhaust valve opening/closing device 17 and the second exhaust valve opening/closing device 27) when the required conditions are met.

With the above configuration, the compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention has the particularly advantageous effect of monitoring the pressure changes inside the two adsorption tubes 10, 20 used in the pressure swing method in relation to the elapsed time, and more appropriately managing the operation of the device that performs the process related to adjusting the gas component of the compressed gas.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present embodiment includes the following components in addition to the above components.
Reference numeral 14 denotes a check valve (CKV(1)), which is installed so that the discharged regulated gas (dry air in this embodiment) does not flow back. Reference numeral 42 denotes a check valve (CKV(2)), which is installed so that the compressed gas supplied from the downstream of the two adsorption cylinders 10 and 20 to the pilot valve (PV1) and the two pilot valves (PV2, PV3) for control does not flow back. In FIG. 1, AF denotes an air filter, IF denotes an inlet filter, and OF denotes an outlet filter. In FIG. 1, SLC denotes a silencer, which serves as the exhaust port of the exhaust valve (EXV), and is arranged to reduce exhaust noise. Furthermore, MS denotes a temperature and humidity sensor.

Next, a specific embodiment of the control configuration of the control device 50 will be described with reference to FIG.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the control device 50 sets two set times for increasing the pressure inside the first adsorption column 10 or the second adsorption column 20 by closing the first exhaust valve 16 or the second exhaust valve 26: a first pressure increase set time (<a> seconds) and a second pressure increase set time (<c> seconds) that is longer than the first pressure increase set time (<a> seconds).

And (X seconds) shown in Figures 2 and 3 is the length of time it takes to actually reach the boost set pressure (in this embodiment, the pressure difference between the two adsorption tubes 10, 20 is, for example, 0 (±0.05) MPa or Δp). When the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor 45 and/or the second pressure sensor 46 detects that the boost set pressure has been reached by the first boost set time (<a> seconds), a control signal is output by the control device 50 to operate the intake valve opening/closing means 30 and the exhaust valve opening/closing means (the first exhaust valve opening/closing device 17 or the second exhaust valve opening/closing device 27) at the time when the first boost set time (<a> seconds) is reached to switch between intake and exhaust. Note that this boost set pressure may be the differential pressure calculated by the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor 45 and the second pressure sensor 46, or may be the pressure (Δp) set individually for the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor 45 or the second pressure sensor 46, for example, when the intake pressure supplied to the compressed gas component adjustment device is stable. As an example of this operation, for example, in the time chart of FIG. 2, when the actual elapsed time (X seconds) in the second adsorption column 20 (column B) at the time of transition from process (1) to (2) becomes the same as the first boost setting time (<a> seconds), the intake valve opening and closing means 30 opens the second intake valve 22 to switch the intake from the first adsorption column 10 (column A) to column B 20, thereby starting the adsorption process in column B 20, and in column A 10, the first exhaust valve opening and closing device 17 opens the first exhaust valve 16 to start the exhaust process.

In addition, when the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor 45 and/or the second pressure sensor 46 detects that the boost set pressure (differential pressure of 0 (±0.05) MPa, or Δp) has been reached between the first boost setting time (<a> seconds) and the second boost setting time (<c> seconds), a control signal is output by the control device 50 at the time of detection to operate the intake valve opening/closing means 30 and the first exhaust valve opening/closing device 17 or the second exhaust valve opening/closing device 27 to switch between intake and exhaust. As an example of this operation, for example, in the time chart of Figure 2, when the actual elapsed time (X seconds) in cylinder B 20 at the time of transition from step (1)' to (2)' becomes longer than the first boost setting time (<a> seconds), the second air intake valve 22 is opened by the air intake valve opening/closing means 30 to switch the air intake from cylinder A 10 to cylinder B 20 at that time (X seconds), starting the adsorption process in cylinder B 20, and the first exhaust valve opening/closing device 17 opens the first exhaust valve 16 in cylinder A 10 to start the exhaust process. Note that in the time chart of Figure 2, when transitioning from step (3) to (4), the operations of cylinder A 10 and cylinder B 20 are reversed, but the same switching operation as above is performed.

