What is LOX ? What is meant by Oxygen Concentrators? How it works? Where it used?

Liquid Oxygen that is also known hai "LoX", is highly compressed oxygen gas. LoX is very highly oxidising agent that is pale blue in color. This is used in some military and commercial aircraft as well as for  medical purpose. 

Oxygen first appeared in the Earth's atmosphere around 2 billion years ago, accumulating from the photosynthesis of blue-green algae.

In this post, we will discuss about the uses of LoX, and further will know about Oxygen Concentrators.

What is Oxygen Concentrator?

Oxygen is very necessary element that a human being, animals, plants, incects, fishes and whole world need.

Without oxygen we can't live a bit of moment. We know that nature has 21% of oxygen, but that is also mixed with some other elements.

So, in nature purely oxygen is not present. The oxygen which presents in nature is in gaseous State.

Due to its gaseous state, we can't preserve it in huge quantity. So, we need to convert it in liquid state. Hence the oxygen which is converted in liquid state is known as "Liquid Oxygen or LoX".

What is LoX?

LoX is liquid state of oxygen that is concentrated at very low temperature. Oxygen changes to a liquid only when it is kept at a very cold temperature; When it is released from cold storage under pressure, it is converted into gas.

It is a very good oxidiser. About 3 parts of oxygen is dissolved in 100 parts of fresh water at 20 ° C (68 ° F) by volume, slightly less in seawater.

Due to its good oxidising nature, it is used in rocket jet fuel. The oxidizer is fed into the fuel as well as the core combustion chamber to support the combustion process, which generates a stream of hot gas to power the fan that drives the turbine.

In medical, Liquid Oxygen is used as oxygen therapy. Oxygen therapy is used for acute conditions in which tissues such as the brain and heart are at risk of oxygen deficiency, as well as for chronic diseases that are characterized by persistently low blood-oxygen levels (hypoxemia).

For patients affected by chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), home oxygen therapy may be prescribed by a physician.

In emergency conditions, CPR therapy is used for help patients in breathing.

What is Oxygen Concentrators?

Oxygen Concentrator is a medical device that is used in oxygen therapy of patients.

It helps patients to breathe. It not only helps patients to breathe oxygen as well as it concentrates oxygen from surrounding air and provide it to patients.

Usually in hospitals, oxygen is provided patients from oxygen cylinders that is filled with liquid Oxygen.

The disadvantage of oxygen cylinder is that it should be refilled after use, whereas Oxygen Concentrators are not required to refilling because when it requires oxygen, it retract oxygen from surrounding air and concentrate this oxygen.

Then this concentrated oxygen is provided patients. The oxygen Concentrator is a device that concentrates oxygen from the gas supply (usually ambient air) by selectively removing nitrogen to supply the oxygen-rich product gas stream.

Construction of Oxygen Concentrator

Instead of the limited amount of pressurized oxygen used by oxygen tanks, oxygen concentrations use a filtering system to take ambient air from surrounding of the patient, compress and modify it to medical-grade standards, and then store it and Deliver to the patient.

These following process occurred in oxygen concentrator:

• Air intake
• Air compressor
• Nitrogen filtering
• Air humidifying
• Oxygen storage
• Oxygen supply

To filter, extract and concentrate as well as to store and supply oxygen, many parts are involved. 

1. Air compressor
2. Air cooling system
3. Air filters
4. Humidifier
5. Circuit breakers
6. Circuit controler
7. Storage vessels
8. Oxygen filters
9. Switch valve and release valve

How it works?

An oxygen concentrator takes in air and removes nitrogen from it. Then leaving oxygen-rich gases in patients blood for use by patients requiring medical oxygen due to low levels of oxygen in their blood.

Process is :

• Compressing ambient air from surrounding
• Absorbs this air at high pressure on Zeolite Material
• Zeolite filtered oxygen and nitrogen and collect oxygen and desorbs nitrogen through release valve (as shown in animation below)
• Then pushed purified oxygen in storage tank
• Now oxygen is delivered from here

Purpose of Oxygen Concentrators

Medical oxygen concentrations are used in hospitals or at home to produce oxygen for patients. Hence the purpose of using oxygen Concentrator is to provide medical oxygen at home as well as at hospital with use of any oxygen cylinder.

Portable Oxygen Concentrators are less expensive, portable and easy to use. Oxygen Concentrator can be used in various industries including medical, pharmaceutical production, water treatment and glass manufacture.

Best oxygen concentrators

A doctor decides how much oxygen a patient needs and will write on a prescription to buy or rent oxygen concentrations.

There are several oxygen concentrators are available in market but we are showing top 5 :

1. OxyLife Independence Portable Oxygen Concentrator
2. Drive Medical Devilbis 10 L Oxygen Concentrator
3. Invacare Platinum 10-Liter Oxygen Concentrator
4. Inogen At Home Stationary Oxygen Concentrator
5. Invacare Perfecto2 5-Liter Oxygen Concentrator

Conclusion

In some previous days, Due to COVID-19 the patients need much oxygen than previously. The oxygen supplying companies failed to provide more oxygen as the requirements.

So, the use of Oxygen Concentrators are become very helpful because it generates oxygen without any help of factory. It is portable and due to this the transportation charge and time can be reduced.