Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has completed the development, manufacturing, and delivery of its first ever medical oxygen plant.

The Indian government-owned engineering and manufacturing company delivered the medical oxygen plant to Hyderabad-based SLG Hospitals.

BHEL said that it had forayed into the manufacture of medical oxygen plants to address the severe shortage of oxygen in India during the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The medical oxygen plant was developed by BHEL within 35 days. It uses technology from the Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research–Indian Institute Of Petroleum (CSIR–IIP).

BHEL had inked an agreement with CSIR-IIP in May 2021 for the transfer of technology for medical oxygen plants of 500 LPM and higher by deploying pressure vacuum swing adsorption (PVSA) technology.

The agreement covers the development and deployment of 500 LPM medical oxygen plants and design upscaling to over 1000 LPM.

BHEL stated: “Work for development of a prototype was initiated on war footing in three of BHEL’s biggest manufacturing units (Hyderabad, Bhopal and Haridwar). In parallel, work on design upscaling of 1000 LPM was also taken up.

“The BHEL team, with the support of CSIR, quickly overcame the various challenges such as procurement of zeolite material and other components, as well as those faced in the manufacturing process.”

BHEL said that it has received commercial orders for the supply of 500 LPM and 1000 LPM PVSA plants to state hospitals.

  BHEL, COVID-19, Haridwar, Hyderabad, India, Oxygen, SLG Hospitals