Nitrogen generator molecular sieve compacting device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of molecular sieve pressing device of nitrogen making machine, including cylinder, upper pressing mechanism, lower pressing mechanism and control system, upper pressing mechanism includes the upper pressing plate movably arranged in cylinder, the coaxial connection of main drive part of driving shaft and upper pressing plate, multiple auxiliary drive parts and sensor group being evenly arranged and being connected on upper pressing plate along the circumference of upper pressing plate;Lower pressing mechanism includes the lower pressing plate movably arranged in cylinder and the adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height of lower pressing plate in vertical direction;Control system is signal connected with sensor group, main drive part and auxiliary drive part, and is configured as: according to the detection signal of multiple groups of sensor unit, control main drive part and / or auxiliary drive part action, to adjust the height of different regions of upper pressing plate, realize the balanced pressing of upper pressing plate to molecular sieve.This molecular sieve pressing device of nitrogen making machine can adapt to dynamic condition and have local self-regulating capacity, and can adapt to different molecular sieve filling height.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of nitrogen generator technology, specifically to a molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator. Background Technology

[0002] Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) nitrogen generators are a gas separation technology based on the differences in the adsorption performance of molecular sieves for nitrogen and oxygen under different pressure conditions. This equipment typically has two or more adsorbers that periodically alternate between pressurized adsorption and depressurized desorption to achieve continuous separation and purification of nitrogen from the air, thereby stably producing high-purity nitrogen.

[0003] In PSA nitrogen generators, molecular sieves serve as key functional materials for nitrogen-oxygen separation. Under high pressure, they preferentially adsorb oxygen, enriching nitrogen in the gas phase. However, during the alternating adsorption and desorption cycle, the adsorber experiences frequent pressure changes, and the high-speed switching of gas in and out causes continuous impact on the molecular sieve bed. Due to the low mechanical strength of molecular sieves, without effective compaction measures, continuous collisions and friction between particles easily lead to pulverization. Pulverization of molecular sieves not only reduces the gas production efficiency and nitrogen purity of the equipment but also significantly shortens its service life and increases operating and maintenance costs.

[0004] To reduce the loosening and wear of molecular sieves during operation, a clamping device is typically installed inside the adsorber housing to eliminate gaps between molecular sieve particles, maintain a compact bed, and ensure stable operation of the nitrogen generator. Currently, commonly used molecular sieve clamping devices mainly include cylinder-type and spring-type clamping devices. Although these traditional structures can apply overall clamping force to the molecular sieve bed, in actual operation, uneven settling or localized loosening of the bed can occur, making it difficult for traditional clamping methods to achieve dynamic and localized pressure compensation, easily leading to a weakening of the clamping effect over time. Furthermore, existing clamping devices mostly employ fixed pressure plate structures, which have poor adaptability and cannot flexibly respond to changes in different adsorber sizes or molecular sieve packing heights, limiting their versatility and reliability under various operating conditions.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a molecular sieve compaction device that can adapt to dynamic working conditions, has local self-adjustment capabilities, and is applicable to different container specifications, so as to improve the long-term operational stability of PSA nitrogen generation equipment and the service life of molecular sieves. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a novel molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator. This device can adapt to dynamic working conditions, has local self-adjustment capabilities, and can be adapted to different molecular sieve filling heights.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: This utility model provides a molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator, including a cylinder with an air inlet and an air outlet, and further comprising: The upper pressing mechanism includes an upper pressure plate, a main drive component, an auxiliary drive component, and a sensor group. The upper pressure plate is movably disposed within the cylinder. The drive shaft of the main drive component is coaxially connected to the upper pressure plate and is used to drive the upper pressure plate to slide in the vertical direction. The auxiliary drive component has multiple components evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper pressure plate. The output shaft of each auxiliary drive component is drively connected to the upper pressure plate. The sensor group includes multiple sets of sensor units arranged radially along the upper pressure plate, and each set of sensor units includes multiple pressure sensors arranged circumferentially. A lower pressing mechanism includes a lower pressing plate and an adjusting mechanism. The lower pressing plate is movably disposed within the cylinder and forms a chamber for accommodating the molecular sieve between itself and the upper pressing plate. The adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the height of the lower pressing plate in the vertical direction. The control system is signal-connected to the sensor group, the main drive unit, and the auxiliary drive unit, and is configured to: control the main drive unit and / or the auxiliary drive unit to operate according to the detection signals of the multiple sensor units, so as to adjust the height of different areas of the upper pressure plate and realize the balanced pressing of the molecular sieve by the upper pressure plate.

