High temperature air separation system architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901874-B2
Application number	US-201514600393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

An air separation system includes a high temperature ozone converter, a mechanical separator, and an air separator downstream of the high temperature ozone converter and the mechanical separator. The air separator receives high temperature air and provides high temperature nitrogen-enriched air and high temperature oxygen-enriched air. The air separation system further includes a heat exchanger downstream of air separator that receives and cools the high temperature nitrogen-enriched air.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air separation system comprising:
a high temperature ozone converter;
a mechanical separator;
an air separator downstream of the high temperature ozone converter and the mechanical separator, the air separator configured to receive an amount of high temperature bleed air and provide high temperature nitrogen-enriched air and high temperature oxygen-enriched air;
a high temperature bleed air flow path through which the amount of high temperature bleed air flows through the high temperature ozone converter and the mechanical separator to the air separator without flowing through a heat exchanger; and
a first heat exchanger downstream of air separator and configured to receive and cool the high temperature nitrogen-enriched air;
wherein the air separator is configured to receive only the amount of high temperature bleed air flowing through the high temperature bleed air flow path.

2. The air separation system of claim 1 , wherein the air separator comprises a manifold of between one and seven air separation modules.

3. The air separation system of claim 1 , and further comprising:
an oxygen sensor for sensing an oxygen concentration in the nitrogen-enriched air; and
a flow control valve for controlling a flow of the amount of high temperature air through the air separator as a function of an output of the oxygen sensor.

4. The air separation system of claim 3 , wherein the flow control valve and the oxygen sensor are downstream of the air separator and upstream of the first heat exchanger.

5. The air separation system of claim 3 , wherein the flow control valve and the oxygen sensor are downstream of the first heat exchanger.

6. The air separation system of claim 1 , and further comprising a heat exchanger bypass for flowing a portion of the high temperature nitrogen-enriched air around the first heat exchanger.

7. The air separation system of claim 1 , and further comprising a second heat exchanger configured to receive and cool the high temperature oxygen-enriched air.

8. The air separation system of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger is further configured to receive and cool the high temperature oxygen-enriched air.

9. The air separation system of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger is a plate fin heat exchanger.

10. A method for separating high temperature air, the method comprising:
removing ozone contaminants from an amount of the high temperature air;
removing oil particles from the amount of the high temperature air;
delivering only the amount of the high temperature air at a temperature of between 300 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit into an air separator along a high temperature bleed air flow path without flowing the amount of the high temperature air through a heat exchanger prior to entering the air separator;
generating high temperature nitrogen-enriched air and high temperature oxygen-enriched air from the amount of the high temperature air in an air separator;
cooling the high temperature nitrogen-enriched air with a first heat exchanger; and
delivering the cooled high temperature nitrogen-enriched air to a fuel tank.

11. The method of claim 10 , and further comprising cooling the high temperature oxygen-enriched air with a second heat exchanger.

12. The method of claim 10 , and further comprising cooling the high temperature oxygen-enriched air with the first heat exchanger.

13. The method of claim 10 , and further comprising:
sensing an oxygen concentration in the nitrogen-enriched air; and
controlling a flow of the amount of the high temperature air through the air separator with a flow control valve as a function of the output of the oxygen concentration sensed.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the flow of the amount of the high temperature air through the air separator is controlled such that the generated high temperature nitrogen-enriched air comprises less than 11% oxygen.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the flow of the amount of the high temperature air through the air separator is controlled such that the generated high temperature nitrogen-enriched air comprises less than 8% oxygen.

16. An air separation system comprising:
a high temperature bleed air line configured to deliver an amount of high temperature bleed air along a high temperature bleed air flow path at a temperature between 300 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit;
an air separator configured to receive only the amount of high temperature bleed air from the high temperature bleed air line at a temperature between 300 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit and provide high temperature nitrogen-enriched air and high temperature oxygen-enriched air;
a high temperature ozone converter and a mechanical separator connected in the flow path between the high temperature bleed air line and the air separator, wherein the flow path does not include a heat exchanger; and
a first heat exchanger downstream of air separator and configured to receive and cool the high temperature nitrogen-enriched air.

17. The air separation system of claim 16 , wherein the air separator comprises a manifold of between one and seven air separation modules.

18. The air separation system of claim 16 , and further comprising:
an oxygen sensor for sensing an oxygen concentration in the nitrogen-enriched air; and
a flow control valve for controlling a flow of the high temperature air through the air separator as a function of an output of the oxygen sensor.

19. The air separation system of claim 18 , wherein the flow control valve and the oxygen sensor are downstream of the air separator and upstream of the first heat exchanger.

20. The air separation system of claim 18 , wherein the flow control valve and the oxygen sensor are downstream of the first heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Rugg Jared
• Thibaud Catherine
• Zywiak Thomas M

Classifications

• B01D53/66 Primary

  Ozone · CPC title

• B64D37/32 Primary

  Safety measures not otherwise provided for, e.g. preventing explosive conditions · CPC title

• B01J2219/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside · CPC title

• B01J19/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02) · CPC title

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic