Method Oxygen Concentrator

[daley]

This is probably a stupid question, but I'm wondering if there is anything in it.

An oxygen concentrator is a machine that uses the air around you to make oxygen by trapping Nitrogen.
Couldn't you use the exhaust to get the air without oxygen. If the concentration of the exhaust still
has too much oxygen, in principle one could redirect the exhaust to the intake and collect a
bag of nitrogen.

I am already aware of several problems in this:

• Many countries need a doctors prescription to but or rent an oxygen concentrator. Although I believe there are some low power ones on sites like aliexpress. Maybe even those cheap machines would be enough if you recycle the air enough times.
• Good machines are pretty expensive.
• Probably the trouble in connecting the machine properly is more complex than just buying and connecting a Nitrogen tank.

Any thoughts?

 

[athiestjoe]

Are you certain that the machine exhausts nitrogen? From a quick look, it seems like it has a chemical bead structure inside that absorbs, or actually adsorbs, nitrogen as the inlet air passes through. These are referred to as "molecular sieve beads" (aka the air mixture flows through the zeolite bed in the air concentrator, the larger nitrogen molecules are selectively adsorbed into the zeolite pores, allowing for effective separation of the gases from the air).

It's an intriguing approach, but it seems costly and time-consuming for research. Let's assume for a second it did exhaust the nitrogen in some usable way though (double check it though). I definitely think the existing methods for inert gas would be far easier to pull off, and if you wanted something more technical and costly, at these prices it would be better just to buy a SCBA and luxurious nitrogen cylander setup! Seems like an awful lot of work and risk to engineer something like this, assuming it does even exhaust the Nitrogen in a way it could be used (big assumption I am not positive about).

Some downsides?
- Cost: Ultimately, you would end up spending significantly more money. Again, if cost isn't an issue then why not just use a nitrogen tank we know the method will work for?
- Technical Nature: Even the most motivated folks who opt for the inert gas method wouldn't go as far as reverse-engineering or trying to 'game' this type of machine.
- Purity - achieving high purity is crucial, and your method likely wouldn't exceed 99% in the best-case scenario. The inert gas method is a "mechanical" approach that effectively removes all oxygen from the environment in way we can be comfortably certain about assuming the cylindar you get is the right purity.

In any method, simplicity is key. The less complexity, the better, as increased complexity introduces more potential for error. While the inert gas method does require some effort, it's very manageable; it is not rocket science. Sticking to just using a nitrogen cylindar would be far, far easier.

I don't think your idea is bad; it just seems to require more money, scientific expertise, and motivation than the existing method.

I'm all for innovation though, but CTB methods do need R&D.

With whatever you decide, I wish you all the best of luck and hope you find peace & serenity.

 

[Sunset Limited]

We need to know purity of the seperated N2. Flow rate is strong.

 

[daley]

In any method, simplicity is key. The less complexity, the better, as increased complexity introduces more potential for error. While the inert gas method does require some effort, it's very manageable; it is not rocket science. Sticking to just using a nitrogen cylindar would be far, far easier.

Yeah. I thought inert gas would be my method of choice, but I am a bit apprehensive about getting
the supplies. I should do more research on that.

Thanks for your comments!