IISC develops indigenous oxygen generators | Fusion - WeRIndia

Due to restrictions among countries in the outbreak of coronavirus, many countries are making their tools. India is also trying to make indigenous equipment.

A team of scientists from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru developed a low-cost oxygen generator.

This portable device can draw oxygen from the surrounding air to supply it to ventilators or patient directly.

The team says that this generator will help hospitals especially in rural areas fight against COVID-19.

Many oxygen generators are available in the market. Their cost ranges from ₹40,000 to ₹1 lakh.

Hence, these scientists made the indigenous oxygen generator with a low-cost of less than ₹10,000.

The team consists of Prof. Ramamurthy, Dr Arun Rao, and Bhaskar. They analyzed the impact of COVID-19 well in advance and decided to design an oxygen generator. They designed a prototype after brainstorming for several ideas.

Air consists of 78 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen. Other gases comprise the remaining amount.

The device draws surrounding air and passes it through a layer of zeolite which acts as a sponge for nitrogen.

The zeolite layer adsorbs nitrogen and yields oxygen. Thus, the oxygen generator works on a simple principle. After designing the prototype, the team worked on making it portable.

They used water filter cartridges as the canister in the device. They are improving their prototype. While the latest version can yield an output of 70 per cent of oxygen, they are working to improve it to more than 90 per cent.

The notable feature of this device is its transparency. Healthcare workers can monitor the amount of oxygen generated by the device. Hence, they can control the percentage of oxygen supplied to a patient.

The team wants to make the design open so that anyone can build such oxygen generators.

Image Reference: Thebetterindia