A Small Oxygen Concentrator

Onboard oxygen generating systems (OBOGS) require large quantities of air. When toxic contaminants are present, this air volume can become a problem. A small oxygen concentrator (SOC) was developed to operate at 10% the air volume and 4% the molecular sieve weight of the OBOGS. This paper gives detailed instructions on the construction of the SOC. The SOC was tested at inlet pressures of 10, 20, 30, and 40 psig and at product flows of 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, and 1.50 lpm. The SOC beds were packed with 5A or 13X molecular sieve. Additional tests were conducted with the SOC beds at 25 C, 50 C, and 60 C and using 5A molecular sieve. The SOC performance at various inlet pressures and temperatures, as measured by the oxygen concentration in the product gas, demonstrates characteristics similar to the performance of the full-size OBOGS.