Oxygen plants to come up in 37 govt hospitals across state
Taking further steps to check oxygen crisis in the state, the state government has mandated Trident Pneumatics Private Limited, HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd and union ministry of Petroleum to install oxygen plants in 37 government hospitals across the state.
While Coimbatore-based Trident will install 21 oxygen plants in government hospitals across the state, remaining plants will be installed by HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd and the union ministry of petroleum.
These plants will be based on the DRDO’s Liquid Oxygen plant technology, said Navneet Sehgal, additional chief secretary, MSME department, UP.
Under the latest initiative, medical oxygen plants will be installed in 37 government hospitals across the state.
They will be in addition to other such plants coming up with government’s efforts and initiative by the industrialists, said Sehgal.
The DRDO has transferred its Liquid Oxygen plant technology to Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, Bengaluru, and Trident Pneumatics Pvt Ltd. Now, the state government and industry will place orders with these two companies for installing Liquid Oxygen plants based on the DRDO’s technology.
The HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd, a subsidiary of HLL Lifecare Limited, a government of India Enterprise, will also install four oxygen plants in government hospitals.
The union ministry of Petroleum will also install oxygen plants in government hospitals.
The ministry has mandated four PSUs, including Indian Oil Corporation, Gail India Limited, Oil India Limited and Indraprashta Gas Limited for the project.
In the state capital, the Indian Oil Corporation will install Oxygen plants at Balrampur hospital and LBRN Combined Hospital.
DRDO’s technology
According to the statement issued by the DRDO, the medical oxygen plant (MOP) technology was developed to supply oxygen on board the light combat aircraft (LCA) by the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL). DEBEL is a unit under the DRDO. The same technology will be used to fight the current oxygen crisis facing covid-19 patients in the country.
The DRDO’s plant will generate 1000 litres per minute (LPM) high-capacity medical oxygen. This system will fulfill oxygen demand of 190 patients at a flow rate of 5 LPM and charge 195 cylinders per day.
The MOP technology is capable of generating oxygen with 93±3% concentration, which can be directly supplied to hospital beds or can be used to fill medical oxygen cylinders. It utilizes pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technique and molecular sieve (zeolite) technology to generate oxygen directly from atmospheric air,” said the DRDO’s statement.
Now, hospitals will be able to generate on site medical oxygen, in a cost-effective manner with the DRDO’s oxygen plant. They will no longer have to depend on upon sourcing liquid Oxygen from other places, said the statement.