| 摘要 |
A high efficiency oxygen/air separation system uses waste heat produced by an internal combustion engine to produce pure or enriched oxygen for combustion in the internal combustion engine. Nitrogen is eliminated from the combustion process, thus preventing the formation of nitrogen oxides. The formation of other particulates is also reduced as the exhaust gases are repeatedly burned. The separation system includes a manifold heat exchanger, a vane compressor/expander, a spent nitrogen heat exchanger and an insulated container. Air is first compressed in the integrated vane compressor/expander. Compression energy is provided from the expansion of the spent nitrogen after that nitrogen has been heated to exhaust manifold temperatures. High efficiency is achieved through simultaneous expansion and compression. The compressed air is cooled through a spent nitrogen heat exchanger and enters the insulated container, where the oxygen separation takes place. The insulated container includes a regenerative heat exchanger, an expander and a separator column. The compressed air is delivered to the regenerative heat exchanger and is cooled by the separated gas streams that include a mixture of (1) oxygen/argon and (2) nitrogen. The cooled air stream is expanded in the expander where oxygen/argon condenses in the gas stream. The expanded air stream is delivered to a separation column which separates the liquid oxygen/argon mixture from the nitrogen gas by gravity. Nitrogen gas is released and the liquid oxygen/argon mix is returned to the regenerative heat exchanger to cool the incoming compressed air.
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