Abstract: A molecular sieve for an oxygen concentrator free of internal filtering elements and suitable for personal use to provide substantially pure oxygen for a medical patient to breathe, having a container formed of metal with an inlet thereto and an outlet and seamed with welded seams so as to be leak-proof to moisture and able to withstand passage of hot re-activating gas, an oxygen concentrating molecular sieve material contained within the container and having a longitudinal extent concentric with the longitudinal axis of the container, filter screens and springs contained within the container extending the full diametrical extent of the container and positioned on opposite sides of the sieve material, coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the container, the sieve material being a material re-activatable by passage therethrough of a hot gas and being sandwiched between the filter screens and springs and maintained in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the container.

Abstract: Adsorbers used to dry air frequently contain 4A or 13X molecular sieve zeolites, which are intermittently reactivated by thermal regeneration. When the air pressure in a thermally regenerated adsorber is increased, such as during start-up, after adsorbent reloading, after apparatus repair, maintenance or inspection, or after repressurization following thermal regeneration, nitrogen adsorbs preferentially relative to oxygen in activated 4A and 13X molecular sieve zeolites. This produces an oxygen-enriched, high pressure gas within the adsorber vessel which emerges immediately after the adsorber is brought on line. The oxygen-enriched, high pressure gas can cause fires, explosions, and other deleterious effects in and downstream of such adsorber vessels. This invention provides thermally regenerated air driers and air drying processes using adsorbent compositions that do not adsorb nitrogen preferentially to oxygen.

Abstract: A gas dehumidifying apparatus including a dehumidifier rotor wherein the rotor is of a composite construction which is compatible with both high humidity and low humidity conditions and in which proper temperature conditions can be obtained in connection with the regeneration of the adsorbent to thereby improve the adsorption performance of the rotor. The apparatus exhibits improved dehumidification efficiency and thus can provide treated gas with a dryness level higher than conventionally attainable.