Surge in Medical Oxygen Demand Due to Covid Pandemic

13

Dec

Surge in Medical Oxygen Demand Due to Covid Pandemic

Sanjeev Kumar

The COVID19 pandemic has resulted in a strong demand for medical oxygen for the treatment of critically ill patients. The COVID19 induced logistic disruptions resulted in a shortage of medical oxygen across low and middle income countries of the world.

This vacuum created profitable opportunities to install air separation plants on site, to overcome shortfalls. As a result, the air separation plant market is witnessing increased demand from the healthcare end-use industry.

Air separation plants serve as an alternative to costly medical oxygen imports, and are installed at the point of use. Historically, control rooms have been equipped with pressure-compensated air separation plants and liquid oxygen generators, used in concert with oxygen analyzers to monitor pressure and flow rate. As a result, the market is currently experiencing steady growth.

The air separation plant is also used to supply ambient air, oxygen-enriched air and nitrogen enriched air. It separates air into its constituent gasses by use of molecular sieves and membranes under moderate vacuum and temperature.

The air separation plant market is growing due to installation of on-site medical oxygen plants and generators. Installing separate oxygen plants over a huge area may be a costly approach. This is why the oxygen separation has been introduced in a single unit, which is operated at pharmaceutical and healthcare company plants.

The air separation plant market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.88% between 2015 and 2020. The market is driven by factors such as increasing prevalence of respiratory disorders, growing demand for portable oxygen concentrators, and the rapid growth of aircraft deliveries.

Air separation plants are already being used in a wide range of areas, like food, beverages, pharmaceuticals as well as critical care facilities. The global growth of the air separation market is driven by the recent outbreaks of contagious diseases such as swine flu - H1N1 and COVID-19 in many countries worldwide.

The high capital cost of industrial air separation plants is the main constraint for the growth of the air separation industry. Advanced technology to minimize capital cost has led to innovation in air separation equipment through vertical integration. Industrial gas and food & beverage are the two major end-use markets for air separation plants. IMOP in Europe is an example of an open loop system in order to reduce startup costs and energy consumption.

The process of producing oxygen from air separation consists of three main steps: 1. Air is compressed in a compressor and liquefied in a cryogenic chiller section 2. The compressed air at a temperature and pressure that is economical for separation is sent through the separators that are filled with zeolite or absorbent. 3. In the last step, the pure oxygen produced is released into storage tanks thus creating an on-site medical oxygen plant that can be used during emergencies to provide critical care respirator support to patients.

The air separation plant is a crucial part of the medical oxygen ecosystem. It produces high-purity gasses used to fill cylinders and smooth delivery of oxygen to patients. The manufacturers are facing challenges in meeting the increasing demand for medical oxygen due to the COVID 19 pandemic; rapid population growth; rising disposable incomes; and increasing demand for quality healthcare. The market is witnessing the entry of new players in the business as well.

In India, #BhartiyaCryogas is leading manufacturer and supplier of Air Separation Plant (ASP) and PSA (PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION) Medical Oxygen Generation plants.

During the second wave pandemic in India, Bhartiya Cryogas, top manufacturer and supplier of customized Cryogenic and PSA (PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION) Medical Oxygen Generation plants rose to meet national crisis by quickly turning its vast experience and facilities to produce and supply Medical PSA Oxygen Generator Plant.

The company beefed up their facilities on a war footing to design, fabricate and deliver customized highest quality standard Medical PSA oxygen.

With the impending third wave of Corona, a dedicated team of engineers have been deputed by the company for commissioning these PSA Oxygen Plant to Government Hospitals located at Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra as part of the ongoing contractual obligations. There are several types of pants fabricated and supplied by Bhartiya Cryogas. They are:

CRYOGENICS

1) Medium Pressure Oxygen/Nitrogen Gas/Liquid Plants

2) Low Pressure Oxygen/Nitrogen Gas/Liquid Plants

PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION (PSA)

1) PSA/VPSA Oxygen/Nitrogen Generators

INDUSTRIAL GAS PLANTS

1) Hi-tech Acetylene plants

2) Nitrous Oxide plants

3) CO2 plants

4) Cylinder Filling Station