psaplant

Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants

Medical grade oxygen 93%, skid-mounted or containerized, with installation, training, warranty and preventive maintenance

General description:

An onsite oxygen generating system using PSA technology, which supplies high-pressure oxygen throughout a facility via a central pipeline system, or via cylinders refilled by the plant.

Key configurations:

Oxygen capacity:

The PSA plants can be provided in a wide range of capacities based on the oxygen demands, ranging from 5 to 90 cubic meters/hour. The most commonly used capacities are 15, 30, 40 and 60 cubic meters/hour respectively.

Distribution mechanism:

Oxygen can either be piped directly from the oxygen tank to wards, or further compressed to fill cylinders via a supplemental booster compressor and a cylinder filling ramp/manifold. When the PSA plant is used to fill cylinders, the capacity of the booster compressor also needs to be determined.

PSA format:

PSA plants are either skid-mounted or containerized to facilitate rapid installation. It would be impossible to skid-mount or containerize PSAs above a certain size threshold (for example, above 90m3/hour).

Skid-mounted: All components of the PSA plants have been preassembled and mounted on steel plate and properly connected at the manufacturing site. A fork truck of sufficient capability is needed to unload the skids from the container upon arrival to the hospital and to place the skids inside the location.

skid mounted - editted

(Skid-mounted PSA plant illustration)

Containerized: The compressed air system as well as the oxygen separation system is integrated in the container and represent a compact solution for those who do not have a space for an oxygen generating system within their building or need oxygen production plant in severe conditions. A lifting crane of sufficient capacity is needed to unload the container from the truck upon arrival to the hospital and to place the container on the concrete pad.

(Containerized PSA plant illustration)

Technical specifications:

  • Uses pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology to produce medical oxygen 93%±3 from ambient air;
  • Life span of a minimum of 10 years; guaranteed by a letter from the manufacturer;
  • Oxygen concentration monitor with +/- 1% accuracy;
  • Continuous display of the oxygen concentration and pressure;
  • Alarm when an oxygen concentration is lower than 90%;
  • Continuous output pressure of 300-600 kPa / 3 – 6 bars / 44-87 psi;
  • Feed air compressor, either oil-free or filtered oil-injected or oil-lubricated rotary screw type: minimum 750 kPa / 7.5 bars / 108 psi.

Components:

  1. Air compressor with air dryer and pre-filters with automatic drains;
  2. Filter assembly to include:
    • pre-filter (>5 micron);
    • coalescing filter (0.1 micron);
    • coal filter (coal tower, alternatively activated carbon filter), as applicable.
  3. Oxygen Generator unit;
  4. Oxygen analyser for medical application;
  5. Oxygen tank (receiver/buffer tank) with bacterial outlet filter.

Power requirements:

Plant operations: 380 VAC ± 15% – 3 phase / 50 Hz.

Control system operations: 220 VAC ± 15% – 1 phase / 50 Hz.

Equipment must be connected to a reliable and continuous source of energy.

Electrical protection by resettable circuit breakers or replaceable fuses, fitted in both neutral and live lines.

Quality standards:

ISO 13485: Quality management system for the design of medical systems.

Medical device registration in the founding members of GHTF countries (namely EU, US, Australia, Canada and Japan) or approval from TGF QA based on risk assessment.

Life span:

Life span designed for a minimum of 10 years.

Storage and transportation:

Capable of being stored continuously in ambient temperature from 10–40 °C, relative humidity from 15–95%, and elevation from 0 to 1000 m, minimum.

Installation, training, warranty and preventive maintenance:

On-site installation and training for use and daily preventive maintenance is provided.

Remote service support is also available.

Warranty and onsite periodic preventive maintenance can be offered up to 5 years.

Indicative lead time and cost*:

 Skid-mounted PSA plantsContainerized PSA plants
Average lead time EXW (Weeks)1012
Average cost per M3/h (USD) without booster compressor$6,000$6,500
Average cost per M3/h (USD) with full flow covered by booster compressor$10,500$11,000

*The average indicative cost is solely based on the PSA plants with standard configuration across suppliers with installation, training and 5 years of warranty, exclusive of travel costs and preventive maintenance cost; the actual cost and lead time will be determined by the allocated supplier, the scope of work, exact plant configuration and the location of the installation. A quote which is close to the actual cost will be provided at the requisition stage.

References:

  1. WHO: Technical specifications for Pressure Swing Adsorption(PSA) Oxygen Plants (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-PSA_Specifications-2020.1);
  2. PATH: Respiratory Care Equipment Market Report (https://path.azureedge.net/media/documents/RespCare_Equipemnt_Market_Report_FINAL_10Dec2020.pdf);
  3. WHO-UNICEF: Technical specifications and guidance for oxygen therapy devices (https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/329874).