KR102616452B1 - Moisture and Nitrogen Adsorption Integrated PSA Oxygen Generator - Google Patents

Abstract

In the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator of the present invention, the adsorption bed can perform all the functions of moisture adsorption, nitrogen adsorption, and nitrogen adsorbent compression and fixation as a single device, and has the function of supplying and exhausting the upper and lower parts of the nitrogen adsorption unit. A type of manifold-type bed stopper with multiple ports can be commonly used to reduce mold and injection costs, and each adsorption bed is equipped with a total of 6 ports, pipes, and valves to quickly perform the PSA process. This relates to an integrated PSA oxygen generator that can absorb moisture and nitrogen.
Accordingly, the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention is a PSA oxygen generator including an air compressor, a directional control valve, a pair of adsorption beds, an oxygen storage tank, and a flow rate controller. The adsorption bed has a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior, and has a three-stage structure in which the top and bottom communicate. A perforated plate is installed between each stage, and a moisture adsorption unit disposed at the bottom to absorb moisture from compressed air; A nitrogen adsorption unit disposed at the middle stage and adsorbing nitrogen from compressed air; And a bed compression unit disposed at the top and compressing the inside of the nitrogen adsorption unit. It is characterized in that moisture and nitrogen adsorption are formed in an integrated manner.

Description

Moisture and Nitrogen Adsorption Integrated PSA Oxygen Generator}

The present invention relates to an integrated PSA oxygen generator for moisture and nitrogen absorption, and more specifically, to an adsorption bed where compressed air is supplied from the PSA oxygen generator and a gas separation process is performed. The adsorption bed has a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior and has 3 It has a stage structure that communicates up and down, and a perforated plate is installed between each stage. The lower manifold-type bed plug is equipped with a moisture adsorption unit equipped with a moisture adsorbent for the moisture pre-adsorption process to prevent moisture contamination, and the middle stage is equipped with a nitrogen adsorbent. It is equipped with a nitrogen adsorption unit that adsorbs nitrogen from compressed air from which moisture has been removed, and the upper manifold-type bed plug is equipped with a bed compression unit equipped with a buffer spring to secure the nitrogen adsorbent in the nitrogen adsorption unit, forming a single device. The adsorption bed can perform all of the functions of moisture adsorption, nitrogen adsorption, and nitrogen adsorbent compression and fixation, and a type of manifold-type bed stopper with multiple ports is formed on the upper and lower sides of the adsorption bed to reduce mold and injection costs. This relates to an integrated PSA oxygen generator for moisture and nitrogen adsorption equipped with a multi-functional adsorption bed that can save money, and each adsorption bed is equipped with a total of 6 ports, pipes, and valves to quickly perform the PSA process.

PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) type oxygen generators are used in various fields.

Small PSA oxygen generators of approximately 10 LPM or less are used for medical purposes, fisheries, firefighting, agriculture, ozone purposes, etc. However, the operating environment is poor and when used 24 hours a day, the influence of temperature and humidity is significant, resulting in zeolite contamination and dust. The reality is that quite a few technical difficulties arise.

To avoid zeolite contamination by moisture, it is possible to use it as a pretreatment device, but when applied to a small oxygen generator, there are many difficulties due to cost and space constraints. The moisture problem has affected the process valve and zeolite in the short term, causing serious problems in the overall function of the oxygen generator, and in the long term, it has also affected zeolite dust as moisture adsorbs and desorbs on the zeolite.

On the other hand, the zeolite filled in the adsorption bed has the possibility of generating dust depending on manufacturing performance, filling conditions, use environment conditions, use time, etc., so it is recognized as a more important problem in applications that require long-term use.

Meanwhile, there are increasing cases where the adsorption bed of a small oxygen generator is produced as a set of two adsorption beds, but in most cases, when one bed of zeolite is contaminated, the problem is that both beds must be replaced at once. am. The advantage of this method is that it can be assembled quickly, but it also has the disadvantage of requiring full replacement and increased costs if a problem occurs.

In response to this problem, a structure that assembles and produces adsorption beds one by one and connects them efficiently is also being considered. It appears that if basic parts are reviewed in a way that can make them smaller, lighter, and more multi-functional, it will be possible to configure them more competitively than before.

In particular, it is urgent to solve the above-mentioned problems of miniaturization and weight reduction and the problem of contamination caused by moisture adsorption of zeolite. For example, in order to adsorb moisture, conventional inventions cool compressed air with a heat exchanger, filter, pressure sensor, etc. to separate and filter moisture. As more processes are added, there is a problem that hinders miniaturization and lightweighting, so it is important to discover technologies that can increase moisture absorption while being small and lightweight.

