What is an Oxygen Generator?

• Oxygen generators are also called oxygen concentrators. They come in many sizes and have several different functional properties. Oxygen generators are used in industrial conditions to meet environmental worker's conditions, on airplanes to provide passengers with fresh oxygen, on submarines and spacecraft, and in health care environments as part of respiratory therapy. Oxygen generators are preferred over oxygen tanks and cylinders because no gas is stored under pressure, meaning there is less danger of combustion.
  
  

Design

• Oxygen generators are composed of two chambers. One is a reservoir chamber, and the other is a columned chamber. The generators intake leads into an air compressor mechanism and a series of replaceable air filters. In the columned chamber, two columns of zeolite sit along the chamber's perimeter, with a rotary fan in the center. From there, another air filter leads into the reservoir chamber. The reservoir chamber contains a layer of sodium chlorate pellets or potassium chlorate pellets and an electronic ignition switch. An electronically operated flow control system then leads to the generator's output.
  
  

Function

• When the oxygen generator is engaged in passive mode, the compressor mechanism pulls air in through the intake where particulate, pollen and dust is filtered out. The rotary fan in the columned chamber passes the air through the zeolite columns repeatedly. From a molecular standpoint, zeolite binds with gaseous nitrogen and carbon dioxide, leaving mostly oxygen in the air. When the flow control system is activated, oxygenated air passes out the output.
  In active mode, the sodium chlorate or potassium chlorate pellets are ignited. They burn slowly, producing oxygen as a byproduct of their combustion. The pure oxygen combines with the filtered air coming from the columned chamber and is only allowed through the output once the flow control system registers a given percentage of oxygen in the air. This system requires that the reservoir chamber be refilled with pellets from time to time.