A Life Saver and Life Restorer - Oxygen Concentrator
Oxygen Concentrator
This work elucidates the developmental trajectory of oxygen concentrators within the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by a surge in demand for oxygen cylinders. We were presented with a chance to create a minimum viable product (MVP) for an oxygen concentrator by Dr. Sreeram Dhurjaty from Rochester and several engineers from PSIT. The adventure commenced by delving into the fundamental concepts of physics and chemistry. Initially, a machine with a wooden case was built utilizing readily accessible components, operating at a flow rate of 5 liters per minute (LPM). Following the determination of the precise volume of sodium zeolite granules, a machine was fabricated with an initial output purity of 75%. Various important changes were then subsequently made including improved sieve beds, the heat radiator system to disperse thermal energy, and changes in the chemistry of the primary concentrator. The testing of an improved (preproduction) stainless-steel unit spanned a duration of six months and was conducted at various institutions, including Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, a government hospital, and a Cardiology institute. During this period, we evaluated our oxygen concentrator with a flow rate of 10 lpm and a purity level of 90%. The cost of our final 5 lpm machine is approximately 25,000 Indian rupees (about $300).
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 07 Oct 2023
- Time: 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM
- All times are (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
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- Starts 27 August 2023 08:00 AM
- Ends 07 October 2023 01:00 PM
- All times are (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Dr. Dixit of Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology (PSIT)-Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Oxygen Concentrator Engineering
This talk is dedicated to people who lost their lives in the second wave of COVID-19 recently. We got down to work when people approached us during the second wave for Oxygen-producing devices. Most of the affected people experienced a shortage of oxygen while breathing and suffered from hypoxemia. The medical facilities were overloaded, and it was not possible to provide oxygen therapy to all who were simultaneously affected.
Biography:
Dr. Aparna Dixit was awarded her Ph.D. degree in the year 2007 in the field of High Energy Physics from Kanpur University. She became a Senior Research Fellow (extended) with the India Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 2008 and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at IIT in 2009. Currently, she is an Associate Professor with the Department of Physics, Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology (PSIT) Kanpur. She has extensive experience, more than 15 years of research and teaching. She has 25 published papers in reputed International Journals (SCI and Scopus indexed) and Conferences to her credit. She Chaired the “Women in Engineering Affinity Group”, UP Section IEEE in 2020. She is the Coordinator of Regional Centre Virtual Lab and Internship Program at PSIT. The IEEE UP Section awarded Dr. Dixit the Outstanding Branch Counsellor for 2020-2021.
During her college years, Aparna Dixit was a meritorious student with rewards - “The Best Student of The Year in College” in 1998 for the class of MSc. Physics and “Securing Highest Marks in All MSc Exams” at Christ Church College, Kanpur. At present, she is an active member of the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT).
Professor Dixit has worked on four projects: a Sanitary Napkin vending machine, a sanitary napkin incinerator, a dual fluid sanitizer dispenser, and an oxygen concentrator. Currently, she is working on the design and development of a hand-cranked defibrillator. She has developed more than fifty experiments under the Virtual Lab project.
Email:
Address:Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology, NH 19, Kanpur, Bhautipratappur, Kanpur, India, Uttar Pradesh 209305
Agenda
October 7, 2023, 12:00 pm EST - Dr. Aparna Dixit begins her talk
PSIT Kanpur