Meanwhile, the PSA oxygen generator is produced in one bed, and cleaning work is performed in the other bed. Before the adsorbent in one bed breaks through and renders production unusable, the PSA oxygen generator completes the cleaning and pressurization process in the other bed, completes production preparation, and is manufactured in the other bed. A replacement process (pressure swing) is required to produce and clean one side of the bed. Since a difference in pressure occurs due to the difference in production and cleaning between one side and the other bed, pressurization and depressurization are required to alternate between production and cleaning functions. There is a requirement to equalize the pressure of both beds, and this process of pressure conversion and equalization requires too much time, resulting in a serious decrease in efficiency.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to solve the problems of PSA oxygen generators such as miniaturization and weight reduction, moisture adsorption efficiency, and pressure conversion and equalization efficiency.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1779409

The present invention was created to solve the problems in the prior art in consideration of the problems in the prior art. In the adsorption bed where compressed air is supplied from the PSA oxygen generator and the gas separation process is performed, the adsorption bed has a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior and has 3 It has a stage structure that communicates up and down, and a perforated plate is installed between each stage. The lower manifold-type bed plug is equipped with a moisture adsorption unit equipped with a moisture adsorbent for the moisture pre-adsorption process to prevent moisture contamination, and the middle stage is equipped with a nitrogen adsorbent. It is equipped with a nitrogen adsorption unit that adsorbs nitrogen from compressed air from which moisture has been removed, and the upper manifold-type bed plug is equipped with a bed compression unit equipped with a buffer spring to secure the nitrogen adsorbent in the nitrogen adsorption unit, making it a single device. The adsorption bed can perform all of the functions of moisture adsorption, nitrogen adsorption, and nitrogen adsorbent compression and fixation, and a type of manifold-type bed stopper with multiple ports is formed on the upper and lower sides of the adsorption bed to reduce mold and injection costs. The purpose is to provide an integrated PSA oxygen generator for moisture and nitrogen absorption with a multi-functional adsorption bed that can quickly perform the PSA process by providing a total of 6 ports, pipes, and valves in each adsorption bed. there is.

The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from preferred embodiments of the present invention.

The present invention is intended to achieve the above object,

The moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an air compressor that compresses filtered outdoor air, a directional control valve that distributes compressed air, and moisture and nitrogen in the compressed air distributed and supplied through direction control. In the PSA oxygen generator, which includes a pair of adsorption beds that adsorb and separate oxygen from oxygen, an oxygen storage tank that stores the separated oxygen, and a flow rate controller that supplies a certain amount of the stored oxygen to an external device, the adsorption bed It is a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior, and has a three-stage structure that communicates up and down. A perforated plate is installed between each stage. A moisture adsorption unit is placed at the bottom and equipped with a moisture adsorbent to absorb moisture from the compressed air introduced into the adsorption bed; A nitrogen adsorption unit disposed at the middle stage and equipped with a nitrogen adsorbent to adsorb nitrogen from compressed air from which moisture has been removed; And a bed compression unit disposed at the top and compressing the inside of the nitrogen adsorption unit, wherein the moisture adsorption unit and the nitrogen adsorption unit are formed as an integrated unit.

According to one embodiment, the pair of moisture adsorption units includes: adsorption ports formed on one side of each other to face each other; An adsorption unit pipe connecting a pair of adsorption unit ports; An adsorption valve provided at a predetermined position in the adsorption unit pipe to control the opening and closing of the pipe; and an input port through which compressed air is input; wherein the pair of bed compression units includes: a pair of compression unit ports formed on one side of each other to face each other; A compression section pipe connecting a pair of compression section ports; A compression valve provided to control opening and closing of the compression pipe at a predetermined position in the compression pipe; and a discharge port for discharging oxygen separated from the compressed air.

According to one embodiment, an adsorption unit connection port formed on the other side of the bed compression unit; A compression portion connection port formed on the other side of the moisture adsorption portion; An adsorption compression pipe connecting the adsorption unit connection port and the compression unit connection port; It further includes an adsorption compression valve provided at a predetermined position in the adsorption compression pipe to control opening and closing of the pipe.

According to one embodiment, it further includes a compression spring provided in the inner space of the bed compression unit to be compressed or released in the vertical direction. In order to prevent the flow of the nitrogen adsorbent, the perforated plate is lowered into the nitrogen adsorbent to release the nitrogen adsorbent. It is characterized by tight fixation.

According to one embodiment, it further includes a compression spring provided in the inner space of the bed compression unit to be compressed or released in the vertical direction. In order to prevent the flow of the nitrogen adsorbent, the perforated plate is lowered into the nitrogen adsorbent to release the nitrogen adsorbent. It is characterized by tight fixation.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the moisture and nitrogen absorption integrated PSA oxygen generator of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

First, since both moisture removal and nitrogen removal from compressed air can be performed through a single adsorption bed, heat exchangers and secondary filters are unnecessary, gas removal efficiency is increased, and the adsorption bed can be made smaller, lighter, and more functional.

Second, a pressure spring is provided at the top of the adsorption bed, which lowers the perforated plate to press the nitrogen adsorbent and increase its density, thereby improving the adsorption rate and preventing dust.

Third, each pair of adsorption beds is formed with a total of six ports, and a pipe is connected between the moisture adsorption part of each pair of adsorption beds and the bed compression part through one port on each side, and the moisture adsorption part of each adsorption bed is connected to each other through a port on one side. and the bed compression section are connected to a pipe through a port on each other side, so that the pressure of both beds can be quickly equalized by opening the pipe during the replacement process (pressure swing), so the process shift between the production bed and the cleaning bed is quick and It can be done with precision.

Fourth, the moisture adsorption unit located at the bottom of the adsorption bed can be periodically converted to vacuum and exhaust mode to increase the efficiency of moisture removal inside the adsorption bed.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of an integrated PSA oxygen generator for moisture and nitrogen absorption according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an adsorption bed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the production process of one bed and the cleaning process of the other bed of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a pressure equalization process through a replacement process of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the cleaning of one bed and the production process of the other bed after completing the pressure equalization and replacement process of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Prior to describing the present invention, the following specific structural and functional descriptions are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be modified and implemented in various forms. and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in detail below.

In addition, since the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention can make various changes and have various forms, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification.

However, this is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to a specific disclosed form, and should be understood to include changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

This example is provided to more completely explain the present invention to those with average knowledge in the art. Therefore, the shapes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

It should be noted that identical members in each drawing may be indicated by the same reference numerals. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that are judged to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention are omitted.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of an integrated PSA oxygen generator for moisture and nitrogen adsorption according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an adsorption bed according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram showing the production of one bed and the cleaning process of the other bed of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram showing the pressure equalization process, and Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the cleaning of one bed and the production process of the other bed after completing the pressure equalization and replacement process of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. am.

The moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an external air filter 200, an air compressor 300, a pair of adsorption beds 100 and 100', and a direction control valve 400. ), an oxygen storage tank 500, a flow rate controller 600, and an integrated control unit (not shown).

The outside air filter (200) primarily filters air by introducing it from the outside of the oxygen generator, and the outside air filtered by the outside air filter (200) is compressed in the air compressor (300) and then released to one side by the direction control valve (400). When the direction control for distribution to the adsorption bed 100 and the other adsorption bed 100' is performed, and the compressed air 20 is supplied to one of the adsorption beds 100 (100') on one side and the other side through direction control, The adsorption bed 100 (100') adsorbs moisture and nitrogen from the compressed air 20 and separates oxygen. Then, the separated oxygen is sent to the oxygen storage tank 500 and stored, and the flow controller 600 supplies a certain amount of the stored oxygen to the desired external device.

However, the above-described configuration is the general configuration and function of the PSA oxygen generator, and the structure and operation of each component are known to the public, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Since the integrated PSA oxygen generator 10 for moisture and nitrogen absorption according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is characterized by the structure of the multifunctional adsorption bed 100 (100'), this will be mainly explained in the following description. .

The adsorption beds (100) (100') are composed of a pair due to the nature of the PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) oxygen generator and are placed on one side and the other. Since the configuration of each adsorption bed (100) (100') is the same, it will be described below. The structure and function of the adsorption beds 100 and 100' apply to both adsorption beds 100 and 100'.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adsorption beds 100 and 100' are cylindrical in shape with a hollow interior, and are configured to communicate up and down in a three-stage structure, with moisture adsorption units 110 and 110' in order from the bottom to the top. ), nitrogen adsorption units 120 (120'), and bed compression units 130 (130'), and may be configured to include porous plates 150 (150') interpolated between each stage. .

The moisture adsorption unit 110 (110') is disposed at the bottom and connected to the direction control valve 400, and the moisture adsorbent 116 (116') is installed inside so that the compressed air 20 flows through the direction control valve 400. ), it functions to adsorb moisture from the compressed air (20) when input into the adsorption bed (100) (100').

The moisture adsorbent (116) (116') can be made of alumina as an embodiment of the present invention, and the moisture adsorption portion (110) (110') is compressed as moisture accumulates inside after adsorbing moisture. Since the moisture adsorption rate in the air 20 may decrease, moisture removal efficiency can be increased by periodically creating a vacuum state and performing an exhaust operation to release internal moisture to the outside.

The nitrogen adsorption units 120 and 120' are disposed at the middle stage and have nitrogen adsorbents 121 and 121' installed therein, and nitrogen adsorption occurs after moisture is removed through the moisture adsorption units 110 and 110'. It functions to adsorb nitrogen from the compressed air 20 supplied to the unit 120 (120').

