Development of a mathematical model of molecular-selective gas transfer in a hybrid membrane-adsorption oxygen concentrator

Abstract

Most modern oxygen concentrators use sorption air separation technology. The development of a hybrid membrane-sorption separation technology can improve the energy efficiency of the process. The paper considers a mathematical model of molecular-selective gas transfer in a hybrid oxygen concentrator consisting of adsorption and membrane units combined into a circulation loop. The considered hybrid model has based on a model of equilibrium isothermal sorption with linear isotherms without longitudinal mixing for numerical calculation of the adsorption unit of the system and a model of ideal displacement in the high-pressure cavity with perpendicular outflow in the low-pressure cavity to calculate the system membrane unit. In the course of the study, the high adequacy of the model was obtained with an experiment in the range of oxygen concentrations up to 90%, and a comparison was made with previously obtained results. A new model has been proposed that can take into account the equalization and countercurrent blowing stages.