Oxygen concentration system and method
View Patent ↗The present system is an adsorption system for separating air into a concentrated gas component, which has an air supply, a compressor for receiving and compressing the air supply, providing a compressed air supply, and molecular sieve material for separating the compressed air supply into a concentrated gas component. The adsorption system delivers at least 5 liters per minute (LPM) of concentrated gas component from the molecular sieve material in which the system has a specific total weight per LPM<9 lbs/LPM. Additionally, an output quantity of the concentrated gas is delivered by the adsorption system and a purging quantity of the concentrated gas is dispensed into a sieve chamber of the adsorption system undergoing a purge cycle. The purging quantity has a value equal to or less than the difference between the maximum quantity and the output quantity, and the purging quantity is controlled based on the output quantity.
1. A method of operating an adsorption system for separating air into a concentrated gas component, the method comprising the steps of:
pressurizing a first molecular sieve chamber with a compressed air supply;
outputting a product gas from the first molecular sieve chamber;
balancing a pressure level in the first molecular sieve chamber with a pressure level in a second molecular sieve chamber to an equalization pressure; and
increasing the pressure level in the first molecular sieve chamber and the second molecular sieve chamber simultaneously to a pressure level above the equalization pressure.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrated gas component is oxygen.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adsorption system comprises a pressure swing adsorption system.