SBIR Phase I: Continuous Adsorption Technology for Oxygen Enrichment

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将研究一种新的技术，利用微尺度增强的热量和质量传输现象，以及微制造大规模生产方法。所提出的设备将没有移动部件，将在环境压力下操作，并且可以用作微型组件或组装成更大的架构，以高生产率进行分离。用一种像空气过滤器一样易于使用的装置来提高燃烧空气中的氧含量，将提高家用炉和热水器的效率，减少炼钢和铝生产中的燃料使用以及二氧化碳和氮氧化物污染，甚至可以提高超高空吸气式发动机的性能。在较小的规模下，连续吸附提供了净化燃料电池进料气体所需的简单、可靠的微结构。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate a novel technology that exploits micro-scale enhanced heat and mass transport phenomena, and micro-fabrication mass production methods. The proposed device will have no moving parts, will operate at ambient pressure, and can be used as a micro-component or assembled into a larger architecture to perform separations at high production rates. Enriching the oxygen content of combustion air with a device as easy to use as an air filter would increase the efficiency of domestic furnaces and hot water heaters, would decrease fuel use and CO2 and NOx pollution in steel making and aluminum production, and could even enhance the performance of ultra-high altitude air-breathing engines. At the smaller scale, continuous adsorption provides the simple, reliable micro-architecture needed to purify fuel cell feed gases.