| abstract |
An oxygen concentrator (100) comprises a plurality of adsorbent columns (130), each having an inlet (132), an outlet (134) and a bed of adsorbent material (282). The oxygen concentrator (100) also includes a vacuum pump (144) for removing separated nitrogen rich gas from the column inlets (132), a control valve (140) for controlling flow of fluids in and out of the columns (130), and a breakthrough sensor (150) for signaling the position of a mass transfer zone (MTZ), the breakthrough sensor (150) controlling operation of the control valve (140) as a function of the breakthrough sensor signal. An electric control module (ECM) (148) receives the signal from the breakthrough sensor (150), and adjusts the control valve (140) based on the signal. |