Oxygen concentrators were primarily designed for the healthcare industry, to be used in homes and hospitals where patients needed a constant supply of oxygen that could not be fulfilled by cylinders. These Oxygen concentrators extracted pure oxygen from ambient air, providing patients between 80-96% pure oxygen to help them meet their requirements. This capability of concentrators to produce pure oxygen without the need for bulky oxygen cylinders also led to solving an alternative challenge – industrial applications.
Industrial usage of oxygen
Oxygen is used in nearly every industrial process that we can think of. Industrial applications of oxygen include welding, bleaching, forging, propulsion, pharmaceutical, wastewater oxygenation and more. These industries require a steady flow of oxygen for extended periods of time, requiring industries to create a “Daisy-chain” of oxygen cylinders that can work in tandem to maintain oxygen availability. Constant supplies of oxygen are needed in industries like aquaculture, where dissolved oxygen levels in water are necessary for fish health and maintaining production levels. Oxygen is also required in laboratories to facilitate bacterial, animal and plant cell growth in incubators and bioreactors. In the welding industry, oxygen is often used as an assistant gas for laser cutting.
The problem faced by industries
Industries that require a constant supply of oxygen to complete chemical processes usually procure it in the form of cylinders. This process is expensive, involves storage and transportation costs and also poses safety hazards that require additional clearances from various departments. Oxygen supply is also limited by the refill or cylinder availability.
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