Oxygen enriched gas supply arrangement for combustion
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoshimasa Itoh, Shiroh Asakawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An oxygen enriched gas supply arrangement for combustion which is so arranged that, by supplying air to a selective air permeating membrane cell, the flow rate and/or oxygen concentration of the oxygen enriched gas passing through the selective gas permeating membrane cell are controlled to predetermined conditions required for the combustion. The arrangement further includes devices for maintaining the humidity in the oxygen enriched gas thus obtained at a constant level and for removing pulsation therefrom, whereby a particularly suitable air supply source for various combustion equipment and apparatuses can be obtained.
Claims12
An apparatus for providing an air supply enriched in an oxygen concentration which can be selectively varied for use for combustion purposes which comprises, in combination:
- a membrane cell divided into a main gas permeating membrane including means for causing atmospheric air to flow through and along the surface of said main gas permeating membrane to obtain an oxygen enriched air stream,
- means for supplying air to said membrane cell,
- a plurality of auxiliary membranes connected in parallel with said main gas permeating membrane, including means for optionally directing at least a portion of the atmospheric air through said auxiliary membranes to obtain an oxygen enriched air stream,
- means for controlling the number of auxiliary membranes to be utilized thereby controlling the flow rate of oxygen concentration of the oxygen enriched air obtained from the membrane cell together with pressure adjustment,
- pressure reduction means having an inlet and outlet for causing atmospheric air to pass through said main membrane and auxiliary membranes, said pressure reduction means being disposed downstream from said main membrane and auxiliary membranes for providing oxygen enriched air to be adapted as combustion air to burn fuel in combustion,
- by-pass means communicating at one end with said outlet of said pressure reduction means, and at a second end with said inlet of said pressure reduction means for recycling at least a portion of the air from said outlet to said inlet, said by-pass means containing means for controlling the amount of air to be recycled,
- first atmospheric air inlet means connected with said inlet of said pressure reduction means for adjustably supplying atmospheric air to said inlet and
- second atmospheric air inlet means connected with said outlet of said pressure reduction means for adjustably supplying atmospheric air to said outlet, wherein the amount of the oxygen concentration of the air to be discharged from the outlet of the pressure reduction means for use in combustion is selectively varied by the operation of the main and auxiliary membranes for control of the concentration and flow rate of the enriched air, the by-pass means and the first and second atmospheric air inlet means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.