Oxygen for Covid patients without gas cylinders

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<strong>A specialised task force of engineers from the Indian Army has put together a working solution for efficient conversion of liquid oxygen to low pressure oxygen gas for Covid patients by using vaporisers, Pressure-Reducing Valves (PRVs) and liquid oxygen cylinders.<br />
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In order to meet the exponential demand for oxygen and oxygen cylinders during the ongoing second Covid wave, an Indian Army engineers team led by Major General Sanjay Rihani undertook the initiative in direct consultation and material support from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).<br />
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Since oxygen is being transported in liquid form in cryogenic tanks, quick conversion of liquid oxygen to oxygen gas and ensuring availability of it at the bed of a patient remains a critical challenge faced by all hospitals managing Covid cases.<br />
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The specialised task force has executed an innovation to ensure that oxygen is made available without the use of gas cylinders, thus obviating the need to refill them frequently.  <br />
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In order to ensure continuous conversion of liquid oxygen into oxygen gas at the requisite pressure and temperature at the Covid bed, the team used a self-pressurising liquid oxygen cylinder of small capacity (250 litres) and processed it through a specially designed vaporiser and directly usable outlet pressure (4 Bar) with requisite leak proof pipeline and pressure valves.<br />
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A prototype with two liquid cylinders capable of feeding oxygen gas for 40 beds for a period of two to three days has been made functional at Delhi Cantt's Base Hospital. The team has also tested a mobile version to cater for typical shifting requirements in hospitals. The system is economically viable and is safe to operate since it obviates high gas pressure in the pipeline or cylinders and does not require any power supply to operate. The system is capable of replication in a quick time frame.<br />
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The innovation is another example of Indian Army's commitment to find simple and practical solutions to complex problems as it stands steadfast with the nation in this fight against Covid-19.</p>