Generon Igs, Inc.

Thomas J Jeffers

Marc Straub

Donald E Newton

Tony Troiano

A shipboard system provides dry, oil-free utility air and inert gas for use on a marine vessel. A compressor converts ambient air into a pressurized air stream. The air stream is cooled by heat exchange with sea water in the vicinity of the vessel. The air stream is then dried in a dehydration membrane module, and some of the product of the dehydration module is taken for use as utility air. The remainder of the dried air is passed through an air separation module which includes a polymeric membrane. The product of the air separation module includes a nitrogen-enriched gas which is used as an inert gas on the vessel. The compressor is the only mechanically moving component of the system.

Shipboard hybrid system for making dry, oil-free, utility air and inert gas

A portable system for air separation or air dehydration, or both, is carried on a truck or equivalent vehicle. The air separation system includes, at a minimum, a feed compressor and a gas separation membrane. The air dehydration system includes a feed compressor and an air dehydration membrane. The feed compressor receives power from the engine of the vehicle, only when the vehicle is not moving under its own power. Heat from the vehicle engine may also be used to heat the compressed air stream to prevent the formation of water. The system can also be used to perform air dehydration and air separation simultaneously. The system is substantially self-contained, and can be easily driven from one location to another, simply by driving the vehicle to another location. The invention is especially useful in providing air separation or air dehydration services, or both, for relatively brief periods, at multiple locations.

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Spring, TX, United States of America

Thomas J Jeffers