KR20190116925A - Apparatus for Providing Gas and the Operating Method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a gas separation unit for separating oxygen and nitrogen in source air; and a housing in which the gas separation unit is seated. The housing comprises: an air inlet through which the source air is introduced; an oxygen outlet for discharging concentrated oxygen gas separated by the gas separation unit; and a nitrogen outlet for discharging concentrated nitrogen gas separated by the gas separation unit. Positive pressure can be applied to the air inlet, and negative pressure can be applied to at least one outlet of the oxygen outlet or the nitrogen outlet at the same time as the positive pressure is applied.

Description

Apparatus for Providing Gas and the Operating Method

The present invention relates to a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device, and more particularly, to a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device for providing a high gas flow rate and a high purity gas with a small capacity compressor.

Recently, research on a technology for producing high purity gas has been conducted. In particular, in the case of gas, research is being conducted on a technique for separating nitrogen and oxygen from air. High purity nitrogen and high purity oxygen have various applications.

For example, high purity nitrogen is used to maintain food freshness. In other words, by keeping the food in a high concentration nitrogen atmosphere to prevent the progress of oxidation.

In addition, high purity oxygen is used to improve the respiratory environment.

However, in providing high purity gas, there is a great need for technology development because it does not comprehensively consider gas separation efficiency, noise problem, and gas separation speed.

Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention have invented a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device that have solved a comprehensive technical problem such as gas separation efficiency, noise problem, gas separation speed, and miniaturization.

One technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device having a high nitrogen gas flow rate and high nitrogen purity.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device having a high oxygen gas flow rate and high oxygen purity.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device driven by a low-capacity compressor.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a gas providing device and a method of operating the gas providing device for recirculating high purity gas.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above.

Gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the gas separation unit for separating the oxygen and nitrogen in the source air (source air); And a housing in which the gas separator is seated, wherein the housing is separated by an air inlet through which source air is introduced, an oxygen outlet through which oxygen enriched gas separated by the gas separator is discharged, and the gas separator. And a nitrogen outlet through which nitrogen enriched gas is discharged, and a positive pressure is applied to the air inlet, and at the same time the negative pressure is applied to at least one outlet of the oxygen outlet or the nitrogen outlet. Can be applied.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus may further include a first compressor providing the positive pressure and a second compressor providing the sound pressure.

According to one embodiment, the oxygen concentration of the oxygen enrichment gas is higher than the oxygen concentration of the source air, the nitrogen concentration of the nitrogen enrichment gas may be higher than the nitrogen concentration of the source air.

According to one embodiment, the nitrogen outlet is in communication with the food reservoir, the nitrogen enrichment gas may be provided to the food reservoir.

According to one embodiment, the oxygen concentrated gas discharged from the oxygen outlet may be provided to the respiratory organ.

According to one embodiment, the gas separation unit may be formed of a plurality of hollow fibers or spiral-wound type separation membrane.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control apparatus may further include a controller configured to control at least one of the positive pressure and the negative pressure according to whether the source air introduced into the air inlet is re-introduced after passing through the gas separation unit.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, if it is determined that the source air flowing into the air inlet has already re-introduced after passing through the gas separating unit, the source air flowing into the air inlet is first introduced into the gas separating unit. In case, the gas providing apparatus for reducing the magnitude of at least one of the positive pressure and the negative pressure.

Method of operation of the gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, providing a source air at a positive pressure to the air inlet located in the inlet end of the gas separation unit for separating oxygen and nitrogen; At the same time as providing the source air at the positive pressure, providing a negative pressure at the outlet end of the gas separator; And providing at least one concentrated gas of an oxygen concentrated gas and a nitrogen concentrated gas separated by the gas separation unit.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the providing of the concentrated gas may include providing the nitrogen concentrated gas to a food storage, and further comprising recycling the nitrogen concentrated gas provided to the food storage back to the gas separation unit. can do.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the providing of the concentrated gas may provide the oxygen concentrated gas to a respiratory organ.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may further include controlling the magnitude of at least one of the positive pressure and the negative pressure according to whether the source air provided to the gas separation part has re-introduced after passing through the gas separation part.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, if it is determined that the source air flowing into the air inlet has already passed through the gas separation unit, the source air flowing into the air inlet is separated first. In case of inflow to the negative, the positive pressure applied to the inlet end of the gas separation unit and the negative pressure applied to the outflow end of the gas separation unit may include a step.

According to one embodiment, the nitrogen / oxygen concentration of the source air passing through the gas separation unit may be increased by the positive pressure by the step of providing the source air and the negative pressure by the step of providing the negative pressure.

Gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the gas separation unit for separating the oxygen and nitrogen in the source air (source air); And a housing in which the gas separator is seated, wherein the housing is separated by an air inlet through which source air is introduced, an oxygen outlet through which oxygen enriched gas separated by the gas separator is discharged, and the gas separator. And a nitrogen outlet through which nitrogen enriched gas is discharged, and a positive pressure is applied to the air inlet, and at the same time the negative pressure is applied to at least one outlet of the oxygen outlet or the nitrogen outlet. Can be applied.