The nitrogen adsorbent 121 (121') can be manufactured from a zeolite material as an embodiment of the present invention. Zeolite has pores at the molecular level, so nitrogen molecules with a relatively small molecular size are adsorbed and trapped in the pores of the zeolite. On the other hand, oxygen molecules with relatively large molecular sizes pass through the zeolite without being adsorbed, resulting in the separation of oxygen and nitrogen.

However, the problem is that zeolite has a very strong bonding power with moisture, so when compressed air 20 from which moisture has not been removed is introduced into the nitrogen adsorption unit 120 (120'), moisture contamination of the zeolite occurs, and thus the nitrogen adsorbent 121 As (121') cannot adsorb nitrogen, a problem arises in which oxygen and nitrogen cannot be separated.

In order to solve the above problem, in the conventional invention, a heat exchanger and a filter to separate and purify moisture by cooling the compressed air (20) must be installed separately in the step before introducing the compressed air (20) into the adsorption bed (100) (100'). Problems such as complex configuration, large size, and inefficiency arose.

However, in the adsorption bed 100 (100') of the present invention, the moisture adsorption part 110 (110') is disposed below the nitrogen adsorption part 120 (120'), so that the adsorption bed 100 is used as a pre-step of nitrogen adsorption. Within (100'), moisture adsorption occurs first and then nitrogen adsorption occurs immediately, so that not only can a single bed be miniaturized to perform multiple functions, but also the efficiency of moisture and nitrogen removal can be increased, and the nitrogen adsorbent (121) ( 121') durability performance can be secured.

At this time, a porous plate 150 is installed between the moisture adsorption unit 110 (110') and the nitrogen adsorption unit 120 (120'). The porous plate 150 is installed in the moisture adsorption unit 110 (110'). It functions to block moisture from being supplied into the nitrogen adsorption unit 120 (120') by allowing air from which moisture has been removed to pass, but preventing moisture from passing through.

The bed compression section (130) (130') is placed at the top and connected to the oxygen storage tank (500), and passes through the moisture adsorption section (110) (110') and the nitrogen adsorption section (120) (120') to absorb moisture and It serves as a passage to supply pure oxygen (30) from which nitrogen has been separated to the oxygen storage tank (500).

A compression spring 136 may be provided in the internal space of the bed compression unit 130 (130'). The compression spring 136 is installed to be compressed or released in an upward direction to compress the bed compression unit 130 (130'). When the upper surface of the lowers, it compresses the compression spring 136, and the compression spring 136 is provided between the bed compression section 130 (130') and the nitrogen adsorption section 120 (120'). ) is pressed downward, and the porous plate 150 is pushed into the nitrogen adsorbent 120 (120') and presses the nitrogen adsorbent (121) (121').

Through this operation, the adsorption members such as zeolite that make up the nitrogen adsorbent (121) (121') come into close contact with each other and become denser, increasing the density and fixing the effect, thereby preventing the fluidity of the nitrogen adsorbent (121) (121'). It has the effect of preventing dust from the adsorption member, and can also be expected to have the effect of preventing nitrogen from passing through the gaps in the adsorption member, mixing with pure oxygen (30), and being supplied to the oxygen storage tank (500).

In this way, the adsorption bed (100) (100') of the present invention has the moisture adsorption section (110) (110'), the nitrogen adsorption section (120) (120'), and the bed compression section (130) (130') in one direction. It is a monolithic form composed side by side, and moisture adsorption and nitrogen adsorption are performed sequentially in the single adsorption bed (100) (100'), and the pressure tightening function of the nitrogen adsorbent (121) (121') prevents dust from adsorption members such as zeolite and Multifunctionality is realized by improving density, and in addition, miniaturization and weight reduction effects can be achieved.

Meanwhile, the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator (10) of the present invention has a total of six ports in each adsorption bed (100) (100'), so that a pair of adsorption beds (100) (100') can be used quickly and easily with each other. Smooth pressure equalization and pressure swing in the production-cleaning process can be achieved.

For this purpose, the adsorption bed (100) (100') has three ports each in the moisture adsorption section (110) (110') and the bed compression section (130) (130'), so that the adsorption bed (100) (100') ) can have a total of 6 ports.

First, the moisture adsorption unit 110 (110') may be configured to include an adsorption unit port (112) (112'), an input port (111) (111'), and a compression unit connection port (115) (115'). there is.

The adsorption ports 112 and 112' are formed to face each other on one side of the pair of moisture adsorption parts 110 and 110', and the pair of adsorption ports 112 and 112' are connected to the adsorption tube. The furnaces 113 are connected to each other, and an absorption valve 114 is provided at a predetermined position in the absorption pipe 113 to control the opening and closing of the passage inside the pipe.

Accordingly, the pair of adsorption beds 100 and 100' have a structure in which the moisture adsorption units 110 and 110' communicate with each other.

The input ports 111 and 111' are provided at the bottom of the moisture adsorption unit 110 and 110' and are connected to a pipe leading to the direction control valve 400, and the compressed air 20 absorbs moisture through the pipe. It is input into unit 110 (110').

