What is the Difference Between Oxygen Concentrator and Oxygen Cylinder

The key difference between oxygen concentrator and oxygen cylinder is that oxygen concentrator can concentrate oxygen from a gas supply through selective removal of nitrogen to give an oxygen-enriched gas stream, whereas oxygen cylinder is a container having pure or close to pure oxygen gas.

Oxygen gas is essential for life on Earth because we all breathe air which contains about 20% of oxygen. This oxygen enters our bloodstream, eventually contributing to the respiration and energy production inside our body.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is an Oxygen Concentrator 
3. What is an Oxygen Cylinder
4. Oxygen Concentrator vs Oxygen Cylinder in Tabular Form
5. Comparison Summary

What is an Oxygen Concentrator?

Oxygen concentrator is a system or a device that can concentrate oxygen gas from a gas supply through selective removal of nitrogen gas to give an oxygen-enriched product gas stream. There are two major ways of concentrating oxygen: pressure swing adsorption and membrane gas separation.

When considering the history of these oxygen concentrators, these devices were invented in 1970 as home medical oxygen concentrators. Before this invention, home medical oxygen therapy used heavy high pressure oxygen cylinders or small cryogenic liquid oxygen systems. These two oxygen supply methods required frequent home visits by suppliers, which was very troublesome.

The most common form of oxygen concentrators uses the pressure swing adsorption or PSA technology widely for oxygen provision in healthcare applications. This is very useful when the use of pressurized liquid oxygen is dangerous or inconvenient. However, nitrogen separation membrane technology is used for some other purposes, as well.

Generally, an oxygen concentrator tends to take in air and remove nitrogen gas from the air, thereby leaving an oxygen-rich gas for use. These devices provide an economical source of oxygen for both industrial needs and medical needs.

Figure 1: Operation technique of molecular sieves in PSA technique. (I-input air (compressed), O-oxygen output, A-adsorption, E-exhaust, and D-desorption)

When observing the action of pressure swing adsorption, these devices use a molecular sieve in order to absorb gases and operate the principle of rapid pressure swing adsorption of atmospheric nitrogen onto zeolite minerals at a high-pressure condition. This technique is reliable and economically important.

What is an Oxygen Cylinder?

Oxygen cylinder or oxygen tank is an oxygen storage vessel that contains oxygen gas under pressure in a cylinder. There are some other types of oxygen tanks as well, which contains liquid oxygen in the cryogenic storage tank.

There are many different uses of oxygen cylinders, including medical breathing at hospitals and home, breathing requirements at altitude in aviation, in oxygen first aid kits, oxygen therapy, gas blending, which is required for the creation of diving breathing mixes such as nitrox, for open-circuit scuba sets, for climbing, for industrial processes such as the manufacture of steel and monel, etc.

Figure 02: Oxygen Tank

We can deliver breathing oxygen from the cylinder to the user through the use of one of the following methods; using an oxygen mask, nasal cannula, full-face diving mask, diving helmet, demand valve, oxygen rebreather, built-in breathing system, oxygen tent, and hyperbaric oxygen chambers. However, the equipment that comes with an oxygen cylinder must be “oxygen clean” and “oxygen compatible”. This reduces the risk of fire.

What is the Difference Between Oxygen Concentrator and Oxygen Cylinder?

The key difference between oxygen concentrator and oxygen cylinder is that oxygen concentrator can concentrate oxygen from a gas supply through selective removal of nitrogen to give an oxygen-enriched product gas stream, whereas an oxygen cylinder is a container having pure or close to pure oxygen gas.

Below is a list of differences between oxygen concentrator and oxygen cylinder in tabular form.

Comparison Summary – Oxygen Concentrator vs Oxygen Cylinder

Oxygen gas is essential for life on Earth because we all breathe air, which contains about 20% of oxygen. This oxygen enters our bloodstream, eventually contributing to the respiration and energy production inside our body. The key difference between oxygen concentrator and oxygen cylinder is that oxygen concentrator can concentrate oxygen from a gas supply through selective removal of nitrogen to give an oxygen-enriched product gas stream, whereas an oxygen cylinder is a container having pure or close to pure oxygen gas.

Reference:

1. “Oxygen Tank.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 May 2021, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Pressure swing adsorption principle” By Cmglee – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “10ltr oxygen cylinder” By Pawar0365 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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