Chemical oxygen breathing apparatus based on solid oxygen source

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of chemical oxygen production, and discloses a chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source oxygen generator, which comprises a solid oxygen source module, the solid oxygen source module comprises array-fixed oxygen generators, each oxygen generator is respectively provided with an independent starter, a carbon dioxide absorber, human body exhaled gas is transported into an absorption inner core of the absorber to fix CO2, an air cooler, gas in a breathing bag is cooled in the passing process, and the cooled gas is transported to an air outlet pipe through an air outlet for human body inhalation, an intelligent control system and a man-machine interaction terminal. The application realizes lightweight design of the respirator, and compared with an existing respirator, the weight is reduced by more than 40%, and the volume is reduced by more than 50%, so that the use demand of a new type of respirator with light weight, small volume, high safety and long working time is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of chemical oxygen generation technology and relates to a chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator. Background Technology

[0002] Breathing apparatus is widely used in fire fighting, chemical, shipbuilding, petroleum, metallurgy, warehousing, and mining industries. It is designed for specially trained personnel to wear safely and effectively during rescue, accident handling, first aid, or other operations in various environments, such as those with dense smoke, toxic gases, steam, or oxygen deficiency. Lightweight, compact, highly safe, and long-lasting operation are the main technical requirements for the development of breathing apparatus.

[0003] Currently, respirators are mainly divided into three categories: air respirators, compressed oxygen respirators, and chemical oxygen respirators. This application focuses on chemical oxygen respirators. Existing technologies mostly use potassium superoxide (KO2) as the oxygen-generating agent, exemplified by the Air Elite 4h chemical oxygen respirator (potassium superoxide type) developed by MSA Corporation in the United States. It uses potassium superoxide (KO2) as the oxygen-generating agent, weighs approximately 12-15 kg, and measures approximately 600 mm × 360 mm × 190 mm (approximately 41 L). It can be used for up to 4 hours at a breathing rate of 30 L / min. Furthermore, patent CN110368610A proposes a positive pressure chemical oxygen working respirator, whose working principle is basically the same as the MSA Air Elite 4h. However, the first breath is provided by oxygen generation through the decomposition of sodium chlorate oxygen candles, and the oxygen for breathing in the subsequent 2-4 hours is entirely provided by potassium superoxide (KO2). The sodium chlorate oxygen candles are only used as a "starting device."

[0004] Existing chemical oxygen respirators suffer from the following drawbacks: the oxygen-generating agent KO2 reacts with exhaled moisture, releasing a large amount of heat, resulting in high inhalation temperatures; KO2 itself is highly hygroscopic, easily forming a paste-like substance after prolonged use, potentially blocking continuous oxygen production; KO2 particulate filtration malfunctions may lead to the inhalation of highly alkaline dust, causing respiratory burns or even death. Furthermore, these respirators still weigh 12-15 kg and have a volume of approximately 41 L, failing to meet the practical requirements for lightweight and compact designs. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a non-potassium superoxide-based chemical oxygen respirator to address these issues. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source oxygen generator, which solves the technical problems of low safety, heavy weight and large volume of the oxygen-generating agent KO2 used in the existing potassium superoxide type chemical oxygen respirator.

[0006] This invention is achieved using the following technical solution: a chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator, comprising:

[0007] A solid oxygen source module comprises an oxygen source consisting of multiple fixed arrays of oxygen generators, each equipped with an independent starter. Each oxygen generator is connected to an oxygen delivery pipeline to deliver oxygen into the breathing bag. The solid oxygen source module is configured to determine the number of oxygen generators activated based on the oxygen concentration in the breathing bag. This enables multiple start / stop cycles of the oxygen generators and tiered, on-demand oxygen supply. The oxygen supply can be precisely adjusted according to the user's actual breathing needs, avoiding insufficient or excessive oxygen supply and effectively extending working time.

[0008] A carbon dioxide absorber, wherein the air inlet of the carbon dioxide absorber is connected to the air inlet pipe, which transports the exhaled gas of the human body into the absorber's inner core, the inner core of which fixes the CO2, and the remaining gas is transported to the breathing bag through the air outlet.

[0009] An air cooler, wherein the air inlet of the air cooler is connected to the breathing bag, so that the gas inside is cooled during the passage, and the cooled gas is transported to the air outlet pipe for human inhalation through the air outlet.