On the other hand, an exhaust port (not shown) may be formed at the bottom of the moisture adsorption unit 110 (110') as a separate port of a similar shape to the input port 111 (111'), and the moisture adsorption unit may be formed through the exhaust port. (110) (110') may have a structure that communicates directly with the outside and performs a vacuum exhaust function.

However, the input port 111 (111') and the exhaust port may be configured as a single port and may be provided to perform both the input function of the compressed air 20 and the vacuum exhaust function, or, as described above, the exhaust port may be the input port ( 111) It may be formed separately from (111') and configured to perform the functions of input and exhaust respectively.

In the following description, the explanation will be made on the assumption that the input port 111 (111') performs both the input of compressed air 20 and the function of the vacuum exhaust mode without a separate exhaust port. However, the input port 111 is used as a single port. ) It can be understood that each role of (111') is performed in the same way as when the exhaust port is configured separately.

The compression section connection port 115 (115') is formed on the other side of the moisture adsorption section 110 (110'), which is formed on the other side of the bed compression section 130 (130') by the adsorption compression pipe 140. It can be connected to the adsorption unit connection port (135) (135').

Next, the bed compression section (130) (130') will be comprised of compression section ports (132) (132'), discharge ports (131) (131'), and adsorption section connection ports (135) (135'). You can.

The compression ports 132 and 132' are formed to face each other on one side of the pair of bed compression portions 130 and 130', and the pair of compression ports 132 and 132' are connected to the compression pipe. The furnaces 133 are connected to each other, and a compression valve 134 may be provided at a predetermined position in the compression pipe passage to control the opening and closing of the passage inside the pipe.

Accordingly, the pair of bed compression units 130 and 130' have a structure in which the bed compression units 130 and 130' communicate with each other, which is similar to the structure of the moisture adsorption units 110 and 110'.

The discharge port (131) (131') is provided at the top of the bed compression unit (130) (130'), and the moisture and nitrogen are separated from the compressed air (20) as it passes through the adsorption bed (100) (100'). An outlet function is provided to supply oxygen (30) to the oxygen storage tank (500) outside the adsorption bed (100) (100') through a pipe connecting the discharge port (131) (131') and the oxygen storage tank (500). do.

The adsorption unit connection port (135) (135') is formed on the other side of the bed compression unit (130) (130') and is connected to the adsorption compression pipe 140, which is used for adsorption of the other side of the moisture adsorption unit (110) (110'). It is coupled to the subconnection port (135) (135').

Ultimately, the bed compression section (130) (130') and the moisture adsorption section (110) (110') are connected to the adsorption section connection port (135) (135'), the compression section connection port (115) (115'), and the adsorption compression pipe. It has a structure that communicates with each other through (140), and adsorption compression valves (141) (141') are provided at predetermined positions on the adsorption compression pipe (140) to control opening and closing of the pipe.

With the above-described configuration, the adsorption bed (100) (100') of the present invention includes an input port (111) (111'), an adsorption port (112) (112'), a compression section connection port (115) (115'), A total of six ports are provided, including discharge ports (131) (131'), compression ports (132) (132'), and adsorption ports (135) (135').

Accordingly, a pair of adsorption beds (100) (100') have an adsorption unit pipe (113) connecting a pair of adsorption ports (112) (112') and a pair of compression ports (132) (132'), respectively. ) and has a structure that communicates with each other through the compression pipe 133.

In addition, each adsorption bed (100) (100') has a compression section connection port (115) (115') and an adsorption section connection port between the moisture adsorption section (110) (110') and the bed compression section (130) (130'). It has a structure in which the upper and lower components communicate with each other by the adsorption compression pipe 140 connecting (135) (135').

In addition, the adsorption unit pipe 113, the compression unit pipe 133, and the adsorption compression pipe 140 are each provided with a valve, so that the opening and closing of the pipes can be controlled.

The operation of the moisture and nitrogen absorption integrated PSA oxygen generator 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention based on the above configuration will be described as follows.

The PSA oxygen generator is equipped with a pair of adsorption beds (100) (100'), and one of the adsorption beds (100) (100') on one side and the other side by selective combination of the direction control valve (400). ) It performs the function of supplying compressed air (20) only to (100').

That is, in the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator (10) of the present invention, when compressed air (20) is supplied to one side of the adsorption bed (100), one side of the adsorption bed (100) adsorbs and removes moisture and nitrogen in order from the bottom to the top. The adsorption and separation process is performed to generate pure oxygen (30), which flows into the oxygen storage tank (500) through the discharge port (131).

This is called the production process.

In the production process, the one-side adsorption bed 100 is produced by compressing air from the air compressor 300 and injecting it into the adsorption bed 100 at high pressure, thereby forming a high-pressure state inside the one-side adsorption bed 100. do.

