Why does lithium molecular sieve turn into powder?

1. Physical impact and compression (the main cause):

Improper filling: When adding new molecular sieve to the adsorption tower, pouring it directly from a high position will cause the particles to collide with the bottom of the tower and each other at high speed, causing damage.

Rough compaction: During or after filling, to ensure full filling, the adsorption tower may be shaken, hit, or even tamped with tools. This is extremely dangerous and can directly crush a large number of molecular sieve particles.

Impact during disassembly and installation: Frequent replacements mean frequent disassembly and installation of the adsorption tower. During this process, if the tower is bumped or dropped, the molecular sieve inside will also be subjected to strong impact.

2. Pressure shock (pressure fluctuations):

During the normal operating cycle of the oxygen concentrator, the adsorption tower experiences frequent high and low pressure switching (typically every few seconds). If the molecular sieve already has numerous invisible microcracks or small fragments when filling, these violent pressure fluctuations will accelerate the propagation of cracks, causing the particles to eventually break into powder.

You've replaced the sieve multiple times, restarting the system each time. This cycle of pressure shocks continuously acts on the already damaged sieve, exacerbating the pulverization process.

3. Airflow scouring:

When the oxygen concentrator is operating, high-speed airflow continuously blows through the molecular sieve bed. If a small amount of fines is generated due to the above two reasons, this fines will be driven by the airflow at high speed, continuously scouring and wearing away the remaining intact molecular sieve particles like a "sandstorm," causing a chain reaction and further deterioration of the pulverization process.