[0010] The intelligent control system includes multiple sensors installed at corresponding monitoring points in the air circuit of the chemical oxygen respirator. After the sensors collect monitoring data, they transmit the data to the central processing unit. The central processing unit performs control logic operations and outputs control commands. The corresponding device receives the control commands and starts working.

[0011] A human-computer interaction terminal that communicates with the intelligent control system.

[0012] Furthermore, the oxygen delivery pipeline is also equipped with a purification tank to remove impurity gases generated during oxygen production by the oxygen generator.

[0013] Furthermore, the air cooler includes a double-layered cavity shell, the cavities of which form an air layer, which can slow down the transfer of external heat and play a role in heat insulation; the double-layered cavity shell is filled with a phase change cooling core.

[0014] Furthermore, a metal foil layer for anti-radiation is provided between the double-layer cavity shell and the phase change cooling core to further reduce the impact of thermal radiation on the cooling effect.

[0015] Furthermore, the phase change cooling core includes a honeycomb carrier and a phase change material filling the honeycomb channels of the carrier; the honeycomb carrier structure greatly increases the heat exchange area, and combined with the solid-liquid phase change heat absorption of the phase change material, it achieves efficient and uniform gas cooling, effectively solves the problem of high heat release from solid oxygen sources, and ensures that the intake temperature is within a safe range (≤40℃).

[0016] Furthermore, the honeycomb carrier is a low thermal conductivity polymer material; the phase change material is a paraffin-based phase change material or an inorganic salt phase change material, which absorbs a large amount of latent heat through solid-liquid phase change and cools the gas temperature to between 25-35°C.

[0017] Furthermore, each of the upper and lower ends of the absorbent core is provided with a breathable baffle, which is used to fix the absorbent core; it can both fix the absorbent material and ensure that the gas passes through smoothly.

[0018] Furthermore, the absorbent core is one or more of calcium lime, soda lime, porous materials, and liquid organic amines.

[0019] Furthermore, the sensor's monitoring points include: oxygen flow rate, oxygen concentration, and carbon dioxide concentration of the airflow between the breathing bag and the air cooler; the temperature of the inhaled gas inhaled by the human body through the exhaust tube; and the air intake temperature of the airflow in the oxygen delivery pipeline.

[0020] Furthermore, the oxygen generator is equipped with a sodium chlorate oxygen candle for oxygen generation, and its reaction byproduct is NaCl, which is safe to use.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0022] This application achieves a lightweight design for the respirator, weighing 8-9 kg, with a volume of less than 20 L, and an operating time of 2-3 hours. Compared with existing respirators, it reduces the weight by more than 40% and the volume by more than 50%, meeting current application requirements.

[0023] 1. The solid oxygen source module, by designing the oxygen generator in an array form, combined with an intelligent control system and an oxygen concentration sensor, enables multiple start-stop cycles of the oxygen candle and tiered on-demand oxygen supply; this allows the oxygen supply to be precisely adjusted according to the user's actual breathing needs, avoiding insufficient or excessive oxygen supply and effectively extending working time.

[0024] 2. For the first time, sodium chlorate oxygen candles are used as the sole oxygen source throughout the entire operation of the respirator, achieving full-process oxygen supply from sodium chlorate oxygen candles; this breaks the long-standing technical prejudice in the field that once sodium chlorate oxygen candles are started, they cannot be stopped and are only suitable as a "starting device" for respirators; it completely abandons the potassium superoxide oxygen supply method, fundamentally solving the inherent defects caused by the strong hygroscopicity and strong alkalinity of potassium superoxide.

[0025] 3. In view of the large heat release characteristic of the sodium chlorate oxygen candle catalytic thermal decomposition reaction, a honeycomb structure air cooler was designed. When the air flows through the honeycomb channels, it exchanges heat fully with the phase change material filled in the device to achieve efficient cooling. The honeycomb structure greatly increases the heat exchange area. Combined with the solid-liquid phase change heat absorption of the phase change material, it realizes efficient and uniform gas cooling, effectively solves the problem of high heat release of sodium chlorate, and ensures that the intake temperature is within the safe range. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the solid oxygen source module of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the carbon dioxide absorber of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the air cooler of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 express Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the cross-section of an air cooler.

[0032] Figure 6 express Figure 5 Enlarged cross-section diagram at point A.