At this time, the other adsorption bed 100' performs a cleaning process.

The cleaning process is to prepare for the production process by cleaning while one side of the adsorption bed 100 is performing the production process in order to perform the production process on the other side of the adsorption bed 100'. This is to take over the production process and perform replacement before the process progresses and the nitrogen adsorbent 121 reaches a predetermined adsorption limit, and as a preparatory process for this, it has the function of washing away the nitrogen remaining inside the tag adsorption bed 100'. Perform.

This is called the cleaning process.

However, in order to perform cleaning work in a conventional PSA oxygen generator, a decompression process is first performed to lower the high pressure inside the bed formed during the production work process, and then the cleaning work is performed. Once cleaning is completed, the cleaning work is performed again in preparation for performing the production work. A pressurization process is performed to increase the internal pressure.

Ultimately, when one bed performs production work, the other bed goes through the decompression, cleaning, and pressurization processes in that order. The problem is that it takes a considerable amount of time to control the pressure changes of these decompression and pressurization.

In other words, at the moment before the bed replacement, one bed was in a high pressure state because strong compressed air was injected for production work, and the other bed was in a low pressure state because the pressure was decompressed for cleaning, so in order to perform production work, one bed was in a state of high pressure. The pressurization process to increase the pressure to the same level must be performed again.

Therefore, in order for production of one bed to be completed and transferred to the other bed, the depressurization or pressurization process for the other bed must be completed, and the pressure of both beds must be equalized, which takes a considerable amount of time and energy, causing inefficiency problems. do.

Accordingly, the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator 10 of the present invention can solve the problems of the conventional PSA oxygen generator described above through the six ports described above.

First, one side of the adsorption bed 100 performs a production process and the other side of the adsorption bed 100' performs a cleaning process. Then, the other side of the adsorption bed 100' performs a production process and one side of the adsorption bed 100 performs a cleaning process. It is assumed that a replacement process (pressure swing) is performed.

First, compressed air 20 is injected at a strong pressure into the input port 111 of one side of the adsorption bed 100, and moisture and nitrogen are separated in that order while passing through the moisture adsorption unit 110 and the nitrogen adsorption unit 120, The generated pure oxygen 30 is discharged through the discharge port 131 and supplied to the oxygen storage tank 500 through a pipe connected to the oxygen storage tank 500.

At this time, the pipe connecting the discharge port 131 and the oxygen storage tank 500 is branched at a predetermined position and connected to the discharge port 131' of the other side adsorption bed 100', and the bed compression of the other side adsorption bed 100' is performed. From the part 130', the water penetrates the moisture absorption part 110' under strong pressure and is discharged to the lower input port 111' or a separate exhaust port.

Since nitrogen remains in the adsorption bed 100' as the nitrogen adsorbent 121' adsorbs nitrogen in the nitrogen adsorption unit 120' during the production process, in order for the adsorption bed 100' to perform the production process again, Prior to the production process, a cleaning procedure must be performed to wash away nitrogen through a cleaning process. Pure oxygen (30) discharged from one adsorption bed (100) is supplied to the oxygen storage tank (500), and some of it is supplied to the supply pipe. It branches out from the furnace and is pushed out under strong pressure as cleaning oxygen 40, and when injected into the discharge port 131' of the other adsorption bed 100', the strong pressure cleaning oxygen 40 penetrates the adsorption bed 100'. While doing so, it moves to be discharged along the input port (111') or a separate exhaust port (not shown). In this process, the nitrogen adsorbed on the nitrogen adsorbent (121') is desorbed, and the nitrogen remaining in the moisture adsorption unit (110') is desorbed. Moisture is also released.

In this way, when compressed air (20) is supplied to one side of the adsorption bed (100) and nitrogen adsorption occurs and pure oxygen (30) is generated, pure oxygen (30) is generated in the other side of the adsorption bed (100') to which compressed air (20) is not supplied. ) As the branched cleaning oxygen 40 is introduced in the reverse direction, nitrogen desorption and moisture removal occur, and these nitrogen adsorption and desorption processes are repeatedly performed alternately between one adsorption bed 100 and the other adsorption bed 100'. I do it.

The reason why the nitrogen desorption and replacement process is necessary is that if the nitrogen adsorbent (121) (121') such as zeolite does not perform the above-mentioned desorption process, the space for adsorbing nitrogen is reduced, and the nitrogen separation function is reduced, and the pure oxygen (30) This is because the creation function cannot be performed.

Now, let us assume that the nitrogen adsorbent 121 in one side of the adsorption bed 100 has reached an appropriate level and a replacement process is carried out so that the production process can be performed in the other side of the adsorption bed 100'.

