Is diffuse oxygen delivery feasible?

How can ordinary people adapt to the low-oxygen environment of high altitudes? The traditional method of nasal oxygen inhalation cannot fundamentally solve the problem of hypoxia at high altitudes and fails to restrict people’s indoor activities. Oxygen pressure affects the nasal mucosa, causing discomfort and long-term consequences such as nosebleeds. In recent years, the concept of diffusive oxygen supply has been proposed, and on-site oxygen generation via pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen concentrators has been implemented to provide diffusive oxygen indoors. Unfortunately, this approach has not been very effective. On the one hand, due to the low efficiency of PSA oxygen generation, it is impossible to regulate and control the oxygen concentration indoors; moreover, these systems consume large amounts of electricity, generate significant noise pollution, and do not contribute positively to improving living conditions. Diffusive oxygen supply also falls short of meeting the oxygen demand for large-area applications.

However, practical experience has shown that currently, using liquid oxygen to diffuse oxygen indoors can effectively address the issue of hypoxia at high altitudes. This approach abandons the conventional on-site pressure-swing adsorption method for oxygen generation and instead relies on the vaporization of liquid oxygen to provide diffused oxygen indoors. At the front end, a cryogenic liquid oxygen storage tank is installed—similar to those used in hospital oxygen supply systems. After the liquid oxygen is vaporized, it is transported indoors via oxygen pipelines. Because... One cubic meter of liquid oxygen can be vaporized into 800 cubic meters of gaseous oxygen, thereby rapidly increasing the oxygen concentration indoors. At the same time, an oxygen concentration control system will be installed indoors to enable automatic regulation of indoor oxygen levels, accurately measure each household’s oxygen consumption, and charge a fee based on a predetermined rate, thus ensuring the project’s sustainability.

The above-mentioned diffuse oxygen supply method is based on reality. Currently, the single-unit installed capacity of air separation equipment has exceeded... 100,000 Nm³/h— the supply of liquid oxygen is fully guaranteed. Liquid oxygen boasts advantages such as large storage capacity, convenient storage and transportation, and low energy consumption, making diffuse oxygen delivery feasible. Furthermore, the continuous improvement in transportation infrastructure has effectively addressed the challenge of liquid oxygen transport. No matter how high the altitude, as long as there’s a connected road, oxygen can be delivered. Mature oxygen concentration sensing and automatic control technologies have made it even easier to precisely regulate the oxygen concentration in diffuse oxygen delivery systems.