Accordingly, by simultaneously applying the positive pressure and the negative pressure, it is possible to provide a high concentration of nitrogen / oxygen gas while providing a high flow rate.

Furthermore, since the absolute pressure of the positive and negative pressures can be minimized while maintaining the quality of gas separation, the size of the compressor can be minimized and the noise can be minimized.

1 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining a gas separation module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining a method of operating the gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a first application example of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a first modified example of the first application example of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a second modified example of the first application example of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining a method of operating a gas providing apparatus according to a second modified example of the first application example of the present invention.
8 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a second application example of the present invention.
9 is a view for explaining a gas providing device according to a first modified example of the second application example of the present invention.
10 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a second modified example of the second application example of the present invention.
11 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a third modified example of the second application example of the present invention.
12 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a fourth modified example of the second application example of the present invention.
13 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a fifth modified example of the second application example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosed contents are thorough and complete, and that the spirit of the present invention can be sufficiently delivered to those skilled in the art.

In the present specification, when a component is mentioned to be on another component, it means that it may be formed directly on the other component or a third component may be interposed therebetween. In addition, in the drawings, the shape and size are exaggerated for the effective description of the technical content.

In addition, in various embodiments of the present specification, terms such as first, second, and third are used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Thus, what is referred to as a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiment. In addition, the term 'and / or' is used herein to include at least one of the components listed before and after.

In the specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, the terms "comprise" or "having" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, element, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features or numbers, steps, configurations It should not be understood to exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of elements or combinations thereof. In addition, the term "connection" is used herein to mean both indirectly connecting a plurality of components, and directly connecting.

In addition, in the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The gas separation apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention may separate oxygen / nitrogen from source air at high gas flow rate and high purity. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the food preservation environment by applying to a field of application requiring a high concentration of nitrogen gas, for example, a food storage. In addition, it is possible to improve the respiratory environment by applying to applications that require a high concentration of oxygen gas, for example, body respiratory products. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view for explaining a gas separation module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, a gas providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment may include a gas separation module 110. The gas separation module 110 may perform a function of selectively separating nitrogen and oxygen from the source air SA.

To this end, as shown in FIG. 2, the gas separation module 110 may include a gas separation unit 118 and a housing 102 on which the gas separation unit 118 is seated.

The gas separator 118 may have a structure in which a plurality of hollow fibers are aggregated in the longitudinal direction. For example, the gas separation unit 118 may have a structure in which tens, hundreds or thousands of hollow yarns are aggregated. The number of hollow yarns is only one example and is not limited now.

The hollow yarn may separate nitrogen and oxygen using a partial pressure difference phenomenon of gas. For example, oxygen, specifically oxygen molecules, may be smaller than nitrogen, specifically nitrogen molecules. Thus, oxygen may have a higher gas permeability than nitrogen. As a result, nitrogen having a low gas permeability can pass hollow fibers in the longitudinal direction more than oxygen having a high gas permeability. Therefore, the hollow fiber can separate the oxygen enriched gas (OA) and the nitrogen concentrated gas (NA) from the source air SA.

The gas separation unit is a gas separation obtained from polysulfone series, polyether sulfone series, polyimide series, polyamide series, cellulose acetate series, polycarbonate series, perfluorinated polymer series, PEBAX series and / or polymers derived therefrom It may include wealth. For example, the polymer used in the inventors No. 10-0782959, 10-1025304, 10-0997531, 10-1201493, 10-0932765, 10-0966176, etc. It is available. As another example, a polymer used in Application No. 10-2015-0026654 No. 10-2013-0139215 or 10-2013-0139213 and the like can be used. The gas separation unit is not limited to the above-mentioned polymer, and may include a polymer that can be expected by those skilled in the art.

According to one example, the hollow yarn may be made of a thermally rearranged polymer. More specifically, the hollow fiber may have a structure in which the polyimides containing ortho-positioned functional groups (PIOFG) are rearranged at a temperature of 350 to 450 degrees.

According to one example, the hollow yarn comprises a polymer derived from a porous organic polymer, polyimide, the polyimide is prepared from aromatic diamine and dianhydride containing at least one functional group present in the ortho position relative to the amine group The polyimide-poly (hydroxyimide) copolymer, which is a repeating unit and a precursor, may be a polyimide-polybenzoxazole copolymer prepared by a simple heat treatment to undergo a thermal rearrangment reaction.

Alternatively, the gas separator 118 may be a spiral-wound separator module. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the gas separation unit 118 is assumed to be a hollow fiber bundle.

The housing 102 may provide a space in which the gas separator 118 is seated therein, the air inlet 112 receiving the source air SA into the gas separator 118, the source air ( It may include at least one of the oxygen outlet 114 for outflowing the oxygen enriched gas (OA) separated from the SA) and the nitrogen outlet (116) for outflowing the nitrogen concentrated gas (NA) separated from the source air (SA). .

According to an example, the air inlet 112 may be located at one end of the gas separator 118, and the nitrogen outlet 116 may be located at the other end of the gas separator 118. In addition, the oxygen outlet 114 may be located at one side of the gas separation unit 118.

Although not shown, the air inlet 112 is located at one side of the gas separation unit 118, the oxygen outlet 114 is located at one end of the gas separation unit 118, and the nitrogen outlet ( 116 may be located on one side of the gas separation unit 118. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, it will be assumed that the housing 102 has the structure shown in FIG. 2.

The gas separation module 110 of the present invention has been described above with reference to FIG. 2. Referring back to FIG. 1, a source air passage 120 through which source air SA is introduced may be provided to the air inlet 112 of the gas separation module 110. That is, the source air SA may be introduced into the air inlet 112 through the source air passage 120.

In this case, a first compressor 122 may be provided on the source air passage 120. The first compressor 122 may provide a positive pressure so that the source air SA may be introduced into the air inlet 112 at a high pressure. For reference, the positive pressure may refer to a reference pressure, for example, a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.

Source air SA may be introduced into the air inlet 112 in a compressed state by the first compressor 122. Therefore, since the source air SA may be provided to the gas separator 118 in a compressed state, nitrogen and oxygen may be separated smoothly.

One end of the oxygen outlet 114 may be provided with an oxygen passage 130 through which the oxygen enriched gas (OA) flows out. In addition, one end of the nitrogen outlet 116 may be provided with a nitrogen flow path 140 through which the nitrogen enriched gas NA flows out.

At this time, at least one outlet of the oxygen outlet 114 and the nitrogen outlet 116 may be provided with a second compressor 132. The second compressor 132 may provide a negative pressure to allow the air in the gas separator 118 to flow out. For reference, the negative pressure may refer to a reference pressure, for example, a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, it is assumed that the second compressor 132 is provided at the oxygen outlet 114 as shown in FIG. 1.

Gas flow rate and gas purity may be improved by the first compressor 122 at the stage of the air inlet 112 and the second compressor 132 at the stage of the oxygen outlet 114. That is, the oxygen outlet 114 can provide a higher flow rate of high purity oxygen gas, and the nitrogen outlet 116 can provide a higher flow rate of high purity nitrogen gas. Detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to experimental data.

The gas providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Hereinafter, a method of operating a gas providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a view for explaining a method of operating the gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation method of a gas providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure described with reference to FIG. 3 may be implemented by a gas providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Of course.

3, the operation method of the gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, providing a source air at a positive pressure to the air inlet located at the inlet end of the gas separation unit for separating oxygen and nitrogen (S100), Simultaneously providing the source air at the positive pressure, providing a negative pressure to the outlet end of the gas separation unit (S110) and at least one concentrated gas of the oxygen concentration gas and nitrogen concentrated gas separated by the gas separation unit It may include at least one step of providing (S120). Each step will be described below.

In step S100, source air SA may be provided to the gas separator 118. In this case, the first compressor 122 may compress external air and provide the compressed air to the air inlet 112 of the gas separation module 110. Accordingly, positive pressure source air SA may be provided to the gas separation unit 118. The source air SA may be separated into an oxygen concentration gas OA and a nitrogen concentration gas NA while passing through the gas separation unit 118.

At this time, the negative pressure may be applied to the oxygen outlet 114 by the second compressor 132 according to step S110. That is, the positive pressure and the negative pressure may be provided to the gas separation unit 118 at the same time. As the negative pressure is applied inside the gas separator 118 by the second compressor 132, the pressure difference between the oxygen outlet 114 of the gas separator 118 and the air inlet 112 of the gas separator 118. And the pressure ratio may increase. As the pressure difference and the pressure ratio increase in the gas separation unit 118, high nitrogen gas flow rate and high nitrogen purity when the source air (SA) is separated into the oxygen concentration gas (OA) and the nitrogen concentration gas (NA) are provided. can do.

In step S120, the nitrogen concentrated gas NA and the oxygen concentrated gas OA separated from the source air SA by the gas separation unit 118 may be provided. For example, nitrogen enriched gas (NA) may be provided for food to maintain freshness, and oxygen enriched gas (OA) may be provided for a comfortable breathing environment. .

The operation method of the gas providing apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to FIG. 3. Hereinafter, the effects peculiar to the present invention of applying positive pressure and negative pressure together with reference to experimental data will be described.

For the experiment, a gas separation part was prepared in which 40 strands of 15 cm hollow fiber were bundled.

First, a positive pressure was applied to the source air provided to the gas separation unit through the first compressor for comparison, and the experiment was performed without providing a negative pressure through the second compressor. Experimental results according to the comparative example are shown in Table 1 below.

Air pressure Permeation pressure Air flow rate Nitrogen flow rate Nitrogen concentration Oxygen concentration Flow efficiency barg barg sccm sccm % % % 2 0 41 One 91 21.3 2.5 5 0 238 116 93.3 34.6 48.7 190 72 96 31.3 37.7 140 28 99.4 26.2 20.2 7 0 296 139 93.1 33.4 46.8 246 77 98 29.6 31.3 198 36 > 99.9 25.6 18 10 0 535 257 94.6 35.4 48.1 486 214 95.7 34.1 44 436 168 96.9 32.2 38.4 337 88 99.7 28.3 26.1

For reference, the air pressure means the magnitude of the positive pressure provided by the first compressor, but means a relative value of atmospheric pressure. In addition, the penetration pressure means the magnitude of the sound pressure provided by the second compressor, but means a relative value of atmospheric pressure.

