Patent ID: 8323378
Filing Date: 2012-12-04
Classification: B01D,C01B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of supplying oxygen to meet a user demand comprising: separating the oxygen from air through oxygen ion transport within an electrically driven oxygen separation device to produce a separated oxygen stream; storing at least part of the oxygen contained within the separated oxygen stream by introducing at least part of the separated oxygen stream into an adsorbent bed and storing the at least part of the oxygen within the adsorbent bed; supplying the oxygen, during an initial period of supply of the oxygen, solely from the adsorbent bed by discharging an adsorbent bed oxygen stream from the adsorbent bed containing the oxygen previously stored within the adsorbent bed so that pressure within the adsorbent bed continually decreases; during the initial period of the supply of the oxygen deactivating the electrically driven oxygen separation device so that the electrically driven oxygen separation device is in a deactivated state and is not producing the oxygen; and supplying the oxygen, at a subsequent period of the supply of the oxygen, commencing when the pressure within the adsorbent beds decreases to a lower predetermined pressure level, by activating the oxygen separation device to produce the separated oxygen stream; and during the subsequent period of the supply of the oxygen; if the user demand is less than the rate at which the oxygen is able to be produced by the electrically driven oxen separation device, introducing a part of the separated oxygen stream into the adsorbent bed to store part of the oxygen contained in the separated oxygen stream and supplying a remaining part of the separated oxygen stream to the user to meet the user demand; during introduction of the part of the separated oxygen stream into the adsorbent bed, the pressure within adsorbent bed continually increasing and when the pressure within the adsorbent bed increases to a higher predetermined pressure level that is higher than the lower predetermined pressure level, returning the oxygen separation device to the deactivated state; if the user demand is substantially equal, to the rate at which the oxygen is produced by the electrically driven oxygen separation device, supplying the oxygen solely from the separated oxygen stream and not from the adsorbent bed oxygen stream an not from the adsorbent bed oxygen stream; and if the user demand is greater than the rate at which the oxygen is produced by the electrically driven oxygen separation device, supplying the oxygen from a combined stream, the combined stream formed from the adsorbent bed oxygen stream and all of the separated oxygen stream.