Portable oxygen enrichment device and method of use

• US 9,492,781 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Separation Design Group, LLC
• Original Assignee: Separation Design Group, LLC
• Inventors: Galbraith, Stephen Douglas, Walker, David K., McGowan, Kenneth J., DePetris, Elise N., Galbraith, Judith C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US14/516,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20150104524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 210/760, 951/30, 951/48, 128/204.18
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 2/54 Mixing with gases
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/00 Medicinal preparations containing inorganic active ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0094 Gaseous substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/14 using sprayed or atomised substances including air-liquid contact processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/10 Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/101 using an oxygen concentrator
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8262 connectable to external power source, e.g. connecting to automobile battery through the cigarette lighter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8293 Solar
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/086 Docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/30 Gas therapy for therapeutic treatment of the skin
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/116 Molecular sieves other than zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/12 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/102 Nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/40 Nitrogen compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4533 for medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4541 : for portable use, e.g. gas masks
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0446 : Means for feeding or distributing gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/047 : Pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0473 : Rapid pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/053 : with storage or buffer vessel
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 : with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 : Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 3/01 : for controlling, signalling, or supervising the conveyance of a product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 : Processes

Abstract

Lightweight, small, portable devices and methods are disclosed that provide oxygen-enriched air using an ultra rapid adsorption cycle based on advanced molecular sieve materials.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

compressing in a device an ambient air flow comprising oxygen and nitrogen to form a compressed air flow;

transporting said compressed flow through an adsorbent bed and adsorbing at least a portion of said nitrogen to form an oxygen-enriched gas flow;

wherein the pressure drop across said adsorbent bed during said transporting is less than about 50 kPa;

removing said oxygen-enriched gas flow to form an oxygen-enriched product;

transporting said oxygen-enriched product to a first vessel and a second vessel;

wherein said first vessel and said second vessel are arranged in series;

retaining a defined volume of oxygen-enriched product in said second vessel;

desorbing from said adsorbent bed said portion of said nitrogen;

purging said adsorbent bed with at least a portion of said oxygen-enriched product from said first vessel and without oxygen-enriched product from said second vessel;

repeating said previous steps until a predetermined pressure is achieved in said second vessel; and

purging any remaining volume of said oxygen-enriched product from said first vessel through said adsorbent bed and an air storage vessel upon shutdown.

3. A method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising:

permitting rapid delivery of said defined volume of said oxygen-enriched product from second vessel as a bolus to a user in a user or device defined frequency.

4. A method of claim 1 or claim 2,

wherein said desorbing occurs after said transporting a defined volume of said oxygen-enriched product to said second vessel.

5. A method of claim 1 or claim 2,

wherein said pressure of said defined volume of said oxygen-enriched product in said second vessel is about 102 kPa absolute to about 200 kPa absolute.

6. A method of claim 3,

wherein the volume of said bolus of said oxygen-enriched product in said second vessel is about 50 cc to about 400 cc at standard temperature and pressure.

7. A method of claim 3,

wherein said bolus of said oxygen-enriched product comprises at least about 90% by weight, based on the total weight of said oxygen-enriched product, of oxygen.

8. A method of claim 3,

wherein said delivery comprises topically treating a wound or a burn with said oxygen-enriched product.

9. A method of claim 3,

wherein said delivery is delivered in a continuous mode.

10. A method of claim 3,

wherein said delivery is delivered in a pressure pulsating mode.

11. A method of claim 3,

wherein said delivery comprises treating a wound or a burn with said oxygen-enriched product in combination with using a gas permeable biologically augmented material as the wound or burn covering.

12. A method of claim 3,

wherein said delivery comprises treating a wound or a burn with said oxygen-enriched product in combination with a moisturizing or other therapeutic agent.

13. A method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising:

oxygenating a beverage with said oxygen-enriched product.

14. A method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising:

delivering said oxygen-enriched product to a distribution network in a garment.

15. A method of claim 14,

wherein said garment is a shoe, a glove, or a body part covering.

16. A method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising:

mixing said oxygen-enriched product with at least one modifying component;

wherein said modifying component is volatile; and

wherein said modifying component is a material selected from the group consisting of a moisturizing agent, a fragrance, a flavor, an herbal compound, a therapeutic compound, a drug and combinations thereof.

17. A method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising;

placing a point source of high voltage corona in said oxygen-enriched product to create ozone and delivering said ozone to a microporous distributor for the disinfection of water.

18. A method of claim 3,

wherein said delivery is switchable from bolus mode to continuous mode.

2. A method, comprising:

compressing in a device an ambient air flow comprising oxygen and nitrogen to form a compressed air flow;

transporting said compressed flow through an adsorbent bed and adsorbing at least a portion of said nitrogen to form an oxygen-enriched gas flow;

wherein the pressure drop across said adsorbent bed during said transporting is less than about 50 kPa;

removing said oxygen-enriched gas flow to form an oxygen-enriched product;

transporting said oxygen-enriched product to a first vessel and a second vessel;

wherein said first vessel and said second vessel are arranged in series;

retaining a defined volume of oxygen-enriched product in said second vessel;

desorbing from said adsorbent bed said portion of said nitrogen;

purging said adsorbent bed with at least a portion of said oxygen-enriched product from said first vessel and without oxygen-enriched product from said second vessel; and

repeating said previous steps until a predetermined pressure is achieved in said second vessel;

wherein the duration of said adsorbing period lengthens as a function of increasing pressure in said second vessel; and

wherein the duration of said desorbing remains substantially constant.