Oxygen Separator Diffusion Reducing Spacer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Oxygen separation devices in home care settings face contamination issues due to undesired contaminants like water and carbon dioxide, which reduce the oxygen separation capacity and require complex maintenance processes, especially during off-times when diffusion of contaminants to the oxygen separation sorbent occurs.
Innovation Solution
An oxygen separation device with a decontamination area and an oxygen separation area connected by a spacer with a diffusion reducing channel, where the diffusion reduction factor rR is greater than 1, effectively minimizing contaminant diffusion through a curved or angled structure, such as a spiral design, to prevent contamination and maintain sorbent integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a decontamination area is added to remove contaminants, then oxygen separation performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the decontamination area and oxygen separation area into a single integrated device with a unified housing structure. The decontamination material and oxygen separation sorbent are positioned in different areas within the same device, eliminating the need for separate devices and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining both decontamination and separation functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a spacer with a diffusion reducing channel as an intermediary element between the decontamination area and oxygen separation area. This spacer prevents direct diffusion of contaminants from the decontamination material to the oxygen separation sorbent, allowing both areas to function effectively without interfering with each other, thus improving reliability without requiring complete structural separation.
2Reliability
If a spacer with diffusion reducing channel is used to prevent contaminant diffusion, then sorbent contamination is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is designed with a porous structure that allows gas flow while reducing contaminant diffusion. The porous material provides the diffusion reducing function through its physical structure rather than complex mechanical components, simplifying manufacturing while achieving the desired contamination prevention效果.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffusion reducing channel in the spacer features a curved or spiral structure instead of a straight channel. This curved geometry increases the diffusion path length for contaminants, enhancing the diffusion reducing effect while maintaining a simple spacer component that can be manufactured as a single piece, avoiding complex assembly requirements.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the oxygen separation device is left inactive during off-times, then energy consumption is reduced, but contaminant diffusion to sorbent increases
Solution Approach 1:
The decontamination area with decontamination material is positioned upstream of the oxygen separation area to preemptively remove contaminants from the gas stream before they can reach the oxygen separation sorbent. This preliminary decontamination action occurs continuously even during off-times when the device is inactive, preventing contaminant diffusion to the sorbent without requiring additional energy input during idle periods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly reduces contamination of the oxygen separation sorbent during off-times, improving maintenance behavior and ensuring consistent oxygen separation performance even after long periods of inactivity, thus enhancing the cost-effectiveness and reliability of oxygen concentrators.
Implementation Method 1
at least one oxygen separation area with an oxygen separation sorbent being capable of separating oxygen from an oxygen comprising gas by sorbing at least one component of the oxygen comprising gas apart from oxygen
Implementation Method 2
a decontamination area with a decontamination material for decontaminating the oxygen comprising gas from at least one contaminant
Implementation Method 3
the oxygen separation area and the decontamination area are fluidly connected by a spacer comprising at least one diffusion reducing channel
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an oxygen separation device (12, 14), comprising a gas inlet (29, 31) at a primary side for guiding a flow of oxygen comprising gas into the oxygen separation device (12, 14) and having a gas outlet (33, 35) at a secondary side for guiding a flow of oxygen enriched gas out of the oxygen separation device (12, 14), at least one oxygen separation area (20, 22) with an oxygen separation sorbent (16, 18) being capable of separating oxygen from an oxygen comprising gas by sorbing at least one component of the oxygen comprising gas apart from oxygen and being contaminatable by a contaminant, and a decontamination area (21, 23) with a decontamination material(17, 19) for decontaminating the oxygen comprising gas from at least one contaminant, wherein the oxygen separation area (20, 22) and the decontamination area (21, 23) are fluidly connected by a spacer (76, 78) comprising at least one diffusion reducing channel (80, 82), wherein the spacer (76, 78) has a value of diffusion reduction rR of rR > 1.Such an oxygen separation device (12, 14) allows (10) provides significant advantages with respect to maintenance. The invention further relates to an oxygen separator (10) and to a method of generating oxygen from an oxygen comprising gas.