In the next three months, the DRDO will set up as many as 500 oxygen plants. These plants will come up using the funds from the PMCARES fund
Bengaluru: In the next three months, the DRDO will set up as many as 500 oxygen plants. These plants will come up using the funds from the PMCARES fund.
"The medical oxygen plant (MOP) technology developed by DRDO for on-board oxygen generation for light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas will now help in fighting the current crisis of oxygen for COVID-19 patients," said Rajnath Singh, the defence minister.
The transfer of MOP technology has been done to Bengaluru-based Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Coimbatore-based Trident Pneumatics and these two companies will set up 380 plants.
Moreover, 120 plants of 500 litres per minute capacity will be set up by industries working with the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, it mentioned.
The MOP of the DRDO is designed to generate 1,000 litres oxygen per minute, it noted.
"The system caters for 190 patients at a flow rate of 5 litres per minute and can charge 195 cylinders per day," it added.
OnBoard Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS)
It is an indigenously built technology (specifically for India-manufactured aircraft) used to supply oxygen to the aircrew by supplying oxygen using bleed air from the engine and separating oxygen from other components, using a process called Pressure Swing Adsorption Technology.
With this technology the pilot can remain airborne for a long time. Till this time, the pilots had to get to the ground, maybe an hour or so after they were airborne to refill oxygen.
India is the fourth country to make use of this technology after Russia, United States and France.
DRDO has also built hospitals in Lucknow to ease the covid crisis.
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