Oxygen Concentrator- How Does It Work

1. Oxygen Concentrator- how does it work? Silverline Meditech Pvt Ltd

2. Critical patients need oxygen support to help them breathe. They are provided with an oxygen mask for this purpose. • Oxygen concentrators are special devices that ensure a steady and concentrated supply of oxygen flow from the outlet to patients. • They are the preferred mode of delivering oxygen to patients at home. • These devices can be used alternatively in factories and plants to provide economical method of conveying oxygen in industrial processes. Introduction

3. These concentrators have air compressors, two cylinders filled with pellets, a reservoir to equalize pressure, and a number of interconnecting valves and tubes Structure

4. These devices use the pressure swing adsorption method to concentrate oxygen in places that avoid the use of liquid oxygen due to its high combustibility. • PSA works by quickly cycling pressure and simultaneously alternately venting the opposite ends of the column. This leads to reduction of size of adsorbed bed and discarding of feed gas. Principle on which they work

5. First the cylinder receives air from the compressor it is attached to. When this flow of air comes in the pressure in the first cylinder rises significantly higher than atmospheric pressure. • This initial air flow lasts for around three seconds. The pellets in the cylinder absorb the nitrogen from the air and leaves near pure oxygen in the it. • At this stage a valve opens up to allow this oxygen rich air to flow into the equalizer reservoir which in turn is connected to the patient’s hose. • The oxygen enriched air then passes from the equalizer through the hose to the patient. How the concentrator functions

6. In the second stage another valve position change allows the air in the compressor to be directed to the second cylinder and the process is repeated. • Meanwhile, as air passes into the reservoir, the pressure in the first cylinder drops. • As a result Nitrogen is absorbed back into the air and yet another valve position change allows this air to be diverted to the atmosphere. • This keeps the concentration of oxygen in the reservoir at an optimum. • The pressure reducing valve controls the air pressure in the air delivering hose.

7. These devices plug into wall sockets. They also have batteries that can be used away from homes. • As they can be plugged into outlets in vehicles they are useful for ambulances too. • A few airlines permit the use of these devices on commercial flights too. • Larger devices operate on pulse flow and continuous flow modes as required by patients. • This eliminates the problem of the concentrator not being able to detect the time of inhalation. Versatility of use

8. Oxygen concentrators are less dangerous than oxygen cylinders. This makes them particularly advantageous for outdoor use. • They are also reliable enough to be provided to patients at home. • This device does away with the hassle of replenishing cylinders at regular intervals. • In this way it helps to control cost of supplying oxygen to patients. • The durable medical equipment industry has rapidly adopted the use and manufacture of the device. Conclusion

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