Industrial Oxygen Concentrators: Features and Buying Guide

Oxygen concentrators are also known by the term oxygen generators. Medically, they are used as an alternative to tanks containing compressed oxygen and are used to provide oxygen therapy to patients. They are also widely used in industries as they are an economical source of oxygen and are more advantageous when compared to oxygen tanks which are highly dangerous and can explode in case of a leak or fire.

The oxygen concentrators basically consist of two cylinders which are filled with a zeolite material which selectively absorbs only nitrogen from the air. In every cycle, air is made to flow through the cylinder which contains nitrogen molecules at a pressure of 1.4 atmospheres while the other cylinder vents off the captured nitrogen molecules. A complete cycle takes about 20 seconds and a standard sized concentrator produces a continuous flow of oxygen at a rate of 5 liters per second with the concentration of oxygen between 50% and 95%. The entire process is known as the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA).

Some concentrators also use the Vacuum Swing Adsorption (VSA) process to produce oxygen. Here, a single low pressure blower is used along with a valve that helps in reversing the flow of air through the blower which in turn forces the regeneration phase to occur under a vacuum. Oxygen concentrators of this kind are generally used by the aquaculture industry.

Oxygen concentrator filters are also sold along with the concentrators to purify the oxygen as per the requirements of the industry. The three types of filters available are cabinet, inlet and bacterial (outlet). The filters should be cleaned changed on a periodic basis. The frequency of changing and cleaning the filter depends on the environment and the industry.

Features of Industrial Oxygen Concentrators

The two types of oxygen concentrators available are 'on demand' or 'continuous'. Some manufactures even provide the facility of renting out the concentrators if your requirement is only for a short term basis. This also helps you in evaluating the concentrator and its features before actually placing an order to purchase the same. Some of the features that you should look for while purchasing an industrial oxygen concentrators are:

• The concentrators should be fully automatic and should work at all times with no manual intervention.
• If continuous oxygen is very vital to your industry, then you should opt for concentrators that come with some kind of battery backup which will ensure that the supply of oxygen is not disrupted.
• The concentrators should be reliable and require little or no maintenance.
• The cost of operating the concentrators should be low.
• Look for concentrators which are micro-processor controlled as they are more efficient and easier to use.
• The process to install the concentrators should be simple and easy.
• The concentrators should be such that the advantages it offers to your industry should completely out weigh the advantages offered by any other source of oxygen such as liquid oxygen or compressed oxygen tanks.
• The concentrators should be fabricated in accordance with all the relevant codes like ASME, CSA and NEMA.
• The concentrators should be capable of producing oxygen that is 95% pure with a dew point of -100 degree F.
• The concentrators should ideally have a LCD display that can be used to analyze the performance of the concentrator.
• The control knob should be easily accessible.
• Some concentrators are available with a variable flow meter while some are available with a preset flow that come with a hand operated rotary switch. Analyze both types of concentrators and decide what suits your requirements best.
• Lastly, the concentrators that you buy should be available with a minimum of 3 - 5 years of warranty.

Buying Tips for Industrial Oxygen Concentrators

Now that you know what features to look for in an industrial oxygen meter before buying it, let us look at some tips that you should keep in mind before writing the check:

• You should assess the flow rate at which you will require oxygen as the cost of the concentrator increases with an increase in the flow rate.
• The zeolite sieve which actually removes the nitrogen from air to provide pure oxygen should come with a lifetime warranty.
• The chassis used in the concentrator and the body of the coating itself should be steel coated to increase the durability of the concentrator.

Gather all the information that you can before you purchase an industrial oxygen concentrator. I agree that the cost is not too high, but if the concentrator is faulty, it could be dangerous and will also impact your industry adversely.