A method and apparatus for removing water from compressed air is disclosed. The method includes the steps of passing a stream of compressed air through a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) dryer. The dryer includes at least one vessel containing a desiccant material bound into pieces, for example tubes, using a polymer binder. The PSA dryer also has a control system for controlling the flow of the compressed air and switching between drying and purging modes. In particular the vessel and desiccant material contained therein are sized to produce a dew point suppression of less than 50° C.

Provided is a respiratory rate measurement device (4), the respiratory rate measurement device (4) including a detection unit (6) that detects an in-tube pressure and/or an in-tube gas flow rate in a tube (2) supplying concentrated oxygen gas to a patient from a pressure swing adsorption oxygen concentration device (1) connected to the patient and concentrating oxygen in the air by periodically repeating pressurization and depressurization, and outputs pressure data and/or gas flow rate data, an arithmetic operation unit (722) that extracts patient respiratory information data, based on the pressure data and/or the gas flow rate data, and an estimation unit (723) that estimates a respiratory rate per predetermined time, based on the patient respiratory information data, wherein the estimation unit (723) estimates the respiratory rate using, as a respiratory interval, a time Δt in which the autocorrelation coefficient takes a peak.

A device for producing purified oxygen, has a feed (1, 1′) of a mixture of oxygen and argon, and has at least one bed (2, 2A, 2B) of oxygen adsorption material, a purge (3, 3′) for discharging the separated argon and a circuit (4, 4′) for injecting a portion of the purified oxygen produced, into the feed (1, 1′). The device has a programmable logic controller (PLC) for treating the degree of purity and/or the production flow rate that can be set by the user and a control of said purge (3, 3′) as a function of the degree of purity of the purified oxygen and/or of the production flow rate which are desired by the user.

An oxygen concentrator is provided with a controller for recovering an oxygen concentration to a level suitable for treatment in a short period of time by selecting an optimum purge time corresponding to the deterioration state of an adsorbent. The judgment of moisture-absorption deterioration is performed when the detected value of the oxygen concentration sensor is equal to or less than a control value of the oxygen concentration in the oxygen-enriched gas and the detected value of the pressure sensor is equal to or more than an adsorption pressure at which the oxygen concentration increases significantly before and after the control to reduce the purge time, and control of reducing a time for the purge step shorter than a preset time is performed.

A method of providing a breath to a human patient. The patient has a patient connection connected, by a patient circuit, to a ventilator having a first ventilator connection and a different second ventilator connection. Each of the first and second ventilator connections are in fluid communication with the patient circuit. The method includes identifying, with the ventilator, initiation of an inspiratory phase of the breath, delivering a bolus of oxygen to the first ventilator connection before or during the inspiratory phase, and delivering breathing gases comprising air to the second ventilator connection during the inspiratory phase. The ventilator isolates the bolus of oxygen delivered to the first ventilator connection from the breathing gases delivered to the second ventilator connection.

A method for adjusting a gas stream separation unit having N adsorbers, where N≥2, each following a PSA, VSA or VPSA adsorption cycle, with a time lag of a phase time, said adjustment method including continuously measuring a physical parameter associated with the gas stream entering and/or leaving the adsorber; for at least one step of the adsorption cycle, determining at least one characteristic value of the step chosen in step a) which is selected from the values of the physical parameter measured in step a) or a function of those values; comparing this characteristic value with a target value; and modifying the flow of the gas stream in order to obtain the target value, in the event of a variation between the value of this (these) difference(s) and the target values.

The present invention relates to a method and system for improving VPSA plant energy and capital efficiency through optimizing direct drive variable speed centrifugal feed, vacuum, and/or product compressors to achieve lower unit gas product production cost. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new energy efficient VPSA process and system which employs high speed direct drive centrifugal compressors to achieve wider production range. Significant lower energy consumption can be achieved over the plant operation life by employing compressors sized with average ambient and production demand, utilizing direct drive variable high speed centrifugal compressors' speed and operating range to meet the desired production demand. Since majority of the plants tend to run at below peak production most of operating life of the plant. In addition, the smaller size machine offers plant capital savings from the initial investment.

A wheel lock or clip for maintaining position of a thumbwheel or wheel of a rotary actuated delivery device includes an arcuate or curved body having a live hinge extending therefrom, the hinge connected to an arm having an engagement tooth extending therefrom. The tooth is operatively connected to tab for actuation by a user to disengage the engagement tooth from teeth of gear or barrel of a wheel or a thumbwheel of the rotary actuated device to thereby allow free movement of the wheel or thumbwheel.

In order to acquire patient respiratory information during oxygen concentrator operation, it is necessary to separate patient respiration components and variable pressure components associated with PSA from the measured data of the patient respiration pressure. Provided is a respiratory information acquisition device which acquires respiratory information of a patient and which is used fora PSA-type oxygen concentrator, including a pressure detection unit for detecting pressure in conduit and/or a flow rate detection unit for detecting a gas flow rate in the conduit, and a calculation unit for extracting oxygen respiratory information from detected pressure data and/or flow rate data, wherein the calculation unit estimates a fluctuation component which does not depend on respiration of the patient based on detected data and information related to an operation state of the oxygen concentrator obtained from the oxygen concentrator, and extracts respiratory information by removing the fluctuation component estimated from the detected pressure data and/or the flow rate data.

A passive valve for use as a fixed leak valve. The valve includes a body having an internal chamber, first and second body ports in fluid communication with the chamber with the first port configured for fluid communication with a patient connection and the second body port configured for fluid communication with a ventilator, a body passageway in fluid communication with the chamber and with ambient air exterior of the body, and a check valve seal positioned to seal the body passageway to permit the flow of gas within the chamber through the body passageway to the exterior of the body and to prevent the flow of ambient air exterior of the body through the body passageway into the chamber. In alternative embodiments, the valve is incorporated into the patient connection or constructed as a separate part connectable to the patient connection.