US 5,344,474 AGranted

Gas separation device

AssigneeAir-Dry Corporation of America

InventorRobert A. Null

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Abstract

A desiccant tower receives air at its air inlet and concentrates the oxygen in this air in order to provide a gas at its gas outlet which has a concentration of oxygen exceeding the concentration of oxygen normally found in air. A bypass conduit is coupled to the desiccant tower so as to syphon off gas from the desiccant tower at a point where the gas within the desiccant tower has a concentration of oxygen which is less than the concentration of oxygen in the gas at the gas outlet of the desiccant tower. The gases at the gas outlet of the desiccant tank and in the conduit are mixed so as to produce an output gas mixture having a desired concentration of oxygen. The desired concentration of oxygen is less than a desiccant tower can ordinarily provide but greater than the concentration of oxygen normally found in air.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A system for producing an output gas mixture having a desired concentration of oxygen, the desired concentration of oxygen being greater than the concentration of oxygen normally found in air, the system comprising:

oxygen concentration means for receiving inlet air containing oxygen and for producing a first gas by concentrating the oxygen in the inlet air, wherein the first gas has a first concentration of oxygen, wherein the first concentration of oxygen is greater than the desired concentration of oxygen, and wherein the oxygen concentration means has a gas flowing therethrough;
supplying means for supplying a second gas having a second concentration of oxygen, the second concentration of oxygen being less than the first concentration of oxygen, the supplying means being coupled to a coupling point of the oxygen concentration means so as to receive a portion of the gas flowing therethrough such that the second gas is derived from the gas flowing through the oxygen concentration means, the coupling point being selected so that the concentration of oxygen in the gas flowing through the oxygen concentration means at the coupling point is less than the first concentration of oxygen;
and,
mixing means, coupled to the oxygen concentration means and to the supplying means, for mixing the first and second gases to produce the output gas mixture having the desired concentration of oxygen.

1 more element

first means for supplying inlet air containing oxygen;
a desiccant tower having an inlet coupled to the first means and having an outlet, wherein the desiccant tower is arranged to produce a gas at its outlet by concentrating the oxygen contained in the inlet air, wherein the gas at the outlet of the desiccant tower has a concentration of oxygen, wherein the concentration of oxygen in the gas at the outlet of the desiccant tower is greater than the desired concentration of oxygen in the output gas mixture, and wherein the desiccant tower has a gas flowing therethrough;
second means, having an inlet coupled to the outlet of the desiccant tower and having an outlet, the second means for providing a gas at its outlet based upon the gas at the outlet of the desiccant tower;
a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the conduit being coupled to the desiccant tower at a coupling point so as to receive a portion of the gas flowing therethrough, the coupling point being selected so that the concentration of oxygen in the gas flowing through the desiccant tower at the coupling point is less than the concentration of oxygen in the gas at the outlet of the desiccant tower, the conduit being arranged so as to supply a gas at its outlet, the gas at the outlet of the conduit being derived from the gas flowing through the desiccant tower and having an oxygen concentration level which is substantially equal to the concentration of oxygen in the gas flowing through the desiccant tower at the coupling point;
and,
mixing means coupled to the outlet of the second means and to the outlet of the conduit for mixing the gases at the outlet of the second means and at the outlet of the conduit in order to produce the output gas mixture having the desired concentration of oxygen.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.