In addition, as an experimental example, a positive pressure was applied to the source air provided to the gas separation unit through the first compressor, and a negative pressure was applied to the source air through the second compressor. Experimental results according to the experimental example are shown in Table 2 below.

Air pressure Permeation pressure Air flow rate Nitrogen flow rate Nitrogen concentration Oxygen concentration Flow efficiency barg barg sccm sccm % % % 2 -0.5 140 76 91.9 36.5 54.6 110 49 94.4 33.2 44.2 100 39 95.5 31.5 38.9 91 31 96.6 29.9 33.7 80 22 98.1 28 26.8 5 -0.5 288 140 94.7 35.8 48.6 238 96 97.1 33.3 40.4 189 54 99.4 29.1 28.5 7 -0.5 444 236 94 38 53.1 395 191 95.3 36.3 48.4 337 141 97.1 34 41.8 288 103 98.8 32.1 35.9 246 62 > 99.9 28 25.1 10 -0.5 684 362 93.9 37.7 52.9 585 280 95.5 36.1 47.9 486 190 97.4 32.8 39 436 152 98.6 31.5 34.9 387 111 99.7 29.3 28.7

Looking at the results of the comparative example of Table 1 and the experimental example of Table 2 below, when the source air is compressed to 2barg through the first compressor in the comparative example of Table 1, the nitrogen flow rate separated by the gas separation unit 1sccm, nitrogen It can be seen that the concentration is only 91% and the flow efficiency is only 2.5%. In contrast, in the experimental example of Table 2, when the source air was compressed to 2 barg through the first compressor and a negative pressure of -0.5 barg was provided to the second compressor, the nitrogen flow rate separated by the gas separator was 43.4 sccm on average. It can be seen that the concentration is 95.3% on average and the flow efficiency is significantly improved to 31.8% on average. It can also be seen that the oxygen concentration is greatly improved.

Of course, as can be seen in the comparative example of Table 1, the nitrogen concentration may increase as the magnitude of the positive pressure through the first compressor to 5, 7, 10barg. However, there is a limit that size issues and noise issues cannot be avoided in order to increase the capacity of the first compressor.

However, according to the gas providing apparatus of the present invention, by introducing a second compressor while minimizing the capacity of the first compressor, it is possible to minimize the noise caused while minimizing the space occupied by the compressors.

In another aspect, when 2 barg is provided to the first compressor and -0.5 barg to the second compressor according to the experimental example, the pressure ratio may be greatly increased. Specifically, in consideration of the atmospheric pressure, the absolute pressure ratio is 3 (= 2 + 1 (atmospheric pressure)) barg as the first compressor and 0.5 (= -0.5 + 1 (atmospheric pressure) barg as the second compressor, so the pressure ratio is 6 (= 3 / 0.5).

In contrast, in the comparative example, when a positive pressure of 2 barg was applied to the first compressor, the pressure ratio was only 3 (= (2 + 1 (atmospheric pressure)) / (0 + 1 (atmospheric pressure)) and a positive pressure ratio of 5 barg was applied. (= (5 + 1) / (0 + 1)).

The high pressure ratio is an important design consideration, considering that the higher pressure ratio increases the efficiency of nitrogen and oxygen separation through the gas separation. However, according to the comparative example, since only the first compressor is driven, there is a limit to increasing the pressure ratio, and when the size of the positive pressure is increased by increasing the pressure ratio, the size issue and the noise issue of the compressor may approach a large problem.

In contrast, in the present invention, by introducing the second compressor, it is possible to provide a high pressure ratio even when the positive pressure of the first compressor is lowered, and design freedom is generated from the capacity of the first compressor, thereby providing advantages of small size and low noise. It is. Thus, the present invention can provide the effect of providing a high gas flow rate and high gas purity while eliminating the problems caused by the compressor.

In addition, in the comparative example of Table 1, when the source air is compressed to 5 barg through the first compressor and the air flow rate is 238 sccm, it can be seen that the nitrogen concentration separated by the gas separation unit is only 93.3%. In contrast, in the experimental example of Table 2, when the source air is compressed to 5 barg through the first compressor, and the negative pressure of -0.5 barg is provided to the second compressor and the air flow rate is 238 sccm, the nitrogen concentration separated by the gas separator is It can be seen that the improvement is about 97.1%.

In addition, in the comparative example of Table 1, when the source air is compressed to 7 barg through the first compressor and the air flow rate is 246 sccm, it can be seen that the nitrogen concentration separated by the gas separation unit is only 98%. In contrast, in the experimental example of Table 2, when the source air is compressed to 7 barg through the first compressor, and the negative pressure of -0.5 barg is supplied to the second compressor and the air flow rate is 246 sccm, the nitrogen concentration separated by the gas separator is It can be seen that the improvement is about 99.9%.

In addition, in the comparative example of Table 1, when the source air is compressed to 10 barg through the first compressor and the air flow rate is 436 sccm, it can be seen that the nitrogen concentration separated by the gas separation unit is only 96.9%. In contrast, in the experimental example of Table 2, when the source air is compressed to 10 barg through the first compressor, and a negative pressure of −0.5 barg is supplied to the second compressor and the air flow rate is 436 sccm, the nitrogen concentration separated by the gas separator is It can be seen that the improvement is 98.6%.

