Method and apparatus for thermal regeneration of molecular sieve material used in oxygen concentrators

摘要

Water contamination is purged from molecular sieve material used in oxygen concentrators by heating the molecular sieve material to a temperature in the range of approximately 450 DEG to 950 DEG F., and subjecting the molecular sieve material to a stream of dry sweep gas having a dew point in the range of approximately -80 DEG to -100 DEG F. In the preferred embodiment, the molecular sieve material is contained in a vessel and heated by means of a number of heating elements. In addition, a flow of dry sweep gas is produced by at least two drying chambers containing a desiccating material. A first valve assembly alternately cycles the sweep gas through the first drying chamber and then through said second drying chamber. A second valve assembly routes a portion of the sweep gas leaving the active drying chamber to the vessel, and routes the remainder of the sweep gas through the remaining drying chamber(s) to purge water from the desiccating material contained therein during the temporal portions of the cycle when each drying chamber is not supplying sweep gas to the vessel.