[0033] In the diagram: 1-Outlet pipe, 2-Inlet pipe, 3-Solid oxygen source module, 31-Oxygen generator, 32-Starter, 33-Oxygen delivery pipeline, 4-Breathing bag, 5-Air cooler, 51-Double-layer hollow shell, 52-Phase change cooling core, 53-Metal foil layer, 6-Carbon dioxide absorber, 61-Absorption core, 62-Permeable partition, 7-Purification tank, 8-Intelligent control system, 9-Human-machine interaction terminal. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the solutions of the present invention will be further described below. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other.

[0035] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention, but the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein; obviously, the embodiments in the specification are only some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments.

[0036] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] refer to Figure 1-6 As shown, a chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator includes a main shell, in which a solid oxygen source module 3, an air cooler 5, and a carbon dioxide absorber 6 are disposed; at the same time, an intelligent control system 8 and a human-machine interaction terminal 9 are disposed to realize intelligent control.

[0038] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the solid oxygen source module 3 includes 8 oxygen generators 31 with the same structure. The 8 oxygen generators 31 are fixed in a 2×4 array as the oxygen source of the module structure. The oxygen generators 31 are connected to the oxygen delivery pipeline 33. The oxygen delivery pipeline 33 is equipped with a purification tank 7 for removing impurity gases. The purified oxygen is delivered into the breathing bag 4. Each oxygen generator 31 is equipped with an independent starter 32. Each oxygen generator 31 is equipped with a sodium chlorate oxygen candle.

[0039] The main component of sodium chlorate oxygen candles is sodium chlorate (NaClO3), supplemented with appropriate catalysts, chlorine inhibitors, stabilizers, and forming agents. Sodium chlorate oxygen candles produce oxygen through a catalytic thermal decomposition reaction, the principle of which is as follows:

[0040] NaClO3 → NaCl + O2↑

[0041] Its reaction byproduct is NaCl, which is safe. A single oxygen candle operates for 20-30 minutes, producing oxygen at a rate of 1.5-3 L / min, with a purity of up to 99.5%, sufficient to meet usage requirements. Optionally, the number of oxygen generators 31 in the solid oxygen source module 3 can be adjusted according to needs, such as 3×3, 2×6, 4×4, etc.; the operating time of a single oxygen candle is also adjustable.

[0042] In terms of control, an oxygen concentration detector is installed inside the breathing bag 4 to monitor the oxygen concentration inside the breathing bag 4 in real time. When the oxygen concentration is detected to be lower than a set threshold (the set threshold in this application is an oxygen volume fraction of less than 21%), the intelligent control system 8 determines the number of oxygen candles to be activated based on the current degree of oxygen deficiency.

[0043] (I) Slightly insufficient oxygen concentration: The volume fraction of oxygen is between 19% and 21%, so turn on one oxygen candle;

[0044] (II) Moderately insufficient oxygen concentration: The volume fraction of oxygen is between 16% and 19%, so turn on two oxygen candles;

[0045] (III) Severe oxygen deficiency: When the volume fraction of oxygen is less than 16%, turn on 3 or more oxygen candles.

[0046] The starter 32 receives the control command from the intelligent control system 8 and ignites the oxygen candle in the corresponding oxygen generator 31; the corresponding number of sodium chlorate oxygen candles immediately release oxygen, which enters the breathing bag 4 through the oxygen delivery pipeline 33 to replenish oxygen. When the oxygen concentration recovers to above the set threshold, the intelligent control system 8 stops issuing new start commands (the already ignited oxygen candles continue to burn until they are exhausted and then automatically stop).

[0047] Compared with existing technologies, the solid oxygen source module 3 of this application, by designing the oxygen generator 31 as a 2×4 array (8 in total, each lasting 20-30 minutes), combined with the intelligent control system 8 and oxygen concentration sensor, realizes multiple start-stop cycles of the oxygen candles and graded on-demand oxygen supply (1 to 8 candles can be activated simultaneously). This design allows the oxygen supply to be precisely adjusted according to the user's actual breathing needs, avoiding insufficient or excessive oxygen supply and effectively extending working time. Furthermore, it is the first to use sodium chlorate oxygen candles as the sole oxygen source throughout the entire working process (2-3 hours) of the respirator, achieving continuous sodium chlorate oxygen candle oxygen supply; breaking the long-standing technical prejudice in the field that sodium chlorate oxygen candles, once started, cannot be stopped and are only suitable as a "starting device" for respirators.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, the air inlet of the carbon dioxide absorber 6 is connected to the air inlet pipe 2, which transports the exhaled gas into the absorbent core 61 of the absorber. The absorbent core 61 fixes the CO2, and the remaining gas is transported to the breathing bag 4 through the air outlet. At both the upper and lower ends of the absorbent core 61, there are breathable baffles 62 for fixing the absorbent core 61. The breathable baffles 62 can both fix the absorbent material and ensure smooth gas passage.

[0049] Optionally, the absorber core 61 is one or more of calcium lime, soda lime, porous materials, and liquid organic amines; in this application, the absorber core 61 is made of calcium lime, the main component of which is Ca(OH)2, and also includes a small amount of NaOH or KOH catalyst. The permeable baffle 62 is a metal wire mesh or a polymer porous plate.

[0050] During operation, the user's exhaled air enters the carbon dioxide absorber 6 through the inlet of the inlet pipe 2, passes through the breathable baffle 62, and enters the absorbent core 61. The air flows from top to bottom through the gaps between the particles in the absorbent core 61, making full contact with the absorbent material, calcium lime. During this process, the CO2 and H2O in the exhaled air undergo the following chemical reaction with the calcium lime:

[0051] Ca(OH)₂ + CO₂ → CaCO₃ + H₂O (exothermic)

[0052] Through the reaction, CO2 is fixed as CaCO3 solid and stored in the absorber, while the remaining gases N2 and O2 flow into the breathing bag 4 through the outlet of the carbon dioxide absorber 6, thus achieving gas purification and recycling.

[0053] In terms of control, a CO2 gas concentration detector is installed at the air inlet of the air cooler 5 to monitor the CO2 concentration in the gas to be inhaled in real time. When the CO2 concentration exceeds the set threshold of 1% volume fraction, the intelligent control system 8 issues an early warning through the human-machine interaction terminal 9, prompting the replacement of the CO2 absorption material in the absorption core 61.

[0054] Because of the exothermic reactions of sodium chlorate and oxygen, and the exothermic reaction of calcium lime absorbing CO2, the gas temperature inside the breathing bag 4 will be relatively high. Therefore, an air cooler 5 needs to be introduced to lower the gas temperature to a suitable temperature for the human body. Figure 4-6 As shown, the air cooler 5 includes a double-layered cavity shell 51, and a phase change cooling core 52 is filled inside the double-layered cavity shell 51. The cavities of the double-layered cavity shell 51 form an air layer, which can slow down the transfer of external heat and play a role in heat insulation; a metal foil layer 53 for anti-radiation is also provided between the double-layered cavity shell 51 and the phase change cooling core 52 to further reduce the impact of heat radiation on the cooling effect.

[0055] The phase change cooling core 54 includes a honeycomb carrier and a phase change material filling the honeycomb channels of the carrier. This makes the core structure compact and has significant advantages over the traditional "bucket ice" cooling method in terms of large heat exchange area and high cooling efficiency. Specifically, the honeycomb carrier is a low thermal conductivity polymer material, and the shape of the honeycomb channels can be circular, hexagonal, square, etc., with a diameter between 2-5 mm and a honeycomb wall thickness between 0.5-1.5 mm. The phase change material is a paraffin-based phase change material or an inorganic salt phase change material, which absorbs a large amount of latent heat through solid-liquid phase change, cooling the gas temperature to between 25-35℃.

[0056] During operation, the high-temperature gas flowing from the breathing bag 4 enters the phase change cooling core 52 through the air inlet of the air cooler 5. As the gas passes through the honeycomb channels, it undergoes sufficient heat exchange with the honeycomb walls. The heat is absorbed by the phase change material, and the gas temperature rapidly drops to below 35°C. Then, it enters the air outlet pipe 1 through the air outlet of the air cooler 5 for inhalation by the human body. Furthermore, a temperature detector is installed at the air outlet of the air cooler 5 to monitor the temperature of the cooled gas, ensuring that the temperature of the gas supplied to the human body is within a safe range.