That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it can be seen that providing a negative pressure to the second compressor provides a unique effect in terms of high gas purity as well as high gas flow rate.

In addition, based on the comparative example and the experimental example according to Table 1 and Table 2, the simulation results assuming a gas separation unit consisting of 500 fibers of 15cm hollow fiber bundle and a food storage of 30L size is shown in Tables 3 and 4 below. Summarized as This can be understood as a simulation assuming the situation of utilizing the high purity nitrogen gas provided from the gas providing device.

Air pressure Permeation pressure Air flow rate Nitrogen flow rate Nitrogen concentration Food Storage Fill Time Achieved (min) barg barg sccm sccm % Nitrogen 90% Nitrogen 95% 2 0 698 17 91 4324 N / A 5 0 4110 2002 93.3 22 N / A 3274 1234 96 25 69 2405 486 99.4 48 95 10 0 9225 4434 94.6 8 N / A 8372 3686 95.7 9 26 7520 2889 96.9 10 23 5815 1517 99.7 15 29

Air pressure Permeation pressure Air flow rate Nitrogen flow rate Nitrogen concentration Food Storage Fill Time Achieved (min) barg barg sccm sccm % Nitrogen 90% Nitrogen 95% 2 -0.5 2405 1314 91.9 44 N / A 1893 836 94.4 45 N / A 1722 671 95.5 49 156 1567 528 96.6 56 136 1381 371 98.1 69 147 5 -0.5 4962 2410 94.7 15 N / A 4110 1662 97.1 17 39 3257 929 99.4 25 50 10 -0.5 11799 6241 93.9 6 N / A 10079 4824 95.5 7 22 8372 3269 97.4 8 19 7520 2627 98.6 9 19 6667 1910 99.7 12 23

In comparison with the comparative example summarized in Table 3 and the experimental example summarized in Table 4, when the positive pressure of 2 barg is provided by the first compressor as summarized in the comparative example, the filling time of achieving the food storage filling rate is 90% nitrogen. The case was expected to be extremely long at 4,324 minutes. That is, it can be seen that it is extremely difficult to implement a gas providing device with a small compressor of 2 barg capacity. In contrast, when the positive pressure of 2 barg was provided by the first compressor of the experimental example and the negative pressure of -0.5 barg by the second compressor, it was predicted that the time to achieve the food storage filling rate was significantly reduced to about 1 hour in the case of 90% of nitrogen. .

That is, as described above, as the pressure ratio is increased through the first and second compressors, it is predicted that the filling of the food reservoir is possible only with small compressors of 2 barg or less because of excellent nitrogen gas flow rate and nitrogen purity characteristics of the gas separation module.

In addition, as shown in the comparative example, when the first compressor was provided with a positive pressure of 5 barg and an air flow rate of 4,110 sccm, the time required to achieve a food storage filling rate was 22 minutes in a 90% nitrogen atmosphere and was impossible to measure in a 95% nitrogen atmosphere. It was expected to take a long time. In contrast, if the first compressor provided in the experimental example provided a positive pressure of 5 barg, the second compressor provided a negative pressure of -0.5 barg, and provided an air flow rate of 4,110 sccm, the food storage filling time was 17 minutes at 90% nitrogen. The 95% nitrogen atmosphere was expected to decrease significantly to 39 minutes.

In addition, as shown in the comparative example, when the first compressor was provided with a positive pressure of 10 barg and an air flow rate of 7,520 sccm, the time required to achieve a food storage filling rate was 10 minutes in a 90% nitrogen atmosphere and 23 minutes in a 95% nitrogen atmosphere. It was expected. On the other hand, when the positive pressure of 5 barg is provided by the first compressor of the Experimental Example, the negative pressure of -0.5 barg is provided by the second compressor, and an air flow rate of 7,520 sccm is achieved, 9 minutes is achieved when the food storage filling rate is 90% of nitrogen. A 95% nitrogen atmosphere was expected to decrease significantly to 19 minutes.

This simulation result can be equally applied to the use example of providing high purity oxygen gas.

With reference to Tables 1 to 4 above, the application of the second compressor for providing a negative pressure at the outlet stage does not simply provide additional pressure, but increases the degree of freedom of selection of the first compressor so that the first compressor having a lower capacity can be used. Can be. That is, even if the first compressor has a low capacity, the second compressor can provide a high pressure ratio, thereby improving gas flow rate and gas purity. Accordingly, the size and noise issues associated with the use of high capacity compressors can be solved.

Hereinafter, application examples of a gas providing apparatus and an operating method thereof according to an exemplary embodiment will be described. The first utilization example and its modifications are examples utilizing the nitrogen enrichment gas obtained from the gas providing apparatus, and the second utilization example and its modifications are examples utilizing the oxygen enrichment gas obtained from the gas providing apparatus.

4 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a first application example of the present invention.

The gas providing apparatus according to the first application example of the present invention may improve the freshness of food by providing a nitrogen concentration gas (NA) to the food storage 210.