Furthermore, if the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor 45 and/or the second pressure sensor 46 does not detect that the boost set pressure (differential pressure of 0 (±0.05) MPa, or Δp) has been reached by the second boost set time (<c> seconds), the control device 50 outputs a control signal to forcibly operate the intake valve opening/closing means 30 and the first exhaust valve opening/closing device 17 or the second exhaust valve opening/closing device 27 to switch between intake and exhaust at the time when the second boost set time (<c> seconds) is reached. As an example of this operation, in the time chart of FIG. 2, if the set pressure (Δp) is not reached in cylinder A 10 at the time of transition from process (3)' to (4)' even after the second boost setting time (<c> seconds), at that time (<c> seconds), the first air intake valve 12 is opened by the air intake valve opening/closing means 30 to switch the air intake from cylinder B 20 to cylinder A 10, thereby starting the adsorption process in cylinder A 10, and in cylinder B 20, the second exhaust valve opening/closing device 27 opens the second exhaust valve 26 to start the exhaust process.

The above switching operation for the pressure increase process allows for smooth switching as described above, preventing the powdering (deterioration) of the adsorbent due to pressure fluctuations and the breakdown of valves.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 50 compares the value of the step-down set pressure (Δp) with the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor 45 or the second pressure sensor 46, which is provided to monitor the pressure in the first adsorption tube 10 or the second adsorption tube 20, and outputs an alarm signal to issue an alarm if the pressure in the first adsorption tube 10 or the second adsorption tube 20 does not drop to the value of the step-down set pressure (Δp) even after the predetermined step-down set time (<b> seconds) has elapsed since the start of exhaust in the exhaust process, which is set as the time for the pressure in the first adsorption tube 10 or the second adsorption tube 20 to drop to the value of the step-down set pressure (Δp).

As an example of the operation by this, for example, in the time chart of Figure 2, as shown in step (4)', in cylinder B 20, when the set pressure drop time (<b> seconds) has elapsed and the set pressure drop (Δp) has not been reached, and the actual time drop (Y seconds) is longer than the set pressure drop time (<b> seconds), an alarm signal is output by the control device 50 to issue an alarm. This can improve reliability and operating efficiency as described above.

In addition, as another example of the compressed gas component adjustment device according to the present invention, the pressure in the first adsorption column 10 and the second adsorption column 20 are detected over time by the first pressure sensor 45 and the second pressure sensor 46 as the warning signal output means, and the trend of the gradient of the pressure rise defined as the ratio [Δp/X] of the increased pressure to the pressure rise time in a past pressure rise process in which the first exhaust valve 16 or the second exhaust valve 26 is closed to raise the pressure in the first adsorption column 10 or the second adsorption column 20, and the time of pressure drop in a past exhaust process in which the first exhaust valve 16 or the second exhaust valve 26 is opened to lower the pressure in the first adsorption column 10 or the second adsorption column 20 are detected over time. The pressure drop gradient trend, defined as the ratio of the pressure drop to the pressure drop [Δp/Y], and the pressure fluctuation trend in the first adsorption column 10 or the second adsorption column 20 during the past adsorption process by the first adsorption column 10 or the second adsorption column 20, are stored and learned, and the learned past trend value is compared with the trend of the actual pressure in the first adsorption column and the second adsorption column detected over time by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, and if there is a deviation from the past trend, an abnormality is determined and an alarm is issued. This allows for early detection of device malfunctions and improves the reliability of the device, as described above as a method invention.

In addition, in this embodiment, the information processing device constituting the control device 50 can be configured to also serve as an information processing device constituting a warning signal output means provided with a memory and learning function. This allows a rational configuration of a compressed gas component adjustment device that can be managed by appropriately performing drive control and monitoring using a single information processing device (a computer device equipped with a memory device and an arithmetic unit).

