Oxygen Concentrators

Destination · 20 Sep 2010 at 04:57

I need a bit of help from the wide resource of GD.
Anyone heard about these machines, oxygen concentrators, they take room air, concentrate the oxygen and the release it. So as not to make this a medical thread, I am not going to discuss their use, but suffice to stay, I am currently in Indonesia on vacation and someone here could rightly do with one.

Anyone aware of these machines?
A source for them that isn't chinese sellers on ebay?
Or a model type they would recommend or have used?

Quicker the replies the better, as I am only in country for less than one more week.

Meridian · 20 Sep 2010 at 06:54

If you're that keen to throw your money away, donate it to charity. There are certainly machines which can do this, but are very large, very noisy and very expensive. The kind of thing you are looking at makes a faint humming noise and consumes electricity - that's it. It will have effect on the air in the room at all. Just get an a/c.

M

heeeed · 20 Sep 2010 at 06:58

The problem is this is a medical thread whether you want it to be or not. If you know someone who you think would benefit from long term oxygen then they really need to see a doctor to assess why they are breathless in the first place. Just giving oxygen is frequently not the right thing to do, and only a certain group of patients in this country would be suitable and they would have monitoring of their treatment.

heeeed · 20 Sep 2010 at 07:06

Meridian said:
It will have effect on the air in the room at all.

M

I am presuming the sort of machine he is after is one that connects via nasal cannula to the patient. I agree no machine will provide increased oxygen for a whole room

LOAM · 20 Sep 2010 at 07:16

When you say it "takes room air, concentrates it, then releases it" are you suggesting this thing collects all the oxygen in the room, then once it has it all dumps it out in one go?

If so, that's not that good. Yo will kill everyone in the room first and I fear you will then be staying in indonesia for longer than you think.

arknor · 20 Sep 2010 at 07:43

just get loads of plants i hear they release oxygen

Destination · 20 Sep 2010 at 08:40

The person in question is on permanent oxygen therapy, through cylinders, costing around 4500 pounds a year to refill and maintain. Some machines I have seen cost anywhere from 200-800 pounds, and produce oxygen at the same rate as the cylinders.

I am not looking to improve oxygen in an entire room, nor an I am little girl, but thanks for your input MilkyBY.

Not a medical thread as the person already is fully diagnosed and on the correct therapy, I am simply trying to save a whole pile of money, that I already have to provide to my inlaws.

So as Heeed correctly stated, it is a nasal canula style machine for COPD.

Anyone have experience with such concentrators?
Know a supplier? A manufactuer?
A machine type they would recommend?

RDM · 20 Sep 2010 at 09:06

http://www.portableoxygen.co.uk/

First link in goggle.

EDIT: Or call the British Lung Foundation for advice?

http://www.lunguk.org/supporting-you/helpline-advice-service/index

Destination · 20 Sep 2010 at 09:22

Thx RDM, looking into that now.
Google can't be searched in the same way here, I get google.id or international google, which were useless for my searches, everything chinese, ebay and australian coming up filled with adverts and no content.

Fourstar · 20 Sep 2010 at 10:59

Meridian said:
If you're that keen to throw your money away, donate it to charity. There are certainly machines which can do this, but are very large, very noisy and very expensive.

My initial thoughts exactly, but I took effort to check. They are based on the sound science of Pressure Swing Adsorption not quantum stream splitting though crystal resonances or other such guff.

They work by removing nitrogen from the air.

Specifically, air is routed through two Zeolite filters.

Step 1:
Air is passed through filter 1 under pressure. The zeolite adsorbs nitrogen.
Filter 2 is vented to atmosphere releasing the nitrogen it previously adsorbed.

Step 2:
Flow is now switched so the first filter vents and the second adsorbs.

Rinse and repeat.

Hikari Kisugi, I'd say the first thing you need do is find out the oxygen rate your relative requires and check with their doctor if this technology is suitable. You can then start looking for a device that meets the requirement.

Also, if you have a google account you can log in and set your language/location to be the UK. Whenever you're logged in you should get English search results

Destination · 20 Sep 2010 at 15:22

Fourstar thank you for backing me up with the actual science behind how the machines function.
The portable machines will indeed cover his requirements, these machines are not uncommon, and are provided in most NHS areas for people with COPD, to save money on cylinders. Weirdly enough, as they run 24/7 on electricity, taxmoney, NHS funds are given to those in the UK using the machines to recoup for the electricity expense of using the machine.
Oddly the daily mail hasn't ranted about that one, but I digress.
Clearly no one so far has encountered such a machine, I'll see if anyone in the later evening replies with a machine recommendation.
Thanks to all who are contributing.