Referring to FIG. 4, the other end of the nitrogen passage 140 of the gas separation apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 may communicate with the food storage 210. That is, the nitrogen concentrated gas NA discharged from the nitrogen outlet 116 may be provided to the food storage 210 through the nitrogen passage 140.

The food reservoir 210 may be provided with a nitrogen concentration gas (NA) from the nitrogen outlet 116 to perform a function of preserving food in a high concentration nitrogen atmosphere. In this case, the food storage 210 may be provided in the refrigerator 200, or may be provided in a food storage room of another type other than the refrigerator.

5 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a first modified example of the first application example of the present invention.

The first modified example of the first use example of the present invention is different from the first use example in that the high concentration nitrogen gas in the food reservoir 210 is supplied back to the gas separation module 110 again. For example, the first modified example of the first use example of the present invention is the opening of the food storage 210 after the nitrogen enriched gas NA separated by the gas separation module 110 is provided to the food storage 210. Due to this, the nitrogen concentration of the food storage 210 is higher than the atmospheric state, but is considered to be lower than immediately after passing through the gas separation module 110. According to a modification, by recycling the nitrogen concentration gas (NA) of the food storage 210 with a slightly lower nitrogen concentration back to the gas separation module 110, it is possible to increase the nitrogen separation efficiency than separating the nitrogen from the beginning. . The following description will focus on the differences.

Referring to FIG. 5, according to a modified example of the present invention, the food storage 210 may further include a recirculation outlet 202 for outflowing air from the food storage 210. That is, the concentrated nitrogen gas provided from the gas separation module 110 to the food storage 210 may be discharged through the recycle outlet 202.

The recycle outlet 202 may communicate with the recycle passage 220. The recirculation flow path 220 may provide a path through which the nitrogen concentrated gas NA of the food storage 210 is discharged.

The antibacterial filter 150 may be provided on the recirculation passage 220. The germicidal filter 150 may perform a function of sterilizing harmful substances generated in the respiration process of the food in the food reservoir 210.

One end of the recirculation flow path 220 may be provided with a source air selection valve 160. The source air selection valve 160 may perform a function of providing the first compressor 122 with the outside air EA supplied from the outside of the refrigerator and the recirculating air RA passing through the bactericidal filter 150.

As a result, the nitrogen enriched gas (NA), which was provided to the food reservoir 210, may pass through the gas separation module 110 again and then be supplied to the food reservoir 210 again with a higher nitrogen concentration. By reusing the air in the food storage 210, there is an advantage that can provide a high concentration of nitrogen to the food storage 210 more effectively than separating nitrogen from the air in the atmosphere.

Hereinafter, a first modified example of the first use example of the present invention has been described. Hereinafter, a second modified example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

6 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a second modified example of the first use example of the present invention, Figure 7 illustrates a method of operating the gas providing apparatus according to a second modified example of the first use example of the present invention. It is a figure for following.

The second modified example of the present invention will be described based on the difference, in that the controller is added in the first modified example described above.

Referring to FIG. 6, the gas providing apparatus according to the second modified example of the present invention may further include a controller 180. The controller 180 may control each component. For example, the control unit 180 is the oxygen outlet 114 according to whether the air flowing into the air inlet 112 is already a concentrated gas, for example, nitrogen enriched gas that has passed through the gas separation unit 118. You can determine whether or not to apply sound pressure to). The controller 180 may control a negative pressure amount to be applied to the oxygen outlet 114 if the air flowing into the air inlet 112 is a nitrogen enriched gas that has already passed through the gas separator 118. have.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 180 may determine the type of source air in providing source air to the gas separation unit at a positive pressure (S200). The controller 180 senses an operation of the source air selection valve 160 to determine whether high concentration nitrogen is recycled from the food storage 210 to the air inlet 112 or whether the outside air is introduced to the air inlet 112. Can be determined. According to the determination result, the controller 180 may control the driving of the second compressor 132 at the stage of the oxygen outlet 114 (S220).

For example, when the controller 180 determines that outside air is introduced into the air inlet 112, the controller 180 applies strong positive and negative pressures through the first and second compressors 122 and 132 (S220, first control). , When it is determined that the high concentration nitrogen is recycled from the food storage 210 to the air inlet 112, the weak positive pressure and the negative pressure are applied through the first and second compressors 122 and 132 (S222 and the second control). can do.

Accordingly, power consumption and noise problems caused by driving the first and second compressors 122 and 132 may be solved.

The above-described first use example and modified examples of the present invention utilizing nitrogen enriched gas have been described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

Hereinafter, a second application example and modifications thereof of the present invention utilizing oxygen enriched gas will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13. The second use example and modified examples thereof are also based on the gas providing apparatus and the operation method thereof according to the exemplary embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

8 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a second application example of the present invention.

The gas providing apparatus according to the second application example of the present invention may be provided in an air purifier to provide an oxygen concentrated gas.

As shown in Figure 8, the gas separation module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided inside, for example, one side of the air purifier. Accordingly, the gas separation module 110 may provide the oxygen concentration gas OA in the source air SA through the oxygen flow path 130. The oxygen concentrating gas of the oxygen flow path 130 may be provided through the OA shown in the air purifier on the left side of FIG. 8.