[0008] In some embodiments, the number of auxiliary driving components is at least three. Preferably, the number of auxiliary driving components is three to eight.

[0009] In some embodiments, the auxiliary drive component is a micro servo motor, the output shaft of which is connected to a telescopic rod, the end of which acts on the upper pressure plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the peripheries of the upper pressure plate and the lower pressure plate are respectively sealed to the inner wall of the cylinder.

[0011] In some specific embodiments, the upper pressure plate and the lower pressure plate respectively achieve a sealing fit with the inner wall of the cylinder through elastic sealing rings disposed around their peripheries.

[0012] In some embodiments, the bottom surface of the upper pressure plate and the top surface of the lower pressure plate are respectively provided with elastic pads, and the side of the elastic pad facing the molecular sieve is configured with a wavy pattern.

[0013] In some embodiments, the upper pressure plate and / or the lower pressure plate are provided with a plurality of through holes, the diameter of which is smaller than the particle size of the molecular sieve, so that gas can flow through while confining the molecular sieve within the chamber.

[0014] In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism includes an active adjustment component, which includes a screw arranged in a vertical direction. The screw is connected between the lower pressure plate and the bottom wall of the cylinder via a threaded drive, and the rotation of the screw can be converted into linear motion of the lower pressure plate relative to the bottom wall of the cylinder.

[0015] In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism further includes a dynamic compensation component, which includes a guide column mechanism and an elastic element; the guide column mechanism is disposed between the lower pressure plate and the bottom wall of the cylinder, and is used to guide and limit the movement of the lower pressure plate; the elastic element provides a continuous upward preload to the lower pressure plate to dynamically compensate for the volume change of the molecular sieve during operation.

[0016] In some embodiments, along the downward pressing path of the drive shaft of the main drive component, a warning limit switch and a stop limit switch are sequentially arranged inside the cylinder; the control system is signal-connected to the warning limit switch and the stop limit switch, and is configured to: generate and issue a maintenance alarm indicating that the molecular sieve needs to be inspected when the warning limit switch is triggered; and control the nitrogen generator to immediately stop the adsorption process and issue a stop alarm when the stop limit switch is triggered.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cylinder includes a main body, an upper cover, and a bottom wall, the upper cover and the bottom wall being disposed on the upper and lower sides of the main body, respectively; the upper cover is detachably connected to the main body; the air inlet is disposed on the bottom wall; and the air outlet is disposed on the main body and located in the area above the upper pressure plate.

[0018] Due to the application of the above technical solution, this utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art: This invention introduces an auxiliary drive component and a control system to construct an adaptive dynamic clamping mechanism. The control system, based on real-time feedback from multiple pressure sensors, independently or collaboratively controls the main and auxiliary drive components, thereby precisely adjusting the height of each area of ​​the upper pressure plate. This achieves localized dynamic compensation and balanced clamping of the molecular sieve bed, effectively solving the problem of localized pulverization of the molecular sieve caused by uneven clamping force in traditional devices. It significantly improves clamping uniformity and stability, thus extending the overall service life of the molecular sieve.

[0019] In addition, the device's adjustable-height lower pressure plate design allows it to flexibly adapt to different molecular sieve loading amounts and container sizes, greatly expanding the equipment's application scenarios and reducing the design and manufacturing costs of specialized components for different working conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the molecular sieve pressing device for the nitrogen generator in Example 1; Figure 2 This is a front view of the molecular sieve pressing device for the nitrogen generator in Example 1; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the upper pressure plate in Example 1; The components include: 1. Cylinder body; 11. Cylinder main body; 12. Top cover; 13. Bottom wall; 14. Air inlet; 15. Air outlet; 2. Upper clamping mechanism; 21. Upper pressure plate; 22. Main drive component; 221. Drive shaft; 23. Auxiliary drive component; 231. Rod; 24. Pressure sensor; 3. Lower clamping mechanism; 31. Lower pressure plate; 32. Screw; 33. Dynamic compensation component; 4. Sealing ring; 5. Elastic gasket; 6. Early warning limit switch; 7. Stop limit switch; 8. Molecular sieve. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0022] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0023] In the description of the embodiments of this utility model, it should be understood that the descriptions of directions such as up and down, left and right, front and back, inside and outside are all based on Figure 1 The orientation is defined.

