# US 10,478,768 B2 · Load following single bed reversing blower adsorption air separation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,768 B2 - Document ID: US10478768B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/729,479 - Filed: 2017-10-10 - Published: 2018-02-01 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-30 - Assignees: Pacific Consolidated Industries, LLC - Applicants: Pacific Consolidated Industries, LLC - Inventors: Javier Lopez; Jason Burns; William K. Goshay; Tarik Naheiri - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478768B2 ## CPC - B01D 53/002: {by condensation} - B01D 53/02: by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography {(solid sorbent compositions B01J20/00, preparation of inorganic compounds or elements C01)} - B01D 53/0476: {Vacuum pressure swing adsorption} - B01D 53/22: by diffusion (manufacturing semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00; form, structure or properties of semi-permeable membranes B01D69/00; material for semi-permeable membranes B01D71/00) - B01D 53/229: {Integrated processes (Diffusion and at least one other process, e.g. adsorption, absorption)} - B01D 63/02: Hollow fibre modules - B01D 53/053: with storage or buffer vessel - B01D 2256/12: Oxygen - B01D 2257/102: Nitrogen - B01D 2257/11: Noble gases - B01D 2257/40: Nitrogen compounds - B01D 2257/80: Water - B01D 2259/40007: Controlling pressure or temperature swing adsorption - B01D 2259/40009: using sensors or gas analysers - B01D 2259/401: using a single bed - B01D 2259/402: using two beds - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract An exemplary single bed reversing blower adsorption based air separation unit is configured to follow the O2 load placed thereon by adjusting flow rates therethrough and power consumption. At least one and preferably multiple pressure sensors sense O2 pressure within an O2 storage region downstream of an adsorber vessel. These sensed pressures are utilized to generate control signals controlling flow rates at locations upstream of the compressor, such as at a reversible blower and an output compressor. Control loops for the blower and the compressor are independent of each other and have different time constants. Effective following of the O2 load is thus achieved without driving the air separation unit into operational conditions outside of design and also maintaining optimal power consumption for the O2 produced, such that efficiency is maintained over a large turndown ratio. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air separation method with load sensing and load following, including the steps of: sensing at least one pressure within a single adsorption bed air separation system having an air inlet upstream from a reversing blower and an O2 storage downstream from the adsorption bed; said sensing step detecting pressure magnitude at a first location downstream from the reversing blower; altering a flow rate through the reversing blower responsive to the pressure of said sensing step; wherein said sensing step includes the step of increasing a flow rate through the reversing blower when the pressure of said sensing step is below a set point and decreasing a flow rate through the reversing blower when the pressure of said sensing step is above the set point; wherein a compressor is located within the O2 storage downstream of the adsorption bed; altering a flow rate through the compressor responsive to a second pressure at a second location, the second location downstream from the compressor; and wherein said altering a flow rate through the reversing blower step and said altering a flow rate through the compressor step each occur multiple times separated by passage of at least two time intervals. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein a time interval for said altering a flow rate through the reversing blower step and a time interval for said altering a flow rate through the compressor step are different from each other. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is longer than the time interval for control of the compressor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is approximately every minute and the time interval for control of the compressor is approximately every second. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is at least twice as long as the time interval for control of the compressor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said altering a flow rate through the reversing blower step and said altering a flow rate through the compressor step include the steps of driving the reversing blower and the compressor with separate variable frequency drives and controlling a rotational speed of the variable frequency drives responsive to the pressure at the first location and the pressure at the second location. ### Claim 7 An air separation method with load sensing and load following, including the steps of: sensing at least one pressure within a single adsorption bed air separation system having an air inlet upstream from a reversing blower and an O2 storage downstream from the adsorption bed; said sensing step detecting pressure magnitude at a first location downstream from the reversing blower; altering a flow rate through the reversing blower responsive to the pressure of said sensing step; increasing a flow rate through the reversing blower when pressure of said sensing step is below a set point; decreasing a flow rate through the reversing blower when the pressure of said sensing step is above the set point; wherein a compressor is located within the O2 storage downstream of the adsorption bed; further sensing a second pressure at a second location downstream from the first location and downstream from the compressor; and altering a flow rate through the compressor responsive to the second pressure at the second location. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The load following air separation method of claim 7 wherein said altering a flow rate through the reversing blower step and said altering a flow rate through the compressor step each occur multiple times separated by passage of at least two time intervals. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The load following air separation method of claim 8 wherein time intervals for said altering a flow rate through the reversing blower step and for said altering a flow rate through the compressor step are different from each other. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The load following air separation method of claim 9 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is longer than the time interval for control of the compressor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The load following air separation method of claim 10 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is approximately every minute and the time interval for control of the compressor is approximately every second. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The load following air separation method of claim 10 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is at least twice as long as for control of the compressor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The load following air separation method of claim 7 wherein said altering a flow rate through the reversing blower step and said altering a flow rate through the compressor step include the steps of driving the reversing blower and the compressor with separate variable frequency drives and controlling a rotational speed of the variable frequency drives responsive to the pressure at the first location and the pressure at the second location. ### Claim 14 An air separation system with load sensing and load following, comprising in combination: an air inlet upstream from a reversing blower and an O2 storage downstream from an adsorption bed, said adsorption bed downstream from said reversing blower; a pressure sensor downstream from said reversing blower sensing a first pressure magnitude at a first location downstream from said reversing blower; a controller coupled to said first pressure sensor and altering a flow rate through the reversing blower responsive to the first pressure; said controller having a set point, said controller increasing a flow rate through said reversing blower when the first pressure is below the set point, and decreasing a flow rate through said reversing blower when the first pressure is above the set point; and a second pressure sensor at a second location downstream from said first pressure sensor, said second pressure sensor coupled to a controller of O2 supply from said O2 storage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein a compressor is located downstream of said adsorption bed, said second pressure sensor located downstream from said compressor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15 wherein said second pressure sensor is coupled to a controller that is coupled to said compressor to alter a flow rate through said compressor responsive to the second pressure sensed by said second pressure sensor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein said controller of said reversing blower and said controller of said compressor each control flow rates, but at different time intervals, said reversing blower controller having a larger time interval than said compressor controller. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17 wherein the time interval for control of the reversing blower is approximately every minute and the time interval for control of the compressor is approximately every second. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17 wherein the time interval for control of said reversing blower is at least double the time interval for control of said compressor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein said compressor is driven by a first variable frequency drive and said reversing blower is driven by a second variable frequency drive, each of said variable frequency drive is controlling a rotational speed of said variable frequency drives responsive to the pressure sensed by said first pressure sensor and the pressure sensed by said second pressure sensor.