Monday, January 26, 2015

All About An Industrial Oxygen Generator

By Janine Hughes


For those of us who have been unfortunate to fall ill at one time or another, we have used oxygen when we could not breathe. This was facilitated by an industrial oxygen generator which made the gas. However, it is not only hospitals that use the gas. Industries involved in catalytic oxidations, biological treatment of water, incineration, thermal cycling and ozone regeneration also require oxygen. This means that mining industries and the armed forces all require this vital gas.

There are two types of industrial generator technology-PSA and high volume VPSA generators. For both technologies, the process starts with 95% oxygen purity through several consecutive stages to achieve a purity of up to 99%. PSA means Pressure Swing Adsorption and concentrates oxygen to achieve a higher purity level after extracting it directly from the atmosphere.

PSA works by isolating the required gas molecules from compressed air. The pellets used in the setup, hold on to all other gas molecules while only oxygen passes through. PSA achieves a high purity rate of between 93% and 99%. PSA technology based generators are also equipped with oxygen analyzers, low purity alarm, low pressure alarm and maintenance advisory.

On the other hand, high volume VPSA is able to get a purity level of almost 93%. The deal with this kind is the high level of automation. There are remote monitoring, control and communication capabilities. However, both of these technologies have a high degree of reliability and low maintenance costs, considering maintenance issues like cleaning of the inlet air filters can be done every six months. In addition, they are not only space efficient, they also support on-site supply; a new trend in the market.

Indeed, compressed air cylinders have been the norm among users for many years. More people however, have turned to on-site installation for reduction of transport costs and cylinder rentals. In addition, on-site supply also gets rid of the long contract terms that had to be signed between stakeholders. Lastly, they have empowered users to be in control of their systems.

So what parameters do you use to determine the best tank to buy? There are different models sold by different manufacturers across the globe. A user should consider the air requirement, output and the tank size of the model. Also, the delivery capacity and rate of flow should be critical when making the purchase decision. These parameters are different, but vary from 0.6 to 56 l/s for delivery capacity and flows may be between 2 and 200Nm3/h.

A user should also look out for functionalities before purchase. These include a digital hour meter, customized flow gauges and controls, on and off switches and an integrated control panel. They give the user an easy installation and operation time as all they have to do is set up and control. In other words, user friendliness should be a very important factor to consider when making the decision.

Air is free for all and therefore industrial generators utilizing it should bear minimal purchasing and operating costs. Apart from the cost, a buyer should consider the functionality, space, efficiency and power consumption. All these factors should fit into the purpose of the tank. Therefore, consider the purpose first, then embark on choosing a manufacturer, then a model that suits your needs.




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