Optimizing medical oxygen concentrators: Efficiency, flexibility, and patient-centric solutions

Medical oxygen concentrators (MOCs) play a vital role in providing oxygen therapy to patients with respiratory diseases. This paper offers a comprehensive evaluation of different adsorbents, including 13X, LiLSX, 5A, CaX, Ag-ETS-10, and AgLiLSX, utilized in MOCs. Process modeling and multi-objective optimization are conducted to assess the effectiveness of these adsorbents using the Skarstr & oslash;m cycle, employing pressure swing adsorption (PSA), vacuum swing adsorption (VSA), and pressure vacuum swing adsorption (PVSA) processes. The optimization result indicates that LiLSX is the top choice, providing medical-grade oxygen at a total product flow rate exceeding 15 SLPM. Additionally, 13X and CaX are identified as economical alternatives, particularly suitable for employment in the PSA and VSA processes, respectively. This study highlights the significance of establishing a connection between the Medical and Chemical Engineering communities through the direct incorporation of medical performance indicators, such as the fraction of inspired oxygen (F I O 2 ), into the optimization process. The findings serve as a guide for selecting an appropriate design based on the patient's requirements and demonstrate LiLSX's capability to meet a diverse range of treatments, achieving F I O 2 values up to 0.75. Furthermore, we explore the flexibility of MOC designs in meeting the demands of multiple patients simultaneously and propose energy-efficient design options based on patient needs. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into optimizing MOCs, ensuring effective and reliable oxygen therapy for patients, while also addressing challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and potential global lithium scarcity.