How is oxygen produced and what is the price? Why do corona patients need oxygen?
There is a shortage of clinically available oxygen across the country due to the spread of Covit-19.
 |
| Oxygen shortage in India |
The atmosphere around us is 20.9 percent oxygen-rich in the normal environment. Oxygen is one of the most abundant chemicals in nature.
Because the corona virus mostly affects the lungs, these patients need to be given oxygen from the outside to save their lives.
Millions of patients across the country have this condition. Oxygen shortages have occurred in many states as hospitals struggle with the need for oxygen.
Oxygen is widely used not only in hospitals but also in factories. In fact, the amount of oxygen used in factories is much higher than the oxygen used for medicine.
How is oxygen produced?
Oxygen is mostly collected from the atmosphere. But the method is very complicated. ”To produce oxygen, the air in the atmosphere must be taken in, purified, and carried into high-pressure vessels.
Oxygen is often collected from the atmosphere, but the process is more complex. " Temperature - 195 degrees Celsius. There is a 5 degree difference in temperature between oxygen and nitrogen.
In this case, the oxygen and nitrogen are separated at different temperatures in the form of fractional distillation. The oxygen is then stored in cylinders or tanks. If in a tank, it is collected in liquid form. Chairman R. Kannan.
Oxygen produced in this way can only be stored at extremely low temperatures, so it can only be stored or transported in two-layer double-layer containers.
As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, there are 18, 19 companies producing oxygen, slightly larger. Seven of these companies produce large quantities of oxygen. Three of these companies supply oxygen to government hospitals.
Is there a difference in industrial medical oxygen?
The same oxygen is used in industry and medicine.
"But if the oxygen is for hospitals, it can only be sent to hospitals after certain tests. The oxygen used by humans should not contain carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons. It should be 99 percent pure," says R. Kannan.
All the oxygen companies in Tamil Nadu can produce 300 metric tons of oxygen a day. Of this, 30 per cent goes to medicine and the remaining 70 per cent goes to industry.
What is the price of oxygen?
"The price of oxygen is controlled by the government. The price of a cubic meter of oxygen in gaseous form is around 25 rupees.
In liquid form, a cubic meter costs Rs 78. Bed height oxygen in hospitals
The price of a cylinder is around Rs 60-70, but it is usually more expensive to transport it from the factory to the hospital than the price of oxygen, ”says Kannan.
Oxygen can be produced at home with a machine called an 'oxygen generator'.
"But its purity is only 93 per cent. Besides, the machine produces only 5 liters of oxygen per minute. It is enough for normal patients. However, it is not enough for patients with corona. Says Kannan.
In many states, images of relatives of corona victims waiting at the gates of oxygen factories with empty cylinders have begun to appear in the media.
"This is an unusual environment. So people buy like this. Normally if you go to the manufacturer and ask, you can't buy oxygen without a doctor's recommendation letter. Besides, no one needs oxygen in a normal environment," says Kannan.
Oxygen cannot be stored for long periods of time. Liquid oxygen can evaporate little by little. Oxygen in gaseous form can be stored for a few more days in a cylinder. , No one will come forward to invest heavily in the cylinders.
In July last year, when about 58,000 people were being treated for corona in Tamil Nadu, the daily oxygen requirement was 280 metric tones. As on April 21 this year, the number of patients was 84,361.
As the number of patients increases, the need for oxygen does not increase. The daily oxygen requirement is determined by how many patients in total need oxygen.
Since the corona outbreak last year, most government hospitals have multiplied their storage capacity. Smaller hospitals store oxygen in the form of cylinders.
The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation procures and distributes oxygen to government hospitals in Tamil Nadu at a pre-determined price.
0 Comments