PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a purification apparatus for generating argon-free high concentration oxygen, which can generate high concentration oxygen having concentration higher than that of oxygen obtained by a conventional apparatus.SOLUTION: In the apparatus, in which concentrated oxygen, generated from a PSA oxygen generator for separating and concentrating oxygen from air by pressure swing adsorption, is used as a raw material gas 10, and then only oxygen contained in the raw material gas 10 is adsorbed at ordinary temperature under a pressure not lower than the atmospheric pressure, and oxygen not containing argon gas is taken out by using a vacuum pump 15, two adsorption towers 11, 11, in each of which an adsorbent having pores each having a diameter not larger than that of argon molecule is filled, are parallelly arranged, and following operations comprising: taking oxygen out of the adsorption tower 11 by reducing the pressure inside the adsorption tower 11 when oxygen adsorption is finished then adding oxygen taken out immediately after the pressure is reduced to the raw material gas 10 to use it for raising the pressure of the other adsorption tower 11 immediately after oxygen is desorbed and at the same time, taking out oxygen remaining in the adsorption tower 11 as an oxygen product are alternately and repeatedly carried out for both adsorption towers 11,11 to obtain high concentration oxygen having a concentration of &ge99.6%.COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT【課題】従来の装置より高濃度の酸素を発生することができるノンアルゴン高濃度酸素精製装置を提供すること。【解決手段】圧力スイング吸着により空気中から酸素を分離し濃縮するPSA酸素発生器に連結し、当該発生器からの濃縮酸素を原料ガス10として常温において当該ガス中に含まれる酸素のみを大気圧以上で吸着しアルゴンガスを含まない酸素を真空ポンプ15で取出す装置において、アルゴン分子以下の細孔径を有する吸着剤を充填した吸着塔11,11′の2塔を並列配置し、一方の吸着塔11について酸素吸着が終了したときその吸着塔11の塔内を減圧して酸素を取出し、減圧直後に取出した酸素を原料ガス10に加えて酸素脱離直後の他方の吸着塔11′の昇圧に使用すると共に、当該一方の吸着塔11に残存する酸素を製品酸素として取出す操作を、双方の吸着塔11,11′について交互に繰り返すことにより、99.6%以上の高濃度の酸素が得られるようにしたこと。【選択図】図2