[0024] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of embodiments of this utility model, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0025] In this embodiment of the invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0026] The following disclosure provides many different implementations or examples for different structures of the embodiments of the present invention. To simplify the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or reference letters may be repeated in different examples of the embodiments of the present invention; such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various implementations and / or arrangements discussed.

[0027] Example 1: This example provides a molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, it includes a cylinder body 1, an upper clamping mechanism 2, a lower clamping mechanism 3, and a control system. The cylinder body 1 includes a main body 11, an upper cover 12, and a bottom wall 13. The upper cover 12 is located on the upper side of the main body 11 and is preferably connected to the main body by a detachable method such as bolts to facilitate equipment maintenance and the filling of the molecular sieve 8. The bottom wall 13 is located on the lower side of the main body 11 and is preferably manufactured integrally with the main body 11 to ensure structural strength and sealing at the connection. The air inlet 14 of the cylinder body 1 is located on the bottom wall 13, and the air outlet 15 is located on the main body 11. The upper pressing mechanism 2 includes an upper pressure plate 21, a main driving member 22, an auxiliary driving member 23, and a sensor group; wherein, the upper pressure plate 21 is movably disposed inside the cylinder 1; the drive shaft 221 of the main driving member 22 is coaxially connected to the upper pressure plate 21, and is used to drive the upper pressure plate 21 to slide in the up and down direction; the auxiliary driving member 23 has multiple units evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper pressure plate 21, and the output shaft of each auxiliary driving member 23 is connected to the upper pressure plate 21 in a transmission manner; the sensor group includes multiple sets of sensor units arranged radially along the upper pressure plate 21, and each set of sensor units includes multiple pressure sensors 24 arranged circumferentially. Figure 3 (Only a portion of the pressure sensors are shown). Pressure sensor 24 can be embedded in the upper pressure plate 21, or it can be set in other conventional ways in the art. The lower pressing mechanism 3 includes a lower pressure plate 31 and an adjustment mechanism; wherein, the lower pressure plate 31 is movably disposed in the cylinder 1 and forms a chamber for accommodating the molecular sieve 8 between itself and the upper pressure plate 21; the adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the height of the lower pressure plate 31 in the vertical direction. The control system is signal-connected to the sensor group, the main drive unit 22 and the auxiliary drive unit 23, and is configured to: control the main drive unit 22 and / or the auxiliary drive unit 23 to act according to the detection signals of multiple sensor units, so as to adjust the height of different areas of the upper pressure plate 21, so as to achieve balanced pressing of the molecular sieve 8 by the upper pressure plate 21.

[0028] Preferably, the number of auxiliary drive components 23 is at least three. In this embodiment, the number of auxiliary drive components 23 is eight, thereby forming a more dense and uniform number of independent action points on the upper pressure plate 21. The output shaft of each auxiliary drive component 23 (preferably a micro servo motor) is connected to a telescopic rod 231. The end of the rod 231 passes through the upper cover 12 and acts on the upper pressure plate 21, thereby achieving fine adjustment of the local tilt angle of the pressure plate, actively compensating for any flatness deviation caused by the settling of the molecular sieve 8 or uneven initial filling, and dynamically reshaping the contact state between the upper pressure plate 21 and the molecular sieve 8 bed, uniformly dispersing the clamping force that may originally be concentrated in a few areas into a balanced clamping force field, fundamentally eliminating the local pulverization phenomenon caused by uneven clamping force. The main drive component 22 is preferably a hydraulic cylinder, and the end of its drive shaft 221 passes through the upper cover 12 and is fixed to the upper pressure plate 21. The hydraulic cylinder, as the main pressure source, can provide a stable and continuous basic clamping force to ensure that the molecular sieve bed 8 maintains the necessary initial clamping state on a macroscopic level.