[0057] Compared with existing technologies, this application addresses the high exothermic nature of the sodium chlorate oxygen candle catalytic thermal decomposition reaction (reaction temperature can reach around 300℃) by designing a honeycomb-structured air cooler 5. When air flows through the honeycomb channels, it undergoes thorough heat exchange with the phase change material filled in the device, achieving efficient cooling. The honeycomb structure significantly increases the heat exchange area, and combined with the solid-liquid phase change heat absorption of the phase change material, it achieves efficient and uniform gas cooling, effectively solving the problem of high exothermic reaction of sodium chlorate and ensuring that the intake temperature remains within a safe range (≤40℃). This is fundamentally different from existing cooling methods that require filling with ice, eliminating the need for frequent replacement of the cooling medium and making it more convenient to use.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the intelligent control system 8 includes multiple sensors installed at corresponding monitoring points in the airway of the chemical oxygen respirator. These monitoring points include: the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration inside the breathing bag 4; and the temperature of the inhaled gas inhaled by the human body through the outlet tube 1. After the sensors collect the monitoring data, they transmit it to the central processing unit. The central processing unit performs control logic calculations and outputs control commands. The corresponding device receives the control commands and starts working. The intelligent control system 8 is also communicatively connected to a human-machine interface terminal 9.

[0059] In summary, the chemical oxygen respirator of this application weighs between 8-9 kg (including all components such as the oxygen candle and absorbent); has a volume of less than 20 L; operates for 2-3 hours; has a breathing gas resistance of less than 600 Pa; and an inhaled gas temperature of less than 40℃. The overall performance is significantly superior to existing respirators, as shown in the table below:

[0060] Table: Performance Comparison of Three Positive Pressure Breathing Devices

[0061]

[0062] As can be seen from the table above, this application, while ensuring working time, reduces the weight by more than 40% and the volume by more than 50% compared to existing mainstream respirators (Dräger PSS® BG 4 plus approximately 15 kg / 49.5 L, MSA Air Elite 4h approximately 12-15 kg / 41 L), achieving a lightweight and miniaturized design for the respirator.

[0063] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present invention. Although detailed descriptions have been provided with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments, and all should be covered by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator, characterized in that: include: A solid oxygen source module (3) includes an oxygen source consisting of an array of multiple oxygen generators (31), each oxygen generator (31) being equipped with an independent starter (32); the oxygen generator (31) is connected to an oxygen delivery pipeline (33) to deliver oxygen into the breathing bag (4); the solid oxygen source module (3) is configured to determine the number of oxygen generators (31) to be activated by the starter (32) based on the oxygen concentration in the breathing bag (4); Carbon dioxide absorber (6), the air inlet of the carbon dioxide absorber (6) is connected to the air inlet pipe (2), and the exhaled gas of the human body is transported into the absorber core (61). The absorber core (61) fixes CO2, and the remaining gas is transported to the breathing bag (4) through the air outlet. Air cooler (5), the air inlet of the air cooler (5) is connected to the breathing bag (4) so ​​that the gas inside is cooled during the passage, and the cooled gas is transported to the air outlet pipe (1) through the air outlet for human inhalation; The intelligent control system (8) includes multiple sensors installed at corresponding monitoring points in the gas path of the chemical oxygen respirator. After the sensors collect monitoring data, they transmit the data to the central processing unit. After the central processing unit performs control logic operations, it outputs control commands. The corresponding device receives the control commands and starts working. The human-computer interaction terminal (9) is connected to the intelligent control system (8) for communication.

2. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oxygen delivery pipeline (33) is also equipped with a purification tank (7) to remove impurity gases generated when the oxygen generator (31) produces oxygen.

3. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air cooler (5) includes a double-layer cavity shell (51) filled with a phase change cooling core (52).

4. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 3, characterized in that: A metal foil layer (53) for anti-radiation is also provided between the double-layer cavity shell (51) and the phase change cooling inner core (52).

5. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The phase change cooling core (54) includes a honeycomb carrier and a phase change material filling the honeycomb channels of the carrier.

6. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The honeycomb carrier is a low thermal conductivity polymer material; the phase change material is a paraffin-based phase change material or an inorganic salt phase change material.

7. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The absorbent core (61) is provided with a breathable baffle (62) at both the upper and lower ends, and the breathable baffle (62) is used to fix the absorbent core (61).

8. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The absorbent core (61) is one or more of calcium lime, sodium lime, porous materials and liquid organic amines.

9. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: The sensor monitoring points include: oxygen flow rate, oxygen concentration, and carbon dioxide concentration of the airflow between the breathing bag (4) and the air cooler (5); the temperature of the inhaled gas inhaled by the human body from the outlet tube (1); and the cooler inlet temperature of the airflow in the oxygen delivery pipeline (33).

10. The chemical oxygen respirator based on a solid oxygen source generator according to claim 9, characterized in that: The oxygen generator (31) is equipped with a sodium chlorate oxygen candle for oxygen generation.

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