The present invention has been described above in various preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10. First adsorption column (column A)
11 First air supply passage 12 First air supply valve 13 First discharge passage 14 Check valve (CKV (1))
15 First exhaust passage 16 First exhaust valve 17 First exhaust valve opening/closing device (pilot valve (PV2))
20 Second adsorption column (column B) first exhaust valve 21 Second air supply passage 22 Second air supply valve 23 Second discharge passage 25 Second exhaust passage 26 Second exhaust valve 27 Second exhaust valve opening/closing device (pilot valve (PV3))
30 Air supply valve opening/closing means (pilot valve (PV1))
33 Adsorption cylinder connecting path 34 Orifice 42 Check valve (CKV (2))
45 First pressure sensor 46 Second pressure sensor 50 Control device

Claims (10)

A method for adjusting a gas component of a compressed gas, comprising alternating between two adsorption columns filled with an adsorbent, adjusting the gas component of the compressed gas, and continuously discharging the adjusted gas having the adjusted gas component, comprising:
an adsorption step of introducing compressed gas into one of the two adsorption columns, so that a required component of the compressed gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent, thereby discharging an adjusted gas;
an exhaust step in which a part of the adjusted gas adjusted by the adsorption step is introduced to the other adsorption column which adsorbed the required component of the compressed gas in the previous step, and the required component is desorbed and purged from the adsorbent filled in the other adsorption column whose adsorption capacity has decreased, thereby regenerating the adsorbent;
a pressure increasing step of increasing the pressure in the other adsorption column that has dropped due to the exhaust being performed until the exhaust in the exhaust step is stopped and the adsorption step is started;
a switching step of switching between the adsorption step, the exhaust step, and the pressurization step so that a transition is made from the pressurization step to the adsorption step when a required condition is reached by comparing a preset pressurization time for the pressurization step with detected pressure information from a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tube, and
a first boost-up set time and a second boost-up set time that is longer than the first boost-up set time, and if it is detected by the detected pressure information of the pressure sensor that the boost-up set pressure has been reached by the first boost-up set time, the switching step is performed at the time when the first boost-up set time is reached, if it is detected by the detected pressure information of the pressure sensor that the boost-up set pressure has been reached between the first boost-up set time and the second boost-up set time, the switching step is performed at the time when this is detected, and if it is not detected by the detected pressure information of the pressure sensor that the boost-up set pressure has been reached by the second boost-up set time, the switching step is forcibly performed at the time when the second boost-up set time is reached . The method for adjusting a compressed gas component according to claim 1, characterized in that if the switching process is performed multiple times in succession without being able to increase the pressure to the set pressure within the second pressure increase setting time, an alarm is issued in which an abnormality is determined and an alarm is issued. A method for adjusting a compressed gas component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a pressurization time required for the pressurization process is stored for each switching process, and in the event of a failure of the pressure sensor, the switching process is performed based on a switching time based on the stored past pressurization time. A method for adjusting a gas component of a compressed gas, comprising alternating between two adsorption columns filled with an adsorbent, adjusting the gas component of the compressed gas, and continuously discharging the adjusted gas having the adjusted gas component, comprising:
an adsorption step of introducing compressed gas into one of the two adsorption columns, so that a required component of the compressed gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent, thereby discharging an adjusted gas;
an exhaust step in which a part of the adjusted gas adjusted by the adsorption step is introduced to the other adsorption column which has adsorbed the required component of the compressed gas in the previous step, and the adsorbent packed in the other adsorption column, the adsorption capacity of which has decreased, is exhausted so as to desorb and purge the required component, thereby regenerating the adsorbent;
a pressure increasing step of increasing the pressure in the other adsorption column that has dropped due to the exhaust being performed until the exhaust in the exhaust step is stopped and the adsorption step is started;
a process in which a judgment is made and executed by comparing a preset pressure with detected pressure information from a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tube, based on a preset time period, and the process includes a switching process for switching between the adsorption process, the exhaust process, and the pressurization process when a required condition is reached, and an alarm issuance process for issuing an alarm;
a step of issuing an alarm when it is detected that the pressure in the adsorption tube has not dropped to a preset pressure drop pressure even after a preset pressure drop time has elapsed since the start of the exhaust step following the adsorption step, by comparing the preset pressure drop pressure with detected pressure information from a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tube. The method for adjusting a compressed gas component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an alarm issuing step of issuing an alarm when it is detected that the pressure in the adsorption tube has not decreased to a predetermined step-down set pressure even after a predetermined step-down set time has elapsed since the start of the exhaust step following the adsorption step, by comparing the step - down set pressure with detected pressure information from a pressure sensor provided to monitor the pressure in the adsorption tube. A method for adjusting a gas component of a compressed gas, comprising alternating between two adsorption columns filled with an adsorbent, adjusting the gas component of the compressed gas, and continuously discharging the adjusted gas having the adjusted gas component, comprising:
an adsorption step of introducing compressed gas into one of the two adsorption columns, so that a required component of the compressed gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent, thereby discharging an adjusted gas;
an exhaust step in which a part of the adjusted gas adjusted by the adsorption step is introduced to the other adsorption column which has adsorbed the required component of the compressed gas in the previous step, and the adsorbent packed in the other adsorption column, the adsorption capacity of which has decreased, is exhausted so as to desorb and purge the required component, thereby regenerating the adsorbent;
a pressure increasing step of increasing the pressure in the adsorption tube that has been decreased by the exhaust during the exhaust step until the exhaust is stopped and the adsorption step is started,
a pressure rise alarm generation process for detecting the pressure in the adsorption tube over time with a pressure sensor, memorizing and learning a trend of a gradient of a pressure rise defined as a ratio of the increased pressure to the pressure rise time in the past pressure rise processes, comparing the learned trend of the gradient of the past pressure rise with a trend of the gradient of the actual pressure rise in the adsorption tube detected over time by the pressure sensor, and determining that an abnormality has occurred and generating an alarm if the gradient of the past pressure rise deviates from the trend of the gradient of the past pressure rise;
a pressure drop alarm generation process for detecting the pressure in the adsorption tube over time using a pressure sensor, memorizing and learning a trend of a pressure drop gradient defined as a ratio of the pressure drop in the adsorption tube to the pressure drop time when the pressure drops after the start of the exhaust in the past exhaust steps, comparing the learned trend of the past pressure drop gradient with the trend of the actual pressure drop gradient in the adsorption tube detected over time by the pressure sensor, and determining that an abnormality has occurred and generating an alarm if the trend of the past pressure drop gradient deviates from the past trend of the pressure drop gradient;
a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the adsorption tube over time, thereby memorizing and learning the trends in pressure fluctuations in the adsorption tube during past adsorption processes; a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the adsorption tube over time, thereby comparing the learned trends in past pressure fluctuations with the trends in actual pressure fluctuations in the adsorption tube detected over time by the pressure sensor; and a pressure fluctuation alarm process for determining that an abnormality has occurred and issuing an alarm if the pressure fluctuations deviate from the past trends in pressure fluctuations. A compressed gas component adjustment device that adjusts the gas components of a compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption columns filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components,
a first adsorption column and a second adsorption column filled with an adsorbent for adsorbing a required component of the introduced compressed gas;
a first gas supply passage for introducing compressed gas into the first adsorption cylinder, and a second gas supply passage for introducing compressed gas into the second adsorption cylinder;
a first discharge passage for discharging the regulated gas from the first adsorption column, and a second discharge passage for discharging the regulated gas from the second adsorption column;
an adsorption cylinder connecting passage that connects the first adsorption cylinder and the second adsorption cylinder;
a first exhaust passage through which a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the second adsorption column is guided to the first adsorption column via the inter-adsorption column connecting path, and exhausted so as to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and regenerate the adsorbent; and a second exhaust passage through which a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the first adsorption column is guided to the second adsorption column via the inter-adsorption column connecting path, and exhausted so as to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and regenerate the adsorbent;
a first air supply valve that opens and closes the first air supply passage, and a second air supply valve that opens and closes the second air supply passage;
an intake valve opening/closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing of the first intake valve and the second intake valve;
a first exhaust valve that opens and closes the first exhaust passage, and a second exhaust valve that opens and closes the second exhaust passage;
an exhaust valve opening/closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing the first exhaust valve and the second exhaust valve;
a first pressure sensor that monitors a pressure in the first adsorption column, and a second pressure sensor that monitors a pressure in the second adsorption column;
a control device which receives detected pressure information obtained by the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor, compares the detected pressure information with a preset pressure based on a preset time period, and outputs a control signal or a warning signal when a required condition is reached by operating the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust ,