First, the spool-type directional control valve 400 can distribute compressed air 20 to one side (e.g. left), neutral, and the other side (e.g. right) by the flow of the spool, and one side adsorption bed 100 is used in the production process. In order to use it as an ON state in which only the left side is opened due to the flow of the spool, for the replacement process, the spool is now set in neutral to the OFF state, so that not only one side but also the other side of the adsorption bed (100) (100') is in the OFF state. Block the supply of compressed air (20) inside.

When the direction control valve 400 is ON, the adsorption valve 114, compression valve 134, and adsorption compression valve 141 (141') are all OFF, and the replacement process is now performed. When the direction control valve 400 is turned OFF to proceed, the compressed air 20 is not supplied to the adsorption beds 100 and 100' on both sides, and the adsorption valve 114 continues to compress. The sub-valve 134 and the adsorption compression valves 141 and 141' are converted to the ON state, and the adsorption sub-pipe 113, the compression sub-pipe 133, and the adsorption compression conduit 140 are opened.

When one side of the adsorption bed 100 was in a production process and the other side of the adsorption bed 100' was in a cleaning process, the internal pressure of one side of the adsorption bed 100 was high and the pressure inside the other side of the adsorption bed 100' was low. As described above, the direction control valve 400 is in the OFF state and the three valves connected to one side and the other side, the adsorption valve 114, the compression valve 134, and the adsorption compression valve 141 (141') When all of the suction beds are opened, the air moves quickly from the high-pressure adsorption bed 100 to the low-pressure adsorption bed 100' on the other side due to the pressure difference, thereby increasing the pressure between one side and the other adsorption bed 100 (100'). This pressure equalization is achieved.

That is, as the adsorption valve 114 and the compression valve 134 are opened (ON), the bed compression portion 130 (130') and moisture adsorption of the adsorption bed (100) (100') on one side where the pressure is relatively high. Air is quickly transferred from the unit 110 (110') to the bed compression unit 130 (130') and the moisture adsorption unit 110 (110') of the other adsorption bed 100 (100'), where the pressure is relatively low. Movement occurs, and pressure is quickly equalized between the adsorption beds 100 and 100' formed in parallel on one side and the other.

At the same time, as the adsorption compression valves 141 and 141' are opened, the strong air pressure 50 moves, causing the adsorption bed on one side with a relatively low pressure to move from the bed compression section 130 of the adsorption bed 100 on one side with a relatively high pressure. As air moves to the moisture adsorption unit 110 of (100), equalization of upper and lower pressure is achieved between the same adsorption beds (100). At this time, the upper and lower bed compression parts 130' and the moisture adsorption part 110' of the other adsorption bed 100' are in communication, so that air moves from a place where the pressure is high to a place where the pressure is low, and in this way, the same adsorption bed ( 100'), pressure is equalized even inside.

Through this replacement process, the pressure between the adsorption beds (100) (100') on one side and the other side, which perform the production process and the cleaning process, is quickly equalized, and thus the pressure on both sides is equalized. The role of the adsorption bed 100' performing the production process and the adsorption bed 100 on one side performing the cleaning process can be quickly replaced.

For example, if one side of the adsorption bed 100 during the production process is in a pressure state of 2.5 bar, the other side adsorption bed 100' during the cleaning process is in a depressurized state of 1.0 bar. In order to change roles, one side of the adsorption bed 100 must be The work of lowering the pressure and increasing the pressure of the other side of the adsorption bed (100') to equalize the pressure level inside both adsorption beds (100) (100') to the same level of 1.2 to 2.2 bar must be preceded.

However, in the conventional invention, in this process, in order to equalize the pressure of one bed while depressurizing and pressurizing the other bed, a pressure check sensor (not shown) is further installed and connected to an integrated control unit to receive a control signal through electrical communication. It took a long time because it had to be adjusted while transmitting and receiving detection signals and checking the air pressure at the front of the spool valve. In addition, if the spool valve malfunctions, the supply passage is blocked and a deviation occurs between the left and right beds, resulting in time delays due to errors. Problems of limiting pure oxygen generation often appeared.

On the other hand, the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator (10) of the present invention achieves rapid pressure equalization between the adsorption beds (100) (100') coupled through the six ports of each adsorption bed (100) (100'). Since rapid pressure equalization is achieved even within the same adsorption bed (100) (100'), both adsorption beds (100) (100') have the characteristic of quickly and accurately adjusting the uniform air pressure (50).

Now, when the pressure equalization and replacement process is completed, the spool, which was set in neutral for the OFF state, is switched to the ON state with only the right side opened so that it is connected to the other side suction bed (100'). Supply compressed air (20) to.

Now, while performing the production process, the other adsorption bed (100') removes moisture and nitrogen from the compressed air (20) to produce pure oxygen (30) and supplies it to the oxygen storage tank (500), and one side adsorption bed (100') ) performs a process of desorbing nitrogen remaining in the nitrogen adsorption unit 120 through the production process immediately before performing the cleaning process and removing moisture remaining in the moisture adsorption unit 110.