At this time, a compressor already mounted in an air purifier, for example, an air purifier using a nonwoven fabric filter, may serve as the first or second compressors 122 and 132.

For example, when the compressor already mounted in the air purifier serves as the second compressor 132, the source air SA may pass through the nonwoven filter and then pass through the gas separator 118.

This can provide a purified oxygen enriched gas while reducing the additional compressor and introduction.

In addition, a pretreatment filter may be provided in the air purifier according to the utilization example. For example, the pretreatment filter may include at least one of a HEPA filter, an anion filter, an antibacterial filter, and an antibacterial filter. For example, the pretreatment filter may be provided at the inlet side or the outlet side of the first compressor 122 into which the source air is introduced. For example, if the pretreatment filter comprises a HEPA filter, it may help to remove fine dust (including ultrafine dust) contained in the air.

9 is a view for explaining a gas providing device according to a first modified example of the second application example of the present invention.

The gas providing device according to the first modification of the second application example of the present invention may be provided in the air conditioner to provide the oxygen enriched gas.

As shown in Figure 9, the gas separation module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided in one side of the air conditioner, for example, inside the outdoor unit. Accordingly, the gas separation module 110 may provide the oxygen concentrating gas OA through the indoor air cool air outlet through a pipe connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor unit.

At this time, the compressor already mounted on the outdoor unit of the air conditioner may serve as the first or second compressors 122 and 132. That is, since the compressor mounted on the air conditioner may be used as the compressor of the gas separation module 110, the functional expansion of the oxygen enriched gas may be achieved while minimizing hardware additional elements.

In addition, when the gas separation module 110 utilizes the compressor of the outdoor unit as the first or second compressors 122 and 132, the compressor is located outdoors, and thus the problem of noise may be more recently solved.

In addition, the gas separation module 110 may be mounted on the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, but may also be mounted on the indoor unit.

In addition, the airken according to an application example may be provided with a pretreatment filter. For example, the pretreatment filter may include at least one of a HEPA filter, an anion filter, and an antibacterial filter. For example, the pretreatment filter may be provided at the inlet side or the outlet side of the first compressor 122 into which the source air is introduced. For example, if the pretreatment filter comprises a HEPA filter, it may help to remove fine dust (including ultrafine dust) contained in the air.

10 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a second modified example of the second application example of the present invention.

The gas providing device according to the second modification of the second application example of the present invention may be provided in the bed to provide the oxygen enriched gas.

As shown in Figure 10, the gas separation module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided on one side of the bed, for example, the head. Oxygen concentrated gas (OA) purified through the gas separation module 110 may be provided in the direction of the head of the person.

In particular, the two compressors respectively provide the positive pressure and the negative pressure to the gas separation unit at the same time, thereby providing a high flow rate and high purity oxygen concentration gas even at a small positive pressure and a small negative pressure. This can provide high utilization suitability in beds where low noise driving is essential.

11 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a third modified example of the second application example of the present invention.

The gas providing device according to the third modified example of the second application example of the present invention may be provided in the massage device to provide the oxygen enriched gas.

As shown in Figure 11, the gas separation module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided on one side of the massage device. Oxygen concentrated gas (OA) purified through the gas separation module 110 may be provided in the direction of the head of the person.

Even in this case, the two compressors provide the positive and negative pressures to the gas separation unit at the same time, thereby providing a high flow rate and high purity oxygen enriched gas even at a small positive pressure and a small negative pressure. As a result, even in a massage device requiring low noise driving, it is possible to provide a high application suitability.

In addition, the gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in addition to the massage device may be applied to the oxygen room where the person can take a rest.

12 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a fourth modified example of the second application example of the present invention.

The gas providing device according to the fourth modification of the second application example of the present invention may be provided in the helmet to provide the oxygen enriched gas.

As shown in FIG. 12, the gas separation module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided on one side of the helmet. Oxygen concentrated gas (OA) purified through the gas separation module 110 may be provided in the face direction.

In particular, the two compressors respectively provide a positive pressure and a negative pressure to the gas separator at the same time, thereby providing a high flow rate and high purity oxygen enriched gas even with small size compressors. Accordingly, since the gas separation module according to an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted in a small installation space, the gas separation module may have high suitability for use in a mobile device such as a helmet.

13 is a view for explaining a gas providing apparatus according to a fifth modified example of the second application example of the present invention.

The gas providing apparatus according to the fifth modified example of the second utilization example of the present invention may be provided in the bicycle to provide the oxygen enriched gas.

As shown in FIG. 13, the gas separation module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided on one side of a bicycle. Oxygen concentrated gas (OA) purified through the gas separation module 110 may be provided in the face direction.

Even in this case, the two compressors provide the positive and negative pressures to the gas separation unit at the same time, thereby providing a high flow rate and high purity oxygen enriched gas even with small size compressors. Accordingly, the gas separation module according to the embodiment of the present invention can minimize the installation space, and thus can have a high utilization suitability for a bicycle.