[0029] The upper pressure plate 21 is located below the gas outlet 15, and it and the lower pressure plate 31 are provided with multiple through holes. The diameter of the through holes is smaller than the particle size of the molecular sieve 8, allowing gas to flow while confining the molecular sieve 8 within the chamber. Preferably, the upper pressure plate 21 and the lower pressure plate 31 are filled with through holes, and the diameter of the through holes is 0.5 to 0.8 times the particle size of the molecular sieve 8. The peripheries of the upper pressure plate 21 and the lower pressure plate 31 are respectively sealed to the inner wall of the cylinder 1. In this embodiment, the upper pressure plate 21 and the lower pressure plate 31 are respectively sealed to the inner wall of the cylinder 1 by elastic sealing rings 4 provided on their peripheries, ensuring the airtightness of the chamber. The elastic sealing rings 4 include, but are not limited to, fluororubber. To further buffer stress and protect the molecular sieve 8, elastic gaskets 5 are respectively provided on the bottom surface of the upper pressure plate 21 and the top surface of the lower pressure plate 31. The side of the elastic gasket 5 facing the molecular sieve 8 is constructed with a wavy texture. This textured design effectively increases the contact area, disperses localized pressure, and avoids stress concentration, thereby significantly reducing the risk of breakage of the molecular sieve 8 during compaction and operation. The elastic gasket 5 can be made of silicone rubber, fluororubber, or other elastomer materials with similar elasticity and durability in the field.

[0030] The adjustment mechanism includes an active adjustment component and a dynamic compensation component 33. The active adjustment component includes a screw 32 arranged vertically. The screw 32 is connected between the lower pressure plate 31 and the bottom wall 13 of the cylinder 1 via a threaded drive. The rotation of the screw 32 can be converted into linear motion of the lower pressure plate 31 relative to the bottom wall 13 of the cylinder 1, thereby achieving the initial height preset for different molecular sieve 8 filling amounts. The active adjustment component preferably has multiple components evenly arranged circumferentially along the lower pressure plate 31. The dynamic compensation component 33 includes a guide column mechanism and an elastic element. The guide column mechanism is arranged between the lower pressure plate 31 and the bottom wall 13 of the cylinder 1 to provide guidance and limit for the movement of the lower pressure plate 31; the elastic element provides a continuous upward preload force to the lower pressure plate 31 to dynamically compensate for volume changes of the molecular sieve 8 during operation. This design allows the lower pressure plate 31 to automatically perform upward compensation under the drive of elastic force when the molecular sieve 8 generates debris or slight volume shrinkage due to long-term operation, thereby achieving dynamic maintenance of the clamping force. The dynamic compensation component 33 preferably has a plurality of components evenly arranged circumferentially along the lower pressure plate 31.

[0031] In this embodiment, along the downward pressing path of the drive shaft 221 of the main drive component 22, a warning limit switch 6 and a stop limit switch 7 are sequentially arranged inside the cylinder 1. The control system is signal-connected to the warning limit switch 6 and the stop limit switch 7, and is configured to: generate and issue a maintenance alarm indicating that the molecular sieve 8 needs to be inspected when the warning limit switch 6 is triggered; and control the nitrogen generator to immediately stop the adsorption process and issue a stop alarm when the stop limit switch 7 is triggered, providing a warning of molecular sieve 8 pulverization failure, which can effectively prevent losses caused by the equipment running under no-load conditions. The warning limit switch 6 and the stop limit switch 7 are triggered by the movement of the drive shaft 221 or the upper pressure plate 21.

[0032] The molecular sieve compaction device for the nitrogen generator in this embodiment is a comprehensive solution integrating preset, execution, compensation, and protection. It not only allows for flexible adjustment of the initial height via the screw 32 to adapt to various molecular sieve 8 filling requirements, but more importantly, during operation, it dynamically maintains the pressure plate level through the synergistic effect of the real-time pressure monitoring system, the main drive component 22, and the multi-point auxiliary drive component 23, ensuring sustained and uniform stress on the molecular sieve 8 bed. Simultaneously, the integrated elastic gasket 5 effectively absorbs stress and reduces the breakage rate of the molecular sieve 8; the optimized dynamic sealing design ensures the long-term sealing of the adsorption chamber during dynamic compaction; and the graded limit protection mechanism sets safe operating boundaries for the entire system, eliminating the risk of overload. In summary, through the organic integration of the above technologies, this device significantly optimizes the operational stability of the PSA nitrogen generator adsorber, the service life of the molecular sieve 8, and the overall economic efficiency.