Afterwards, when the adsorption capacity of the nitrogen adsorption unit 120' in the other adsorption bed 100' reaches an appropriate level, the replacement process is performed again, and the production process is performed in one adsorption bed 100 and the other adsorption bed 100'. The cleaning process is performed, and as these roles are alternated and continuously performed, the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator (10) of the present invention performs the production, cleaning, and replacement processes quickly and accurately, supplying pure oxygen (30), and Cleaning is performed stably, ensuring high efficiency.

This is a key feature of the moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator (10) of the present invention, which includes a moisture adsorption unit (110) (110'), a nitrogen adsorption unit (120) (120), and a single adsorption bed (100) (100'). ') and the bed compression unit 130 (130') are all configured in a single adsorption bed (100) (100'), so that not only is it miniaturized and lightweight, but the production and cleaning processes can be carried out efficiently, and each adsorption bed ( 100)(100') is formed with a total of 6 ports to form a communication structure between the plurality of adsorption beds (100) (100') and within each adsorption bed (100) (100') to quickly equalize pressure. This can be attributed to the structure designed to enable a quick, accurate, and malfunction-free replacement process.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible.

Therefore, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the forms mentioned in the detailed description above. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the attached patent claims.

In addition, the present invention should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

10: Moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator
20: compressed air
30: pure oxygen
40: cleaning oxygen
50: air pressure
100: Suction bed
110: Moisture adsorption unit
111: input port
112: Suction port
113: Adsorption pipe
114: Suction valve
115: Compression unit connection port
116: Moisture adsorbent
120: Nitrogen adsorption unit
121: Nitrogen adsorbent
130: Bed compression unit
131: discharge port
132: Compression port
133: Compression pipe
134: Compression valve
135: Suction unit connection port
136: Compression spring
140: Adsorption compression pipe
141: Adsorption compression valve
150: Perforated plate
200: Outdoor air filter
300: Air compressor
400: Direction control valve
500: Oxygen storage tank
600: Flow regulator

Claims (5)

An air compressor that compresses filtered outdoor air, a direction control valve that distributes compressed air, a pair of adsorption beds that adsorb moisture and nitrogen in the compressed air distributed and supplied through direction control and separate them from oxygen, and a separate In the PSA oxygen generator including an oxygen storage tank that stores oxygen and a flow rate controller that supplies a certain amount of the stored oxygen to an external device,
In each of the pair of adsorption beds,
It is a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior, and has a three-stage structure that communicates up and down, with a perforated plate installed between each stage.
A moisture adsorption unit disposed at the bottom and equipped with a moisture adsorbent to adsorb moisture from the compressed air introduced into the adsorption bed;
A nitrogen adsorption unit disposed at the middle stage and equipped with a nitrogen adsorbent to adsorb nitrogen from compressed air from which moisture has been removed; and
It further includes a bed compression unit disposed at the top and compressing the inside of the nitrogen adsorption unit,
The moisture adsorption part and the nitrogen adsorption part are formed as one piece,
Moisture adsorption part,
Adsorption ports formed on each side to face each other;
An adsorption unit pipe connecting a pair of adsorption unit ports;
An adsorption valve provided at a predetermined position in the adsorption unit pipe to control the opening and closing of the pipe; and
It further includes an input port through which compressed air is input,
The bed compression unit,
Compression ports formed on each side to face each other;
A compression section pipe connecting a pair of compression section ports;
A compression valve provided to control opening and closing of the compression pipe at a predetermined position in the compression pipe; and
It further includes a discharge port for discharging oxygen separated from the compressed air,
An adsorption unit connection port formed on the other side of the bed compression unit;
A compression portion connection port formed on the other side of the moisture adsorption portion;
An adsorption compression pipe connecting the adsorption unit connection port and the compression unit connection port; and
It further includes an adsorption compression valve provided at a predetermined position in the adsorption compression pipe to control opening and closing of the pipe,
When the direction control valve is in the OFF state, compressed air is not supplied to the pair of adsorption beds, and the adsorption valve, compression valve, and adsorption compression valve are switched to the ON state, leading to the adsorption pipe and compression valve. An integrated PSA oxygen generator for moisture and nitrogen absorption, characterized in that the auxiliary pipe and the adsorption compression pipe are open. delete delete According to paragraph 1,
It further includes a compression spring provided to compress or relax in the vertical direction in the internal space of the bed compression unit,
In order to prevent the flow of the nitrogen adsorbent, the porous plate is lowered into the nitrogen adsorption unit to tightly fix the nitrogen adsorbent.
Moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator. According to paragraph 1,
The moisture absorbent is made of alumina material,
The nitrogen adsorbent is characterized in that it is manufactured from zeolite material,
Moisture and nitrogen adsorption integrated PSA oxygen generator.