In addition, according to the sixth modified example of the second use example of the present invention, the gas providing device may be used for the decanting of the wine. If aeration is performed before drinking wine, the wine may taste better in contact with air and wine. That is, by providing the oxygen enriched gas generated by the gas providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention to wine, it is possible to achieve contact between the air and the oxygen enriched gas.

In the above-described embodiments of the present invention, it is assumed that the second compressor 132 is provided at the oxygen outlet 114, but, alternatively, the second compressor 132 may be provided at the nitrogen outlet 116. to be.

In addition, the first modification of the first use example of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 5 may be applied to the second use example and the modifications thereof.

That is, the oxygen concentrating gas which has already passed through the gas separation unit 118 may be provided to the first compressor 122 at the air inlet side so that the oxygen concentrating gas may be reused in the second use example and modified examples thereof. As described above, a recirculation outlet 202 and a source air selection valve 160 may be provided.

In addition, the second modified example and the operating method of the first use example of the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 may be applied to the second use example.

That is, the second utilization example and modifications thereof further include a control unit 180, and the control unit may further include a second compressor 132 according to whether or not the concentrated gas passed through the gas separation unit 118, for example, an oxygen concentrated gas. ) Can determine whether to apply the sound pressure or how much. For example, when the controller 180 determines that outside air is introduced into the air inlet 112, the controller 180 applies strong positive and negative pressures through the first and second compressors 122 and 132 (first control), and When it is determined that the concentration oxygen is recycled and introduced into the air inlet 112, the weak positive pressure and the negative pressure may be applied (second control) through the first and second compressors 122 and 132.

In addition, modifications of the second use example other than the air purifier and the air conditioner described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 may also include a pretreatment filter. As described above, the pretreatment filter may include at least one of a HEPA filter, an anion filter, an antibacterial filter, and an antibacterial filter. For example, the pretreatment filter may include a source air introduced therein. It may be provided at the inlet or outlet side of the first compressor (122). For example, if the pretreatment filter comprises a HEPA filter, it may help to remove fine dust (including ultrafine dust) contained in the air. There is an advantage in that it is possible to provide a purified oxygen enriched gas.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in detail using the preferable embodiment, the scope of the present invention is not limited to a specific embodiment, Comprising: It should be interpreted by the attached Claim. In addition, those skilled in the art should understand that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (14)

A gas separation unit separating oxygen and nitrogen from the source air; And
Includes; the housing in which the gas separation unit is seated;
The housing includes an air inlet through which source air is introduced, an oxygen outlet through which oxygen enriched gas separated by the gas separator is discharged, and a nitrogen outlet through which nitrogen concentrated gas separated by the gas separator is discharged.
A positive pressure is applied to the air inlet, and a negative pressure is applied to at least one outlet of the oxygen outlet or the nitrogen outlet at the same time as the positive pressure is applied. According to claim 1,
A first compressor providing the positive pressure;
And a second compressor for providing the negative pressure. According to claim 1,
And an oxygen concentration of the oxygen enriched gas is higher than an oxygen concentration of the source air, and a nitrogen concentration of the nitrogen enriched gas is higher than a nitrogen concentration of the source air. According to claim 1,
The nitrogen outlet is in communication with the food reservoir,
The nitrogen enriched gas is provided to the food storage, gas providing apparatus. According to claim 1,
The oxygen concentrating gas discharged from the oxygen outlet is provided to the respiratory tract. According to claim 1,
The gas separator comprises a plurality of hollow fibers or spiral-wound type separation membrane. According to claim 1,
And a control unit controlling the magnitude of at least one of the positive pressure and the negative pressure according to whether the source air introduced into the air inlet has already re-introduced after passing through the gas separation unit. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit, if it is determined that the source air flowing into the air inlet has already passed again after passing through the gas separation unit, in preparation for the case where the source air flowing into the gas inlet first enters the gas separation unit, A gas providing device for reducing the magnitude of at least one of a positive pressure and a negative pressure. Providing source air at a positive pressure to an air inlet located at the inlet end of the gas separator separating oxygen and nitrogen;
At the same time as providing the source air at the positive pressure, providing a negative pressure at the outlet end of the gas separator; And
And providing at least one concentrated gas of an oxygen concentrated gas and a nitrogen concentrated gas separated by the gas separation unit. The method of claim 9,
The providing of the concentrated gas may include providing the nitrogen concentrated gas to a food storage, and further comprising recycling the nitrogen concentrated gas provided to the food storage back to the gas separation unit. Way. The method of claim 9,
The providing of the concentrated gas may include providing the oxygen concentrated gas to a respiratory organ. The method of claim 9,
And controlling the magnitude of at least one of the positive pressure and the negative pressure according to whether or not the source air provided to the gas separation part has already been re-introduced after passing through the gas separation part. The method of claim 12,
The controlling step,
When it is determined that the source air introduced into the air inlet has already passed through the gas separator, the source air introduced into the air inlet is first introduced into the gas separator. Reducing the magnitude of the positive pressure applied to the inlet end and the negative pressure applied to the outlet end of the gas separation unit. The method of claim 9,
The nitrogen / oxygen concentration of the source air passing through the gas separation unit is increased by the positive pressure by providing the source air and the negative pressure by providing the negative pressure.

Images