Research Projects

Oxygen is a critical medicine in healthcare systems, and uninterrupted and reliable supply is required. Three processes are currently used for medical grade oxygen production: air-liquefaction, Pressure swing adsorption, and oxygen concentrators. Air-liquefaction provides the highest purity of oxygen at the lowest cost, making it the preferred choice. Water electrolysis is a renewable alternative that provides over 99% oxygen without additional purification processes. Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) is preferred due to its high purity, ease of operation, and low volume requirement, but is costly. Water electrolysis can provide high purity gaseous oxygen, leading to cost savings. Healthcare systems must maintain emergency backup power supply, which relies on diesel generators, which are highly polluting. A renewable energy-based combined onsite oxygen production and green hydrogen generation system is proposed, consisting of a solar photovoltaic array, membrane electrolyzer, and proton exchange membrane fuel cell. This system is highly scalable and flexible, providing high reliability and long-term operation. The main objective of the proposal is to carry out a techno-economic feasibility analysis by developing a lab-level prototype and demonstration of the technology. The study will focus on the system's size and hydrogen use.