As the set time when the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is closed to increase the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, a first pressure increase set time and a second pressure increase set time that is longer than the first pressure increase set time are set, and when it is detected by the detected pressure information of the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor that the set pressure has been reached by the first pressure increase set time, a control signal is output so as to operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust at the time when the first pressure increase set time is reached, and when it is detected by the detected pressure information of the first pressure increase set time from the first pressure increase set time to the second pressure increase set time, a control device configured to output a control signal so as to operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust when detected by pressure information from a pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor, and to forcibly operate the intake valve opening/closing means and the exhaust valve opening/closing means to switch between intake and exhaust when the second pressure increase set time is reached when detected pressure information from the first pressure sensor and/or the second pressure sensor does not detect that the set pressure has been reached by the second pressure increase set time . 8. The compressed gas component adjustment device according to claim 7, further comprising the control device configured to output an alarm signal for issuing an alarm when the pressure in the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column has not dropped to the value of the pressure drop set pressure even after a preset pressure drop set time has elapsed from the time point when the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to start the exhaust, by comparing the pressure drop set pressure with detected pressure information from the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor configured to monitor the pressure in the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column. A compressed gas component adjustment device that adjusts the gas components of a compressed gas by alternately using two adsorption columns filled with an adsorbent, and continuously discharges the adjusted gas with the adjusted gas components,
a first adsorption column and a second adsorption column filled with an adsorbent for adsorbing a required component of the introduced compressed gas;
a first gas supply passage for introducing compressed gas into the first adsorption cylinder, and a second gas supply passage for introducing compressed gas into the second adsorption cylinder;
a first discharge passage for discharging the regulated gas from the first adsorption column, and a second discharge passage for discharging the regulated gas from the second adsorption column;
an adsorption cylinder connecting passage that connects the first adsorption cylinder and the second adsorption cylinder;
a first exhaust passage through which a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the second adsorption column is guided to the first adsorption column via the inter-adsorption column connecting path, and exhausted so as to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and regenerate the adsorbent; and a second exhaust passage through which a portion of the regulated gas regulated in the first adsorption column is guided to the second adsorption column via the inter-adsorption column connecting path, and exhausted so as to desorb and purge required components from the adsorbent and regenerate the adsorbent;
a first air supply valve that opens and closes the first air supply passage, and a second air supply valve that opens and closes the second air supply passage;
an intake valve opening/closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing of the first intake valve and the second intake valve;
a first exhaust valve that opens and closes the first exhaust passage, and a second exhaust valve that opens and closes the second exhaust passage;
an exhaust valve opening/closing means that operates to switch between opening and closing the first exhaust valve and the second exhaust valve;
a first pressure sensor that monitors a pressure in the first adsorption column, and a second pressure sensor that monitors a pressure in the second adsorption column;
a warning signal output means for detecting the pressure in the first adsorption column and the second adsorption column over time by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, and storing and learning at least one of the following tendencies: a trend of a gradient of pressure increase defined as the ratio of the increased pressure to the pressurization time in a past pressurization step in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is closed to pressurize the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column; a trend of a gradient of pressure decrease defined as the ratio of the decreased pressure to the pressure decrease time in a past exhaust step in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to decrease the pressure in the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column; and a trend of fluctuations in the pressure in the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column in a past adsorption step by the first adsorption column or the second adsorption column; and The control device;
a warning signal output means having a memory and learning function for detecting the pressure in the first adsorption tube and the second adsorption tube over time with the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, and for storing and learning at least one of the following trends: a trend of a gradient of a pressure increase defined as the ratio of an increased pressure to a pressure increase time in a past pressure increase step in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is closed to increase the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, a trend of a gradient of a pressure decrease defined as the ratio of a decreased pressure to a pressure decrease time in a past exhaust step in which the first exhaust valve or the second exhaust valve is opened to decrease the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, and a trend of fluctuations in the pressure in the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube in a past adsorption step by the first adsorption tube or the second adsorption tube, and for comparing the learned past trends with the trend of the actual pressure in the first adsorption tube and the second adsorption tube detected over time by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, and for determining that an abnormality exists and issuing an alarm if there is a deviation from the past trends;
9. The compressed gas component adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein an information processing device constituting said control device also serves as an information processing device constituting said warning signal output means having a memory and learning function.

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