[0033] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of this utility model, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it accordingly. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator, comprising a cylinder (1), wherein the cylinder (1) is provided with an air inlet (14) and an air outlet (15), characterized in that, Also includes: The upper pressing mechanism (2) includes an upper pressure plate (21), a main drive member (22), an auxiliary drive member (23), and a sensor group. The upper pressure plate (21) is movably disposed inside the cylinder (1). The drive shaft (221) of the main drive member (22) is coaxially connected to the upper pressure plate (21) to drive the upper pressure plate (21) to slide in the up-down direction. The auxiliary drive member (23) has a plurality of components evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper pressure plate (21), and the output shaft of each auxiliary drive member (23) is connected to the upper pressure plate (21) in a transmission connection. The sensor group includes a plurality of sensor units arranged radially along the upper pressure plate (21), and each sensor unit includes a plurality of pressure sensors (24) arranged circumferentially. The lower pressing mechanism (3) includes a lower pressing plate (31) and an adjusting mechanism. The lower pressing plate (31) is movably disposed within the cylinder (1) and forms a chamber for accommodating the molecular sieve (8) between itself and the upper pressing plate (21). The adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the height of the lower pressing plate (31) in the vertical direction. The control system is connected to the sensor group, the main drive (22) and the auxiliary drive (23) by signal connection, and is configured to: control the main drive (22) and / or the auxiliary drive (23) to operate according to the detection signals of the multiple sensor units, so as to adjust the height of different areas of the upper pressure plate (21) and realize the balanced pressing of the upper pressure plate (21) on the molecular sieve (8).

2. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of auxiliary drive components (23) is at least three; and / or, The auxiliary drive component (23) is a micro servo motor, whose output shaft is connected to a telescopic rod (231), the end of which acts on the upper pressure plate (21).

3. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The periphery of the upper pressure plate (21) and the lower pressure plate (31) are respectively sealed to the inner wall of the cylinder (1).

4. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper pressure plate (21) and the lower pressure plate (31) are respectively sealed to the inner wall of the cylinder (1) by elastic sealing rings (4) set on their periphery.

5. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the upper pressure plate (21) and the top surface of the lower pressure plate (31) are respectively provided with elastic pads (5), and the side of the elastic pads (5) facing the molecular sieve (8) is constructed with a wavy pattern.

6. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper pressure plate (21) and / or the lower pressure plate (31) are provided with a plurality of through holes, the diameter of which is smaller than the particle size of the molecular sieve (8), so that gas can flow through while confining the molecular sieve (8) in the chamber.

7. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism includes an active adjustment component, which includes a screw (32) arranged in a vertical direction. The screw (32) is connected between the lower pressure plate (31) and the bottom wall (13) of the cylinder (1) by a threaded transmission. The rotation of the screw (32) can be converted into linear motion of the lower pressure plate (31) relative to the bottom wall (13) of the cylinder (1).

8. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism also includes a dynamic compensation component (33), which includes a guide post mechanism and an elastic element; The guide post mechanism is disposed between the lower pressure plate (31) and the bottom wall (13) of the cylinder (1) to provide guidance and limit for the movement of the lower pressure plate (31); The elastic element provides a continuous upward preload to the lower pressure plate (31) to dynamically compensate for the volume change of the molecular sieve (8) during operation.

9. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the downward pressing path of the drive shaft (221) of the main drive unit (22), a warning limit switch (6) and a stop limit switch (7) are sequentially arranged inside the cylinder (1); the control system is signal-connected to the warning limit switch (6) and the stop limit switch (7) and configured as follows: When the warning limit switch (6) is triggered, a maintenance alarm is generated and issued indicating that the molecular sieve (8) needs to be inspected; When the stop limit switch (7) is triggered, the nitrogen generator immediately stops the adsorption process and issues a stop alarm.

10. The molecular sieve pressing device for a nitrogen generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cylinder (1) includes a cylinder body (11), an upper cover (12) and a bottom wall (13). The upper cover (12) and the bottom wall (13) are respectively disposed on the upper side and the lower side of the cylinder body (11). The upper cover (12) is detachably connected to the cylinder body (11). The air inlet (14) is disposed on the bottom wall (13). The air outlet (15) is disposed on the cylinder body (11) and located in the area above the upper pressure plate (21).

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